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Chalk + Ink: Season 2; Episode 28

12/16/2021

Interview with Author and Educator, Zetta Elliott

This episode is full of heart. Zetta Elliott talks about how magic is for everyone, questions why some books aren’t reviewed, and shares a simple and flexible way to outline a novel that you can try yourself and/or share with your students.

Zetta's written many fabulous books. The ones we discuss in the interview are her Dragons in a Bag series, Say Her Name and the Caldecott Honor winner, A Place Inside of Me.

We talk about how the Dragons in a Bag series celebrates and includes groups of people who have often been omitted from fantasy narratives. In addition, Zetta illuminates urban settings, like abandoned factories, that are rarely if ever mentioned in a genre that elevates secret gardens and rural landscapes.

Say Her Name is an exquisite collection of poems that according to Jacqueline Woodson, "is a tribute to Black Women, in verse." While discussing "For Saundra," by Nikki Giovanni, which is included in Say Her Name, we examine the stereotypical assumption that cities don't make good subject matter for poetry, while trees do.

Finally, we chat about A Place Inside of Me. Zetta explains she changed the order of some stanzas in the poem to make more of a narrative arc. She questions why some books are reviewed while others are not.

If you're interested in winning one of Zetta's fantastic books, be sure to listen to the end of the episode to find out how to enter the giveaway.

Zetta thinks every upper grade classroom should have a copy of Ann Clare LeZotte's Show Me a Sign, which is a tension-filled, adventurous, historical fiction novel, which looks at how society discriminated against deaf people in the 1800's. I totally agree that this book should be in every classroom. I wish I would have mentioned A Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly, which examines some of the challenges that deaf children face today.

Happy listening and happy holidays! Feeling generous? Give Chalk + Ink a holiday gift and leave a positive review wherever you listen to your podcasts.

See you in the new year!

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Chalk + Ink: Season 2; Episode 27

12/2/2021

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Interview with Elementary Librarian and Author,
Marcie Flinchum Atkins

The regimented and reflective, Marcie Flinchum Atkins, shares organizational tips to help listeners make the most out of every marvelous writing moment life has to offer, gives listeners a great revision tip that will raise works-in-progress to the next level, and explains how to incorporate different brainstorming techniques into your writer's workshop.

I've never met someone as organized as Marcie Flinchum Atkins. Not only is she organized, but she breaks her writing process, filing system, and goal setting routine into simple steps that listeners can follow. I can't wait to try out more of her tips.

The reason I chose the word, "more," instead of "some," is because I already tried one of Marcie's tips, and the exercise did indeed raise my current picture book in progress to another level. I couldn't believe how much I changed my manuscript as a result of holding my picture book dummy up as if I were reading it to my class twelve different times over the course of a week. True magic.

During the pandemic, Marcie enrolled in Becca Syme's Better-Faster Writing Academy. Marcie figured out her top five strengths, and now she leans into those processes to make the most out of her writing time.

Marcie has a ton of recommendations below, but before you read those, I want to say you need to have a copy of Marcie's book Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature in your hand as the energy level rises in your classroom this month. This title will help teachers and students slow down, take a deep breath, and appreciate the small treasures in our stunning world.

Since Marcie is an elementary librarian, she often reads titles ten-to-twelve times a week. Three titles that she enjoys reading over and over again are: Oh No! by Candace Fleming, Horrible Bear by Ame Dykeman and Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dykeman.

Marcie believes every elementary library should have the following books:

This Poem Is a Nest by Irene Latham
The author wrote a lengthy poem with four different parts. Then, she wrote 100 found poems inspired by her original poem. I'm not familiar with this book but I love Irene Latham and Charles Water's Dictionary for a Better World which we also talk about during the episode.

Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin
This book highlights a Chinese American family who stops their car to pick watercress along the side of the road. The book highlights the complex feelings of shame and joy surrounding cultural heritage. It's a great book for teaching personal narrative or memoir, and I believe it will be a 2022 ALA award winner.

What's In Your Pocket?: Collecting Nature's Treasures by Heather L. Montgomery
Montgomery highlights various scientists and childhood treasures they found in the natural world and then gives readers a window into the work they've done as an adult. Many people rave about this book. I have to check it out.

Shaking Things Up: Fourteen Women Who Changed the World by Susan Hood
This book features fourteen different styles of poems about fourteen females who changed the world and each poem is illustrated by a different female illustrator. I concur that this title is a must have!

Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge by Ray Anthony Shepard
This book has a beautiful cadence and it's about Ona Judge's daring escape as an enslaved person from George Washington.

Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by Loren Long
So many different people build the infrastructure in our country, yet we rarely take the time to honor their contributions to our society. This book honors the construction workers, electricians, architects and many others who create structures that make our world a better place.

13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich
Talk about a brilliant nonfiction book! This book packs rhyme, math, science and most of all fun into 32-pages.

When the Schools Shut Down: A Young Girl's Story of Virginia's "Lost Generation" and the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education Decision by Yolanda Gladden and Dr. Tamara Pizzoli
During the spring of 2020, we experienced a shut down. Some of us didn't attend school for months while for others it was a whole year. But back in 1954, the schools in Farmville, Virginia shut down for five years rather than integrate. This book publishes in January of 2022, and will be a fantastic addition to schools' historical fiction collections.

Whew! Marcie came prepared with so many books. But hey, after listening to the episode, I wouldn't expect anything less from her.

To find out how to win a signed copy of one of Marcie's books, stay tuned to the end of the episode.

Happy listening!

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Chalk + Ink: Season 2; Episode 28

Interview with Author and Educator, Zetta Elliott

Chalk + Ink: Season 2; Episode 27

Interview with Elementary Librarian and Author,Marcie Flinchum Atkins

Chalk + Ink

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Interview with Elementary Librarian and Author,
Marcie Flinchum Atkins