Margaret Finnegan writes about how things did not always go according to plan in her life, but that ending up where she didn't expect inspired her middle grade books.
"Novels that address tough topics should also leave the reader with possibilities for concrete action—and the hopefulness that emerges from those actions. In Torch, action and hope grow out of the bonds of friendship that Štěpán, Lída, and Tomáš create with each other."
Kellye Crocker talks about teaching her students that the keys to writing are respect and trying, and how those two things have helped her writing as well.
"Some books want to be written. They refuse to go away. They nag. I like to joke that Amber and Clay (Candlewick, 2021) went to other writers first, and tried to get them to write it. The other writers had sense enough to say no."
Jaime Berry talks about how helping her students work on Writer's Notebooks helped her explore her own ideas as a writer as well.
Jay Hardwig writes about how so many of the students he has worked with inspired him to create his book Just Maria with their stories and experiences.
"Of course, I hated the thought of readers giving up on my story. But I wanted readers to get a firsthand sense of Rayne’s everyday challenges. The more I contemplated the request, the sadder I got. An able-bodied reader was asking me, a disabled writer, to enable them more."
Ryan Calejo talks about how his students taught him the power of patience and persistence, and how that came into play with his writing.
The Storytelling Math books may seem simple, but they take a lot of mathematical thinking and planning to create!
Alice Faye Duncan talks about striving to be the teacher and writer she needed when she was a kid.
