"Even though my plan was to be a child psychologist by day and a writer by night, it never occurred to me to write a story for kids. Not until I heard yours."
"Food is a link to our heritage, a bridge to other cultures, a cornerstone of community. There are so many memories and emotions associated with food and the sharing of it. In every food, there is a story."
"As an educator, Hope Wins is the book I wish had existed over the years to give to the young people in my life that were struggling. It tells them, "You can do this. You are strong. You are capable. You are enough. You can hang your heart on hope.”"
I wrote the story not only to help myself discover and understand a different culture, but also to try to share that culture with others.
Glenn Erick Miller talks about how teaching young adults to discover their voice allows them to find connectedness in the world around them.
Cartoonist Steenz shares how they creates their Heart of the City strips and what goes into creating their new book, Heart Takes the Stage.
Frank Morelli talks about how teaching in a "post truth" world inspired him to write about evaluating information to solve a mystery.
"In the end, I hope readers of these little adaptations recognize the same thing as readers of the big classics: our monsters are often ourselves. And we should show them some compassion."
Laekan Zea Kemp talks about how she writes about her community and hopes it helps Latine readers find representation.
"For me, stepping into the ocean is a lot like entering a poem. Because poems are where emotions, that often feel mysterious and vast, are given sound and space. Like the rhythm of crashing ocean waves, poems are a song I can revisit, explore, and maybe even find transcendence in."
