Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, is a fast-paced story about the formation of rock band in the 1970’s. The writing style is unique in that it is written interview style, similar to a script. There are no paragraphs of description or backstory, only testimony from the different characters. As a writer,…
Art in the Classroom: Norman Rockwell’s High Dive
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Art in the English Classroom, Teacher Tuesday, Writing InspirationLeave a Reply
Norman Rockwell’s High Dive is the perfect choice for a ‘back to school’ writing assignment. Writing prompts can be: what I did over the summer; when I did something I was afraid of; when I accepted a dare; when I did something because everyone else was doing it. The possibilities are endless. The boy’s expression…
Short Story Spotlight: “Hearts and Hands” by O. Henry
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Short Story Spotlight, Teacher Resources, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
Summer is the perfect time for teachers to look for new material to enhance their lessons for the upcoming year. As an educator in higher education, I have more flexibility than many teachers in middle school and high school. That being said, adding a short story or poem that is not in the curriculum may…
Summer Reading: Endling the Last by Katherine Applegate
The first book in a trilogy, Endling the Last tells the story of Byx who believes she is the last of her species and embarks on a quest with a mix of creatures who become family to her. While Byx holds onto memories of her family and the hope of finding them, she learns to…
Artist’s Date: a quest for short stories
On a recent outing to The Strand bookstore in Manhattan, I purchased four collections of short stories. Writing short stories has its own distinct challenges that differ from writing novels, and a shorter word count does not make it easier. The pacing of a short story is a particularly tricky skill. Many short stories take…
Summer Reading: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Award-winning author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of three young sisters on a summer adventure visiting their mother in California in One Crazy Summer. Visions of Disneyland and palm trees dissolve quickly when they realize their trip will be less vacation, and more adaptation to a strange neighborhood. The sisters learn about social activism, how…
Summer Reading: Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
It’s summertime, and in addition to baseball, beach, and BBQ, let’s not forget books! Whether you have assigned reading or want to read on your own, Gary Paulsen’s Lawn Boy is a great story to start your summer off. A twelve year old boy needs some cash to fix his bike, but instead of getting…
Artist’s Date: The Strand Bookstore in NYC
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Bookstores & More, Writing, Writing Inspiration, Writing ResourceLeave a Reply
One tip from creativity guru Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way, is to take oneself on artist’s dates. One day recently, I needed a change of scenery while my family would be golfing for several hours. (Anyone else married to a golfer?) I boarded an NYC bound bus and within thirty minutes, I…
On My Bookshelf: Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns is one of my favorite novels. It begins in July of 1906, three weeks after the main character’s grandmother has died. Grandpa has an announcement: he is engaged to another woman. The main character, Will Tweedy, is fourteen at the time, loves his grandfather, misses his grandmother, but…
What I’m Reading: Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Bookstores & More, Care Givers, Monthly Reads, What I'm ReadingLeave a Reply
Looking for something patriotic to read this Memorial Day? Kick off your summer reading with Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles. Set during WW1 in France, Miss Morgan’s tells the story of a group of women, most of them volunteers, who helped the citizens of France while the country was at war. In…