On a recent visit to the Strand NYC bookstore, I met Sophie Gregoire Trudeau who was signing copies of her memoir/self-help book, Closer Together. Sophie was easy to talk to, relatable, and kind. Readers will feel her warmth and compassion on every page of her book as she interviews professionals in various fields and combines…
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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…
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…
Writing Resource: How to Write Short Stories and Get Them Published by Ashley Lister
I thought that after writing, three novels writing a short story would be simple. I would easily crank out a short story each month to submit for publication or a contest. Little did I know that while the literary components of a short story are similar to those in a novel, writing them is a…
What I’m Reading: Italian American by Luigina Vecchione
If you are looking for a great story about family, perseverance, love, tradition, jealousy, and the American dream, look no further than Luigina Vecchione’s Italian American, the much-anticipated sequel to Greetings From Asbury Park. Both novels are inspired by real-life events and tell the story of when the author’s parents met during World War 2…
Writing News: I am a published poet!
I am proud and humbled to have two poems published in the 2024 Caldwell University literary magazine, Calyx. While my primary focus is fiction, life events inspire me to wax poetic once in a while. One poem, “A Little Bit of Everything” is a memory of my grandmother and all the little things about her…
Writing Inspiration: Julia Cameron’s Living the Artist’s Way
As a writer attempting to secure a contract with an agent or publisher, I often need reassurance, advice, and hope from experts in the field. Julia Cameron is one of these experts. Her book, The Artist’s Way, has been a source of inspiration since I first read it several years ago. I’ve recently read Living…