It’s midweek at the Mazza Museum! So, let’s not waste a moment getting to the highlights of this event-packed day. The morning began with a delightful keynote address given by Florence Minor. While her previous Mazza appearances have been as her illustrator/husband’s sidekick, today Florence addressed an audience eager to learn more about her life and […]
Just in case you’ve been sleeping … I’ve been in Findlay, Ohio this week attending the 2012 Mazza Summer Institute. And just in case you’ve had your head in a hole in the ground, Mazza is the world’s largest collection of art from children’s literature. And the funnest place on the planet. Especially this week. […]
Well, the first day of the 2012 Mazza Summer Institute has come and gone. And what a Monday! The first keynote speaker? Carmen Bernier-Grand, three-time winner of the Pura Belpre Award and a tiny powerhouse of encouragement and inspiration. As a child, Carmen was scolded by her older sister for staring at people, but Carmen […]
Imagine a place where everyone in the room adores books the way you do. A place where illustrations from children’s books, classic to modern, line the walls, and the chatter around you buzzes with words like “artist,” “create,” and “literature.” Are you dreaming? Probably not. You’re likely in Findlay, Ohio. Now you probably think I’m […]
It’s been two and a half years since my first book was released. I’m thankful for many things. To name just a few: the enthusiastic readers I’ve met, my fellow authors (especially the first-class crowd of Ohio authors) who support and cheer one another passionately, and the fact that the book is still in print! […]
It’s a big stretch, I know. From cattle to gnomes. But my current work-in-progress has me reading and studying all about our wee friends in pointy hats. I’m developing a particular fondness for woodland gnomes. So, on a recent hiking trip in the Hocking Hills, my daughters, my nieces and I were on the lookout […]
Last Friday, Maggie and I made a 4-hour drive from the farm to Gallia County, down on the Ohio River. We were on a research trip for a work-in-progress and our gracious hosts, Chuck and Marjorie, suggested a popular lunch spot in Gallipolis. Because “they have the best hot dog sauce,” Marjorie told me. “If you […]
What comes to mind first when you think of Ireland, England, and Scotland? This? Yeah, me too. Sheep, green grass, stone walls. And since I arrived, there has been no lack of sheep, green grass, or stone walls. But Scotland and Ireland have been nearly as prolific in the production of writers as they have been in the […]
Well, we’ve all heard of the Blarney Stone, I suppose. But little did I know that it is located at the very top of Blarney Castle in the village called Blarney in County Cork, Ireland. Lovely, isn’t it? Okay, this is what it looked like this morning. I guess a building built in 1446 might be in need […]
