Story & Craft
This summer my cup runneth over with kidlit elixirs. I was pleased as punch to share in one of Pat Crowley Rockwell’s Story and Craft adventures at the Peaks Island library. She is an esteemed educator, the Assistant Principal at King Middle School, and a passionate advocate of children’s books and reading to kids. She featured A Porcupine’s Promenade by Lyn Smith, how could I not join in? After she read the story, I shared my little pencil dummy and showed one of the original drawings. Kids like to touch the rough sanded paper I use for my pastels. Plus, Pat’s...
Read MoreIllustration Institute Inspires
This month has been jam-packed with visitors and events. I am inspired and jazzed about the new Illustration Institute’s Marilyn Faison Artist Residency. There are two houses on Peaks Island available to illustrators and authors for retreats, and they are just up the hill in the woods behind my house. This is the Stone Cottage, nestled in the pines at the top of Tolman Heights. I brought over a pie to Henrik and Wing, artists/residents for two weeks. They had decent time to be residential, like take strolls and dunk in the ocean. We showed them our favorite cook-out spot. The light...
Read MoreBook friends unite
It’s no secret that most children’s books are about relationships. Author Lyn Smith and I traveled recently to visit fellow book creator, Jo Miles Schuman. Lyn and Jo met via Maine Authors Publishing and I’m always down to meet fellow book makers. We found her homestead along a winding road with acres and acres of rolling woods and wetlands beyond. We ducked beneath swooping swallows nesting in the dark rafters of her barn and into a sunny studio where Jo served a scrumptious rhubarb pie and carrot cake. Double dessert, yes please. Her studio is filled with collections...
Read MoreBook Friends
Way back in 2009, I visited the Friends School of Portland to read my first children’s book, Seven Days of Daisy. Friends do make the world go ’round. Fast forward to a recent sunny Tuesday, when I headed off island to visit their Stories by the Forest program. When I arrived at the Peaks Island dock, it was oddly quiet. Where is everybody? Well, yours truly had missed the boat! The summer schedule change got me! So, I promptly called the trusty water taxi. Here she comes, zipping across a placid Casco Bay. I made it to Cumberland Foreside in a timely manner and set up my table...
Read MoreLe Retour
Since illustrating the cover of Nicole d’Entremont’s A Generation of Leaves, I’ve witnessed her continued discovery of the depths of that story. After taking a play writing class at Maine College of Art’s Continuing Studies Program, she began developing dialogue for her novel’s characters that would become Le Retour. Her play will be on stage next week at Salle Pere Maurice in Tusket, Nova Scotia, presented by Theatre Generations. Show times are July 7 and July 14 at 7:30, tickets are $12 at the door. For more information, call (902) 740-4094. Nicole will be in...
Read MoreIreland adventures: Cork to Dublin
We headed to Cork on June 2, driving back up the Dingle peninsula about 40 miles to Tralee. While at the Dingle Library, I’d read an essay about the Two Paps, a pair of mountains which, upon seeing them, the writer felt nourished by. I kept looking for them as the landscape, quilted in greens, rolled by. Every so often we’d ride through a town, where the ancient hugs the modern. We took an hour’s detour down to Kenmare, so I could pick up a cashmere sweater for Grace, the only person to request I bring something very specific back. It was the quickest of stops; Marty...
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