Do you have a fantastic middle-grade fiction idea? The Jewell Parker Rhodes Fellowship for Emerging Voices awards a $10,000 grant to an unpublished or self-published writer creating works for children. Submissions are now open! ➡️ bit.ly/JPRfellowship

My amazing agent, @literaticat.bsky.social is doing a live Q&A on March 25! Come join the fun and get to know Jenn! Cost is $20 and proceeds will be used to finance a scholarship to the R(ev)ise and Shine! Residency next fall, thanks to Jenn's generosity. Join us! www.eventbrite.com/e/rs-present...

I am highly confident that no one should pay an editor who uses AI for developmental edits. If your editor isn’t confident they can handle the “heavy lifting of analysis,” find yourself a new editor.

Calling all bird lovers! Don't miss this special picture book all about the dawn chorus and the unique morning songs of different bird species, by Carmela Lavigna Coyle and illustrated by Bonnie Kelso. This book may just inspire you to wake up early enough to witness your own dawn chorus!

DOG AT THE OLYMPICS FULL COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS

Registration is open for my upcoming query letter webinar! If you register and submit a query letter by February 7, your query might be selected for live feedback from me during the webinar. Link to register in first comment.

The Publishing for Minnesota auction launches this week to support groups providing legal aid, emergency assistance, food, and community resources to those in urgent need. www.32auctions.com/publishingfo...

Looking forward to watching the #ALAYMA this morning and cheering for my colleagues! And like always - I'm sharing my poem "What Happened to Your Book Today." A reminder of why we make books for young readers. ❤️https://katemessner.com/what-happened-to-your-book-today-a-poem-for-after-the-ala-awards/

When I told my daughter that one of her favorite books of the year had been recognized by the ALA Youth Media Awards today, the first thing she said was, "Yay!!" The second thing was, "Did [other favorite book] win, too?" So, kidlit creators: (1/3) #ALAyma

Thrilled to hold these two beautiful @picnicheist.bsky.social books in my hands! Check out MONKEY’S SWEET SURPRISE before Lunar New Year and MILO’S MOONLIGHT MISSION before the next clear night. Congratulations to @ediblewords.bsky.social, Bonnie Lui, Kathleen M. Blasi, and Petronela Dostalova!

Happy New Year! Here’s to a year full of new adventures! 🌌🌕⭐️☁️📖 (Thank you @steveemond.bsky.social for the beautiful artwork!)

Querying in 2026? Join me for this query workshop! Link in first reply.

One of my favorite new movies has some great takeaways on character development, shared by one of my favorite freelance editors! @juliescheina.com

More on lessons that novelists and story writers can learn from playwrights and screenwriters www.doctorsyntax.net/2025/03/the-...

I often advise fiction writers to see how screenwriters do things.* Good movies, no matter how “pop” they are, are all worth studying—even KPop Demon Hunters *E.g. see post linked in my next skeet

+ A bonus hot take: Rumi/Jinu have the (IMO more satisfying) character arc Elsa could have had if Frozen had stuck a little closer to its Snow Queen roots. In this essay I will…

I'm sharing three takeaways from KPop Demon Hunters that you can apply to your work (bonus points if you listen to the soundtrack while doing so!). (Link in first reply.)

MG authors, this PW article is worth a read! www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Another week, another 19 reasons why libraries are awesome.

Congratulations to Jo Beckett-King on her MG debut, THE HOUSE OF FOUND OBJECTS! Perfect for readers who love mysteries, Paris, prickly friendships, and solving puzzles hand-in-hand with characters. Kirkus says, “Codebreakers and mystery fans will want to read this fun adventure, tout de suite.”

What's that about using AI for "just for research" again?

Can Aye 👀 absentmindedly reach to remove a stray hair from its neck while driving, only to discover it’s not a hair, it’s giant flying insect? I don’t think so. (I didn’t crash the car. Please clap.)

Please tell me again how "smart" gen AI is when I receive AI software pitches that claim 1) skilled editors only live in cities like London and New York (!); 2) that this leaves writers living elsewhere (?!) without access to skilled editing; and 3) this is why genAI editing is necessary (!?!?). 1/2

Here are 30+ fiction and nonfiction titles to help you understand the power, importance, and history of protest. From the Civil Rights Movement to Stonewall to Indigenous sovereignty and beyond, let these stories empower you and those in your community!

If you think picture books are just for young kids, you’re missing out! (With bonus library haul photobomb!)

Me to my husband whenever I make a TikTok: “Okay I’ll show you, but first you have to watch these 3-5 videos so you understand the genre.”

Team #bringabook & #alwaysbereading. (Sources say Cloud Puppy: Game On! is great!)

One moment you're telling your child, "Say thank you, sweetie," and the next they're shouting "THANK YOU, SWEETIE!!!!" at top volume to a friend at a crowded Dave & Buster's and from then on you feel a zing of happiness every time you hear someone say "sweetie" in the wild.

Kidlit publishing has the best people. 🚕❤️📚Had such a great time in NYC and at the US Book Show seeing friends old and new!

If you’ve ever thought about asking ChatGPT for feedback on any piece of writing, read this first:

If you're wondering why people in publishing are speaking up against AI, take a look at the sponsors for next week's U.S. Book Show. I count at least half a dozen companies paying for the chance to pitch their AI services to publishers, literary agencies, and other publishing professionals. (thread)

Spent a few minutes wondering why I wrote ACK on my to-do list before I realized it was supposed to say "pack." In case you're wondering how the day's going.

Once you realize how many details AI makes up in ways that seem almost-true but are actually blatantly wrong, you have to wonder whether it wouldn't actually take less time (in addition to being better for you, free speech, the environment, etc.) to think for yourself.

Once again, the best argument against using LLMs is to look at what you actually get if you use LLMs.

imma go with worse

My latest post is about advertising, AI, and paper towels…plus something you may not know about me. (Link in first reply.)

We've had one spot open up in our upcoming two-submission MG workshop with @juliescheina.com This is a terrific opportunity to get market and editorial, developmental feedback on 15K of your MG novel! Apply at app.inkedvoices.com/event/worksh...

My opinion on dead dogs in books: when I was a kid my family owned a VHS of Where the Red Fern Grows: Part Two and that was enough for me.

In light of this week's dog discourse, I am reminded of Suzanne Selfors' brilliant SMELLS LIKE DOG series, which comes with a "no dead dog" guarantee in each book.

So I've had to run surveillance on my mailbox today because TWICE a crow has stolen and pecked its way into a package I'm trying to mail and the postal carrier is running late. My apologies to the squirrel I blamed until I caught the crow in the act and had to chase it off with an umbrella.

Friends, I’ll be in NYC for the New York Book Show June 2-June 4. Please reach out if you’re attending and/or would like to meet and catch up! :)

I’ve been in a book club with a group of incredibly smart people for 10+ years. The best discussions stem from books that ask thought-provoking, often unanswerable questions. It takes a lot of work to write a satisfying story that leaves readers w/lingering questions, lets us keep turning pieces 1/2

What does Top Chef have to do with formula, structure, and voice? Find out in my new post (and learn the kidlit connection in this season of Top Chef!). (Link in first reply.)

Some of this week’s library books. #picturebooksareforeveryone #libraryhaul #library

"Should you be saying that, as a LOCAL MOM?" 🙀--my kid ❤️, a local mom who said our cat was acting weird

Excited to be doing another @inkedvoices.bsky.social workshop! If you have a complete MG manuscript, check it out:

Finally started watching Severance and I’d like a word with the person who told me it was a funny workplace comedy.

How long should your manuscript be, really? And what should you do if your word count is higher or lower than others? Read all about word counts in my new (ironically above word count!) post. (Link in first reply.)

Weekend highlights: “Mom, I can’t find MIXED-UP! Do you know where it is? I wanted to read it again!" @kamigarcia.bsky.social, you know a book is good when it’s on the reread list!

Congratulations to Sara B. Shirley on the publication of A ZIGZAG LINE! Part mystery, part adventure, this book is set in a tight-knit rural community that reminded me of one of my all-time favorite settings, Avonlea. It would make great summer reading for the upper MG/young YA readers in your life.