Hey all! I'm running a free virtual event through Blue Stoop on Thursday, 3/27 from 4-5pm ET. It's going to be generative writing structured around the idea of writing a young person's book. All kidlit folks are welcome! To preregister: www.bluestoop.org/events/

Today I want to spread some positivity in the world. If you reply to this post, I'll recommend a song for you. If you want to mention some music you enjoy, you can, or you go for the chaos option and not give me any hints lol Feel free to laugh at my foibles. That's okay by me!

Friendly reminder that book platform The StoryGraph can do everything Goodreads can do, plus many additional features, and it has the added benefit of not being owned by corrupt billionaire and free speech suppressor Jeff Bezos. app.thestorygraph.com

If you're near Blue Bell, PA and want to hear from some children's authors, join Charles A Bush, Jess Callans, @ericbellwriter.bsky.social, and me at the Wissahickon Valley Pub Library on 3/13. Come with questions! www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-ch... #kidlit #kidlitcommunity #authorlife #authorevent

Hey school friends. I've posted about how I do school visits and library workshops. But I'm also more than happy to show up to GSAs (or other equivalent groups) for free and talk to your kids about what it's like to be a published queer (and neurodivergent) author. iamericbell.com for contact.

I have a feeling this is going to keep being relevant for a while.

Look who cartwheeled onto Bluesky: the irrepressible Zack, from my ALAN COLE books. Give him a follow and say hi 👋

Been thinking about this a lot (not tagging the sender, for their privacy). Most of us won't have the chance for for grand, capital-R Resistance heroics. But every one of us will have a thousand small choices to make about how to live our lives and where to draw lines. Use them well.

It's a shame that millions of Harry Potter fans will never realize how much of a hateful, spiteful bigot JK Rowling is.

Hey school people! Are you looking to bring in a fun, engaging, and dynamic writer to speak to your kids? Well, if I run into anyone I know who fits that bill, I'll let you know. Or you can host me instead. I'm pretty okay! iamericbell.com/author-servi...

Hi, writers! I've taken a step back from conferences/events lately, but am excited to take pitches at the #PictureBookCreatorConference next Friday, Jan. 24th! They've kindly given me a discount code, DANIELE30. Here's the registration page if you're interested! www.allthingspicturebooks.com/pbcc

Happy #PortfolioDay - I'm Gina Perry, a #kidlit illustrator seeking new picture book, chapter book, or middle grade projects. I live for cute kids and animals, bold colors, big feelings, and cozy spaces. Rep'd for books by Sean McCarthy. www.ginaperry.com #kidlitart #childrensbooks #illustration

I suspect we're going to be seeing a lot of great days for below average white men in the foreseeable future.

Hey librarians! I run writing workshops for kids and teens. I also give lectures on the basics of writing kids' books, for grownups! Don't those sound like amazing programs for your 2025 calendar year? You can reach me at iamericbell.com for more info.

Hey school people! Are you looking to bring in a fun, engaging, and dynamic writer to speak to your kids? Well, if I run into anyone I know who fits that bill, I'll let you know. Or you can host me instead. I'm pretty okay! iamericbell.com/author-servi...

What are your habits when it comes to dropping books? Do you feel the urge to finish everything you start? If you drop a book, how long do you typically give it beforehand? I try to give books 50 pages minimum, but it's not a hard rule. In 2024 I had 69 DNF books, which seems higher than most?

Finally brainstormed enough that I feel comfortable tackling the actual writing! I've always given the advice of writing antagonists who aren't just pure evil, but I'm going against that advice here for the simple reason that our real life antagonists now are pure evil. I want kids to be ready.

Hey middle grade/young adult writers! I'm doing a thing with the Highlights Foundation called the Whole Novel Workshop, where you can get your whole draft critiqued. Pretty exciting! Check it out here: www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/who...

I just put up a "leaving Instagram post" due to Meta's new homophobic/transphobic guidelines on "hateful conduct." Since I don't want to give Zuckerberg the clicks, here's a screenshot of it.

@carriefinison.bsky.social Hi! I love DON'T HUG DOUG. It's a book I would've really benefited from having when I was a kid.

This week I decided to take my big, messy feelings about the state of this country and make a contemporary middle grade novel out of them. This is going to be interesting.

TOPIC: Tonight, we're thanking those individuals who have meant the most to us in our careers: a mentor, a critique partner, a reader who wrote a glowing review, a professor who pushed us to succeed, a spouse who never stopped believing, or... you tell us! #kidlitchat

Get to know your mutuals: in no particular order post ten things you like 1. Mario saying VERR-sus in Mario Kart 64 2. white noise 3. pumice soap 4. a good nail clipper 5. checking out library books 6. Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls 7. guestbooks 8. lemon poppy muffins 9. jazz rap 10. Roger Ebert

The right has taken the term "woke" and desecrated it, much like they do with many positive things. Now we have bad actors going on crusades about "ending wokeness," which is code for "let's continue to not only be hateful, but to make even more hateful policies." Don't shop at Walmart, everyone.

Books. When buying books for gifts this holiday season, please don't buy from Amazon. Please shop at your local independent bookstore/bookseller. Ask for recommendations. If they don't have a particular book in stock, ask them to order it. Support creatives, local businesses, and your community.

Wise words from Amelia Bedelia.

I made a post about StoryGraph a few days ago (I have read 28 books this year tagged with "lighthearted") but I think I'm just going to boost every post I see promoting it too. It's so good and Goodreads is so foul.

Preorder THE GIRL IN THE WALLS and get some goodies--including entry into a raffle for a 30 min visit! forms.gle/XbJKf7E7wRDw...

One of the underlying principles of my life is self-kindness. As somebody facing often severe mental health obstacles, I've had to learn to celebrate small victories, work incrementally, and especially to not beat myself up as much. Life is hard enough. Let's not make more obstacles for ourselves.

Hello, sentient beings and/or giant ladybugs. If you're just joining me, I'm a kidlit writer with a few published middle grade titles (see profile for deets). If you want some writing thoughts, meditations on self-kindness, or random music recs, stay tuned!

I've seen a few posts about The StoryGraph, an independently owned alternative to Goodreads that, among many other sterling qualities, is not owned by Amazon. The data nerd in me especially loves this aspect of StoryGraph: you get nifty stats about the books you read. Here are my 2024 reads by mood:

people who use goodreads: jeff bezos owns goodreads and if you want a better alternative there is a black woman owned company called storygraph that you can use to replace it. you can transfer all of your data from goodreads to storygraph and have your mind be free of trumpie jeff bezos! win win. 💙

I don't normally read a lot of nonfiction, but I'm really enjoying ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING! by Christopher Lloyd. Fun and breezy trip from the Big Bang through modern times. (I just got to the emergence of mammals.)

So do we all turn into pumpkins now #kidlitchat

Greetings humans of #kidlitchat. I wrote the middle grade novels ALAN COLE IS NOT A COWARD and ALAN COLE DOESN'T DANCE, and I'm in the MG short story anthology THIS IS OUR RAINBOW. I like music and pizza and data entry and drinking water. I like to think of myself as "the fun kind of awkward."

Going to put on this album for #kidlitchat tonight. Nice Japanese singer-songwriter folk, very soft and contemplative. www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

@samiraahmed.bsky.social Hi! I loved HOLLOW FIRES.

I will be attempting to join #kidlitchat tonight. Please expect buffoonery and incoherent gargling with maybe a worthwhile post or two mixed in. No promises!

It's a kind of Kind of Blue night. www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKoy...

Hello Bluesky! I posted a screenshot of a poem I wrote on Tuesday but then I realized it didn't have any alt text. So I'm just going to post the poem in its entirety. Social media is hard and I am sorry for being bad at it. The poem is called "Brace." (1/?)