Sadie & I are so excited to share the cover reveal for IF PETS WROTE POEMS: A PARODY COLLECTION unleashing March 10, 2026 & now available for preorder! 🐾https://bookshop.org/p/books/if-pets-wrote-poems-a-parody-collection-susan-johnston-taylor/b1ee85d77398728f?ean=9781957655659&next=t #poetry4all

I’m proud to donate a 1:1 Virtual Tutorial on Canva for Authors to a benefit auction for the @ndkidlit.bsky.social Scholarship at @highlightsfound.bsky.social! Bidding runs throughout the April 30. Details here: ndkidlit.org/product/11-v... #kidlit

🎨 Fundraising Auction spotlight @sjohnstontaylor.bsky.social is offering a virtual tutorial on #canva ! Auction is live 4/15-4/30. Proceeds fund our #neurodiverse #kidlit @highlightsfound.bsky.social scholarship 👀 champ.ly/xSRrqf-V #autis#canva#neurodiverse#kidlit#autism#mentalhealth #writingcommunity #adhd #ptsd #anxiety

Who else loves books AND musicals? ✨ I’m hosting a show tune open mic night at Birdhouse Books & Gifts in Austin on March 25, so it got me thinking about all the great musicals inspired by books. Do you have a favorite? What would you add?

Writers, friendly reminder that even Stephen King faced rejections for CARRIE, which went on to become a NYT bestseller! I'm leading a webinar tonight with SCBWI MD/DE/WV all about persevering through the passes. Join me! www.scbwi.org/events/MDDEW... #AmQuerying

Writers, if you're in the query trenches struggling to land an agent, I know how hard it can be! That's why I'm presenting a webinar on Persevering Past Rejection: Tools & Tips to Save Your Sanity for the MD/DE/WV chapter of @scbwi.bsky.social. Register here: www.scbwi.org/events/MDDEW... #querying

#ATX friends, I'm debuting my solo cabaret Unsung: Celebrating Female Musical Theatre Writers on March 30 in Mozart's Loft & I'd love to see you there! www.showclix.com/tickets/unsu...

Writers, I donated a 1-hour Canva tutorial on Zoom to this auction to support LA Wildfire Relief! You can bid on it here: www.32auctions.com/organization... Also check out the 350+ other items available including editor & agent critiques, signed books & more. #kidlit #amwriting

Takeaway from a performance workshop I attended yesterday that feels applicable to anything creative: "CONNECTION OVER PERFECTION." Yes!

This quote from Demi Moore at the Golden Globes last night really resonated with me as a creative: "You will never be enough, but you can understand the value of your work if you just put down the measuring stick."

On a recent visit to London, I stopped by the @poetrypharmacy.bsky.social and bought this vial of "pills" for writer's block. (It has slips of paper with inspirational quotes & lines of poetry inside.) What emotional ailment would you treat with poetry? #Poetry4All

This BEAUTIFUL #stem book by @sjohnstontaylor.bsky.social is both lyrical and informative. Great Christmas gift for the inquisitive child in your life! #PictureBook #KidLit

Thanks for including my Q&A for Stanford GSB in your year end roundup, @studyhall.bsky.social!

Congratulations to @gloriaamescua.bsky.social, @sjohnstontaylor.bsky.social, Lisa Gunsberg, and Nick Solis on getting to sign the party porch! 🎉 This WB tradition celebrates students who have had their books published, and we’re so excited to have celebrated them at the Barn recently.

Thanks SO MUCH, Carolyn!

So true! I once fell asleep in a hotel lobby in Prague waiting for my room to be ready & left my phone on the coach. 🤦‍♀️ Fortunately, I didn't even realize it was missing until a kind employee delivered it to my room (it also had my ID so they were able to find me pretty easily).

ADHDers, what are your favorite travel tips? Getting ready for my first big trip post-diagnosis & hoping my executive function doesn’t let me down! #ADHD

So grateful to be part of @thewritingbarn.bsky.social community! ✨ From 2016, when I started, to 2023, when I published my debut book & joined the Writing Barn staff, this community and founder Bethany Hegedus have been so supportive. Here I am (finally) signing the Party Porch! #WriterCommunity

Neuro-sparkly friends, I'm writing a listicle of podcasts hosted by #ND people for ND people. I'm subscribed to several for ADHDers (ADHD Chatter, #ADHD for Smart Ass Women, etc.), but I'd love your recs for podcasts for/by people with other diagnosis like autism, dyspraxia, etc. What do you say?

Decided I'm at that stage of my (very eclectic) career where I'm now longer limited to a single page resume. This girl is ready for new challenges in 2025! (And yes, I already stopped including my college grad several years ago, although one can still find it on LinkedIn if you're determined.)

Here’s to the two-legged & four-legged muses: The pets who keep us company, the critique partners who help us view our work in a new light, the mentors who see our potential even when we don’t, and everyone else along for this creative journey! Wishing you light, love, and inspiration. ✨ #AmWriting

December’s cold winds blow in the last class & events of 2024! 🌬️❄️ Rebekah Manley’s DIY Publicity Kit webinar on 12/7 teaches writers how to promote themselves and their work with eye-catching details. We also have an exciting month of events lined up for members of our Courage to Create program!

Teachers & librarians! Want to Zoom with an author for World Read Aloud Day? Here's all the information about how WRAD Zoom visits work, plus a list of over 300 author & illustrator volunteers! katemessner.com/zoom-with-an...

Books make great gifts! ✨ Whether you purchase one of my books or not, I hope you’ll consider supporting local authors & indie bookstores this holiday season. What book(s) are you gifting this year? Leave a comment & let me know! 📚 #shopsmall #shopindie #bookstores #writercommunity

Rebekah is a friend & CP, so I know her Dec. 7th webinar on DIY Publicity is going to be full of actionable tips! #WriterCommunity

Spend $100, get $25! 🎉 This Black Friday, join in on our THANKFUL sale! And for exclusive deals year-round, sign up for our newsletter—those who sign up this weekend will get a discounted price on Rebekah Manley’s upcoming webinar. Get a gift card here: courage.thewritingbarn.com/writing-barn...

I'm grateful and honored to announce that ABUELA'S LETTER has received the NCTE Charlotte Huck Recommended Award! 🏆 A heartfelt thanks to the educators, readers, and everyone who’s supported this journey. I’m excited to continue sharing this story and its message of love and connection. 💌

Love serving writers as part of the Writing Barn team!

Authors, anyone have a trade book or a friend/CP's trade book releasing this December or January? I try to max out my library purchase requests every month & I have one more for November. (They'll likely reject anything that releases after January.) Thanks! #WriterCommunity

#WriterCommunity, if you & your spouse were going to take the train from London to some other UK destination for a few days in December, where would you go? Ideally a walkable town or village with a few literary spots sprinkled in (indie bookshops or literary history).

Fellow #freelance writers, anyone else feel like it's kind of elitist for an editor to post their pitch guidelines behind a paywall so that only paying subscribers can access this information? Is there a reason for this that I'm somehow missing? (The digital pub itself is NOT behind a paywall.)

Question for K-5 teachers & librarians: What kinds of stories or themes are your students asking for or connecting with most right now?

Authors, my talented friend & CP Rebekah Manley is teaching a webinar about DIY Publicity Kits with @thewritingbarn.bsky.social next month! Register here: thewritingbarn.com/class/diy-pu... #AmWriting #Publishing #BookBusiness

Congratulations to WB Team Member @sjohnstontaylor.bsky.social on her Crystal Kite Award trophy! 🎉 If you haven't picked up a copy of ANIMALS IN SURPRISING SHADES, check your local bookshop or snag a copy here: www.bookpeople.com/book/9781957...

Look who unboxed her @scbwi.bsky.social Crystal Kite Award trophy over the weekend! ✨ Huge thanks to everyone who has supported ANIMALS IN SURPRISING SHADES! Illustrator Annie Bakst & I are so honored. #kidlit #poetry #picturebooks #12x12PB

Leaning into this #quote from composer & conductor Leonard Bernstein: “It is the artists of the world, the...ultimately save us; who can articulate, educate, defy, insist, sing and shout the big dreams.” #amwriting