Category Uncategorized

Mar 8 2026

Our new article in The Robb Review

Hi everyone,

TIM RASINSKI and I wrote a new article for The Robb Review, a great blog site created by noted educators EVAN ROBB and LAURA ROBB

We’ve written for The Review before and it’s always a honor. This time we chose 40 Poems for 40 Weeks, the anthology we co-edited last year, as our inspiration. We also included information about Poetry from Daily Life Free Video Library, which was part of my project at Missouri’s Poet Laureate. The article appeared yesterday. Here is the link. https://shorturl.at/8M1hT I would be delighted if you will pass the link along to others who might be interested. Thank you.

Feb 22 2026

Minding the fire

Hi everyone,

"Hope is the live wire in your soul
that keeps your fire burning."
~ (c) 2026 Robin Harrison Williams

Our daughter was born with that wire in her soul. The last line in her poem for February Word of the Month Poetry Challenge leaped out at me. Yes! That’s Robin. Hope has always been her strength. She deeply understands that the world and the people in it are not now, never have been, and never will be perfect. She paints. She writes poetry. She plays the guitar. She sings, does crafts, goes to yoga. She loves her family and her friends. That wire in her soul keeps the fire alive, keeps her balanced and independent.

Thank you, Robin. I love you and am proud of you and urge you to put that quote on something permanent. Have it framed. Put it on a card. We just can’t have too much hope. We just can’t let that fire burn out.

Dec 5 2025

New article

Hi everyone,

I’m happy to say that an article I wrote about the importance of stories in children’s literature has been accepted by The California Reader, published by California Reading Association. No publication date yet but I assume it will appear sometime in 2026. On a recent podcast interview by SAM BOMMARITO, we talked about the need for good stories for young readers and that prompted me to write an article on the subject. I sent it to The California Reader and it was accepted within twenty-four hours. I am honored.

Nov 26 2025

Wasn’t there but sort of was

Hi everyone,

I didn’t make it to this year’s NCTE conference in Denver. MARY JO FRESCH did and reported back on a successful presentation and a great book signing. Our 2020 title with NCTE, Empowering Students’ Knowledge of Vocabulary, was available as well as our 2022 Scholastic books with TIM RASINSKI — Partner Poems and Word Ladders for Building Fundamental Literacy Skills.

There was also the news that MATT FORREST ESENWINE’S 2025 anthology, A Universe of Rainbows, was chosen as one of 10 “Notable Children’s Poetry Books for 2026!” Twenty poets contributed to the collection and I was glad to be one of them. Way to go, Matt and everyone involved!