Hamline University

Gazpacho is one of those wonderful soups that have a little bit of a lot of vegetables. After such a long silence this blog will have a little bit of a lot. So, first into the stew: At ALA--along with the treasure of time with long time friends--I was happily surprised to run into Beth Krommes, Caldecott winner … [Read more...] about Summertime Gazpacho

It's January again and time for the winter residency of the Hamline MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. I always look forward to this winter "writers' camp," where we talk about writing from breakfast until dinner--and after, with lectures, workshops, readings, and old-fashioned conversation. This winter I … [Read more...] about When an Idea Knocks…

Today, for another few hours is Martin Luther King's birthday. I've been busy at the Hamline University Low Residency MFA program's winter residency. Today's the last day, so suitcase packing might be a good idea, but I could not let this date pass without some acknowledgment of the birthday of a great American. And … [Read more...] about Martin Luther King’s Birthday

Marilyn Nelson read here at Hamline yesterday and, during an informal discussion, said that we can grow our capacity for compassion and empathy by meditating. "We all go to the same silence," she said. And we were silent in thinking about those words. … [Read more...] about “We all go to the same silence.” Marilyn Nelson

Packing notebooks, books, manuscripts, computer for the residency at Hamline University's Low Residency Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, which starts tomorrow. Eleven days of intensive thinking, talking, writing about telling stories for young readers. But it's not all about writing. It's about … [Read more...] about Writing and Seeing