I’m very excited… for two reasons. First, my friend and fellow author, Denise Grover Swank, has released her debut novel, Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes — (whispers go ahead, click the link and buy copy… I know you want to. I’ll wait right here for you to get back…)
Takeimi’s Legacy
A couple of weeks ago Takeimi Rao was looking forward to starting high school, or at least that’s what I’d expect from a straight A student. But last week, during a slumber party all her dreams of what she was going to do with her life came to an end.
A Disgusting Show Of Politics
When I saw someone called BookBurninParty start following writers on Twitter, my head nearly exploded. I mean, seriously, who outside of librarians and teachers, love books more than writers? Why would some idiot talk about burning books to writers????
Alcohol and Death: Something to think about
This is a picture of Samuel Hayes. He died last week, probably because he had too much to drink. He was sixteen-years-old, only a couple years older than me. I didn’t know Samuel. We don’t live in the same town, but his story hit me hard. He looks like a nice guy, and sixteen is too young to die.
The Intolerance Factor
My post When 0.27 Percent Isn’t That Small made it into the internet newspaper Beyond Bullies for July 11, 2011 and one of the other articles caught my eye: Teaching Children Tolerance on Reality Check by Dr. Michele Borba.
When 0.27 Percent Isn’t That Small
Wow! I knew that bullying was prevalent in the United States, and I had my suspicions that it was not isolated to the United States, but I found an article today which caused my eyebrows to rise.
Bullying: A Real World Experience
Bullying has been around for as long as I can remember… and long before that. It has seemingly been on the rise in recent years, but it may be that our tolerance for bullies is waning, or we are better defining what bullying is. So, what is bullying? Dan Olweus gives us a commonly accepted definition for bullying in his book, Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do:
A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself.
Social Exclusion
If social exclusion isn’t blatant bullying, it is its first cousin. The reason I say that it may not be bullying is that no one has to hang out with you. You don’t have to be a member of a particular group… but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. It does. But, as Izzy Kalman of Bullies 2 Buddies points out, there are different ways to deal with the situation…and some are definitely more effective than others.
It Gets Better — Authors and Illustrators Unite
One common theme that runs through the stories I write is that of bullying. Every story idea comes equipped with a bully and I think the reason is that bullying happens every day. I’ve never understood the mentality of a bully…why do they see the need to tear down others?
Speak Loudly: My Story
I want to start by saying I find the banning of books abhorrent in every way. Along with so many others, this is a post I never thought I’d write.
PG Love Scene Blogfest: Tory’s Day
I’ve been eagerly awaiting this day. And in this, I may be one of the few. One night a while back while playing on Twitter, I caught wind of a blogfest challenge being issued.