The Room to Write

The Room to Write's annual Young Writers and Illustrators Meet, Greet, & Create! felt like a beehive filled with everything that could possibly inspire a young person to want to be curious, experiment, and create.  There were words being typed, pictures being glittered, acorns with eyes, animals to draw, rocks to dig deeper into, field journals, a graphic arts portfolio to amaze, and a master class in character illustration. All in one really fun space provided by the Boys & Girls Club of Metro North 's Saugus Teen Center "The Club" location inside the Square One Mall. What a bright and beautiful space! Tuesday, March 25th, seemed like an ordinary weekday night, but if you happen to be at The Club or strolling through the mall, there was something much more extraordinary to discover: 13 local authors (which included 3 author/illustrators), 1 local kids art organization: Kidcasso , tons-o-snacks, 100+ free books to give away to kids ages toddler (babies, too:) ...

It's always a pleasure to step into the WCAT (Wakefield Community Access Television) Studios tucked behind the high school where visitors are surprised to see such a professional and impressive space dedicated to film and audio media.   During my most recent visit to the studios I interviewed local writer, illustrator and animator Sarah Lynne Reul .  Sarah is one of only a few illustrators I have interviewed in the space and so I was eager to learn more about how she creates the characters readers see in her many published books for children, including:  The Breaking News, Allie All Along, Nerp!, Farm the Farm, Pet the Pets and her Fall 2022 release of Bubbie & Rivka's Best Challah Ever (So Far!) . We talked about how all of us often start out liking to draw as children, but how as we get older we draw less and less until we're convinced we don't like to draw or that we can't draw well. Sarah's offers viewers inspiring advice about how much practice plays a...