Angela Jackson coming to Poetry from Daily Life

Hi everyone,

This weekend I’m delighted to bring you the Poet Laureate for Illinois to share her thoughts about poetry in our daily lives. ANGELA JACKSON lives in Chicago. Like so many of our guests, Angela fell in love with poetry in first grade and was writing her own poems by third grade. We’ve seen over and over how important it is to introduce children to poetry at a time in their lives when they are figuring out who they are and forming tastes and interests that may remain with them over their lifetimes.

Angela says something else that we’ve heard from others. She loves every book as she works on it — in this case it’s her last one, More Than Meat and Raiment — another reminder that the more we put of ourselves into our work, the more it gives back, and we need to love our work to give it the best we have in us. In addition to her award-winning poetry (including Shelly and Lilly Awards, an American Book Award, and numerous others), Angela writes novels and plays, including a biography of Gwendolyn Brooks. I thank MATT HOISCH again for his wonderful Laureates Project. I’ve invited a number of state laureates who have appeared on his program to write for Poetry from Daily Life.

Angela’s column appears in print on Saturday in Springfield (MO) News-Leader and in five other papers during the week. On Sunday morning I’ll post the link to her column when it comes out on the News-Leader e-edition. Thank you, Angela Jackson!

Kate Cosgrove’s great honor for A Tree is a Community

Hi everyone,

KATE COSGROVE, artist for A Tree is a Community, received some pretty incredible news yesterday. Her artwork for the book has been on display in New York in The Original Art 2024 exhibition at the Society of Illustrators. That is a singular honor to recognize the best picture book illustrations of the year. Yesterday she heard from the museum’s director, telling her that her work has been chosen to be featured in the 2025 Bologna Book Fair art exhibit, taking place in Bologna, Italy April 1–4, 2025!

This is an incredible opportunity for artists to showcase their work on an international stage, where about 1,500 exhibitors and nearly 32,000 editors, art directors, agents, authors, and artists from 100 countries will be in attendance.

Congratulations to my friend and partner, Kate Cosgrove!!! An earlier collaboration of ours, The Dirt Book, Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet, has done quite well. Both books were edited by GRACE MACCARONE and published by Holiday House.

Kate’s art for The Dirt Book was also chosen for display in The Original Art 2024 exhibition at the Society of Illustrators, but A Tree is a Community is off to a great start of its own. Kirkus gave it a starred review. It has it first translation (Brazil), and made one of BETSY BIRD’S lists for potential nominees for the 2025 Newbery Award. What do you want to do next, Kate?