MATTHEWCWINNER

Daria Peoples, author illustrator of Be the Light: How She Became Angela Davis (Greenwillow Books), joins Matthew to talk about the hurt and pain of not being accepted.

Carson Ellis, author illustrator of Home, stops by the podcast to talk about making something more than an art book, starting with what she likes to draw, and creating a story she's been thinking her whole life.

Lori Degman, author of Cock-a-Doodle Oops!, stops by the podcast to talk about a rooster who needs a vacation, the way books should read like music, and liking to make people laugh.

Ricardo Cortés shares PARTY: A MYSTERY. When my students first read PARTY: A MYSTERY they were stunned, they had lots and lots of questions, and they were each confident that he or she knew the solution to the mystery. But the more we discussed the book, the more their predictions changed.

Ben Clanton, author illustrator of Something Extraordinary, stops by the podcast to talk about the feel of traditional medium, crafting good re-read alouds, and a question about the color orange.

Mina Javaherbin shares MY GRANDMA AND ME, her latest picture book. The story weaves memories from Mina’s own childhood with the observation of what your heritage brings to a place.

Michael Arndt, author of Cat Says Meow, stops by the podcast to talk about starting with a circle and some nondescript blobs, letting the letters create an animal, and the fact that letters are just shapes.

Gus Gordon, author of Herman and Rosie, stops by the podcast to talk about ideas starting at the sketch stage, drawings that ask lots of questions, and two characters that need to find one another.

Adam Rex shares ARE YOU SCARED, DARTH VADER?, which is nominated for our state book award. Adam also shares PLUTO GETS THE CALL, which is illustrated by Laurie Keller.

Ellen Fischer, author of If an Elephant Went to School, stops by the podcast to talk about getting into a good writing group, editing to make a story stronger, and asking "what if?"

Today I invited contributors of THANKU: POEMS OF GRATITUDE to share their work with you today. This picture book, beautifully illustrated by Marlena Myles and edited by Miranda Paul, is something really special and I credit that to the exceptional list of contributors that made it possible.

In this new miniseries of indefinite length, I invite my friends from the kidlit community to share what is giving them hope today. 

Kris Remenar and Matt Faulkner, author and illustrator of Groundhog's Dilemma, stop by the podcast to talk about treating the process like a business partnership, a writer who can write to the child in us all, and how the best revenge is living well.

Julie Fogliano shares JUST IN CASE YOU WANT TO FLY, illustrated by Christian Robinson. Julie’s stories express themselves in poetic verse and they are some of my most beloved on our bookshelves. JUST IN CASE YOU WANT TO FLY grew from a playful game she used to engage her daughter.

Jin Xiaojing shares I MISS MY GRANDPA. This stunning picture book examines remembering a lost loved one through the memories and characteristics of other family members.

Grace Lin, author of Ling & Ting: Together in All Weather, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and Dim Sum for Everyone, stops by the podcast to talk about seeing herself in books, sharing stories from her childhood, and the final book in her outstanding easy reader series.

Adam Rubin, New York Times bestselling author of Dragons Love Tacos, Those Darn Squirrels, and most recently of Robo-Sauce, all illustrated by Daniel Salmieri, stops by the podcast to talk about writing what you like, feelings of being a person in a position of authority doomed to screw stuff up. and how this is definitely not a presentation about monkeys.

Adam Lehrhaupt and Matthew Forsythe, author and illustrator respectively behind Please, Open This Book!, stop by the podcast to talk about keeping everything in tact and in the service of the story, leaving white space in the writing, and thinking of books sonically.

Angela Joy shares BLACK IS A RAINBOW COLOR. This beautiful book, illustrated by one-to-watch and the one-to-wow Ekua Holmes, is Angela’s debut to the children’s book world.

Alexis Frederick-Frost, contributing cartoonist to Gryphons Aren't So Great, the newest story in the Adventures in Cartooning series, stops by the podcast to talk about bonding over ping pong, how it takes a stronger writer to write a shorter story, and empowering kids to tell their stories through simple pictures.