Mary Dyer & the Celebration of International Religious Freedom Day
Today is International Religious Freedom Day — and the reason it’s today is because on this date in 1659, three Quakers were scheduled to hang. Their crime? Being a Quaker … Continue reading
Why I Wrote Mary Dyer, Friend of Freedom
“My life not availeth me in comparison to the liberty of the truth.” “Why did you write about Mary Dyer?” is a question I often get. It usually comes right … Continue reading
What Five Years as a Children’s Writer Means
I realized upon logging in to my Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators account the other day that I have been with SCBWI for five years. That raises the … Continue reading
75th Anniversary of The Wizard of OZ
Today is the 75th anniversary of the release of the most famous version of The Wizard of Oz — the one starring Judy Garland. Two months from now will see … Continue reading
The Trip to Mary Dyer’s Stomping Grounds
The Anne Hutchinson/Mary Dyer Memorial Herb Garden at Founders’ Brook Park in Portsmouth, R. I. It’s a small, quiet park, befitting Mary Dyer’s humble nature. It was a happy accident … Continue reading
Making the Leap from Picture Book to Middle-Grade Biography
How the Judy Garland biography came to be. Last January, I was hired to write picture book text for three books on Judy Garland. The largest of the three would … Continue reading
Thoughts on Rush Limbaugh’s Win as (Gulp!) Children’s Author of the Year
Was children’s literature really damaged? It came as a bit of a shock in the passive, upbeat and immensely caring world of children’s publishing last Wednesday when Rush Limbaugh was … Continue reading
John Briggs Books 