There is a noble, ancient battle being fought in bedrooms every night, all over the world. Surely there must be some kid, somewhere, who can keep the blankets at bay! This nightlight of an idea switched on as I watched a child struggling against sleep in a stroller on the bustling NYC subway. Clearly it was naptime; the child’s parents had a stuffed animal, a cozy blanket, and soothing sing-song voices to aid their efforts. Lips sealed, face wiggled, eyes widened but the yawn

During school-visit interactive readings of May I Have a Word? I ask students to act out the character of the letter K, who is jealous and frustrated with the letter C for taking all the “good words.” I feed them their lines and encourage them to muster up as much melodrama as possible. “I don’t want to talk about it,” they quote and then let out a collective and wonderfully pitiful sigh. “In fact, I— don’t—want—to—talk—at—all!” I narrate the next line, “K fell silent.” The s

When it feels as though the sky is falling, and I know my two hands are not enough to catch, lift, hold the whole thing up, I am tempted to throw my hands up in the air—so sometimes I read this poem and ask myself, well, what little bird can I lift today? If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain. -Emily Dickinson And one day, a

“Whether or not you find your own way, you're bound to find some way. If you happen to find my way, please return it, as it was lost years ago. I imagine by now it's quite rusty.” ― Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth When MFA students visit my advisor office hours at The New School, it’s often to ask for advice on a decision such as whether or not they should take this or that publishing internship, quit the full time job that has nothing to do with writing but pays the bil