Good writers don’t happen by chance. Chances are they draw from their favorite books to craft their own. What’s on your shelf? We encourage you to post your shelfie in the comments below and on Instagram. Six of our authors with forthcoming or new releases shared what is on their bookshelves, giving you an inside look at the books they’ve been reading. Check out their shelfies: Linda Spielman A Field Guide to Tracking Mammals in the Northeast (Countryman Press, July 4, 2017). Larry Scheckel I Always Wondered About That (Tumblehome Learning, December 1, 2017) Ann Marie Ackermann Death of an Assassin: The True Story of the German Murderer Who Died Defending Robert E. Lee (Kent University Press, September 1, 2107) Cathryn J. Prince American Daredevil (Chicago Review Press, 2016) Shot from the Sky (US Naval Institute Press, 2016, paperback) Carolyn Porter Marcel’s Letters Skyhorse Publishing, June 6, 2017 Elizabeth Rynecki Chasing Portraits: A Great Granddaughter’s Quest for Her Lost Art Legacy Berkley/NAL/Penguin Random House, September 6, 2016
More than 75 years ago, Richard Halliburton set sail in a Chinese junk, “The Sea Dragon,” hoping to arrive in time for the San Francisco Golden Gate International Expo. Instead, he vanished without a trace when his craft sank in March 1939. Halliburton had been a household name since 1930, known for his bestselling books published by Bobbs-Merrill. The first biography written about this nearly… [Read More]
Contemporary poetry strays from traditional ideas of a poem: rigid structure, definitive rhyme scheme, commonly about nature or love. Poetry exemplifies and dissects certain internal states, tracing racial, political, and gendered themes of universality and solitude. At my university, I’m currently enrolled in a class dedicated to Contemporary American Poetry where we discuss the complexities of this genre. I’ve found studying poetry makes me a… [Read More]
This past Saturday, May 14, Jill Swenson and I attended the Lakefly Writers Conference in Oshkosh, WI. This was my first time attending a literary conference and I experienced the joy of participating in a community of Wisconsin writers. Sponsored by the Friends of the Oshkosh Public Library, the Lakefly Writers Conference is named after the insects which annually appear briefly in early May along… [Read More]
Who should you send a query letter to? Agents – If you are writing fiction, memoir, or a children’s books, you must have an agent who will represent your work to publishers. Publishers – If you are writing nonfiction or poetry, you can query the publisher. TIP: Research the agency or publisher. Visit their website and check their submission guidelines. How do I find… [Read More]
“I am looking for authors with a distinctive voice.” “Great premise but I couldn’t connect with the writer’s voice.” “The voice isn’t strong enough in the first ten pages to make me keep reading.” So what do editors mean by “voice” when they talk about the craft of writing? Voice is the individual writing style of an author. It’s the way a narrator tells their… [Read More]



