The Morning RSS, The Not-so-Foolish 2 April 2024 Edition
A collection of share-worthy items from our morning blog scroll.
After a fairly quiet third week of March, last week just exploded with great content. Just like daffodils and cherry trees.
Please, PLEASE start here before you scroll any further. No spoilers, but I PROMISE you’ll finish reading it with a small and that warm fuzzy feeling. [Source: NYT, this is a gift copy of the article.]
Roses are red. Violets are blue …
It’s poetry month and Danika Ellis has poetry collections for you: The The Best Poetry Collections are Queer, BIPOC, and Indie Published over at
.For Writers & Creators
Every word must be as valuable to the reader as it is to the writer, which means no larding the text with research you can’t bear to leave out or points you can’t resist making one more time.
So much to mine in Dashka Slater’s post with thoughts on how writing for young adults has made her a better writer.
I think there’s possibly the misconception that literary agents are scary, which is absolutely true. Joking! We are not scary. And we do not only care about money. (That was one misconception I had when I was an editor, at least.)
Over at Only Picture Books, Ryan interviews Rachel Orr, longtime literary agent at Prospect Agency. In addition to talking about her work, Rachel shares some examples of what she looks for in a picture book.
Authors, of course, should keep writing. Stories are derived from passion and creativity. They are crafted through revision and feedback. And they are always born with an uncertain future.
Susan Koehler [author, editor, educator] discusses the slump in the middle-grade market at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors.
Do blurbs really matter? Emma Gannon answers that question in her newsletter, The Hyphen. We didn’t get the full story … but paying subscribers will!!
New Books & Book Lists
… because you never know when you may need to share one of these books with a young reader: 25 Middle-Grade Books About Body Image and Body Positivity. The great thing about Afoma’s list is that she includes the recommended reading age to let you know who the content is most suitable for.
… and because your TBR continues to grow at an amazing rate, we bring you Steph Auteri’s 7 Strategies for Organizing Your TBR List. [via
]Is it me or is there something darkly ironic/humorous about the two books featured in Rich In Color’s New Releases post: Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis and Icarus by K. Ancrum?
Travis brings us up to date with all the Sibert Award-winning authors and illustrators bringing new nonfiction books into the world this year. Yes, there are animals, yes, there is history and biography, but we some of the subjects just may surprise you. See for yourself at 100 Scope Notes.
The 2024 Lambda Literary Awards shortlists have been announced. Skim the category lists for 12 of 26 categories on Book Riot or read the presser and full lists on the Lambda Literary website.
Book Bans & Censorship
For 2024, we’re going to flip the perspective on book bans and censorship. Instead of sharing the head-shaking news, we’re going to share head-nodding ideas!
CYBILS Executive Director Sheila Ruth is a Maryland state legislator IRL. So this one comes straight from Annapolis: the Freedom to Read Act has made it through chambers. Next stop: the governor’s office.
Other Bookish Stuff
And today, we close with a little “mixed media.” Last Week’s Top Ten Tuesday Meme Them was TV Shows that would make great books. We bring you 20!
Our friend, voracious reader, and librarian Deb Nance shares her list at ReaderBuzz. [PS - If you like all things Paris, Deb takes annual, bookish trips to the City of Lights every year.]
Which ones would you read? Which shows would you add? The Good Place as a graphic novel? Yes, please.
Happy April. Happy Spring. Happy, Happy Everything.
~ Team CYBILS
That Tommy Orange NYTimes article! 🥹