Shutta Crum

Lots of things are happening, and I haven’t updated this site in a while. So . . .
First, THUNDER-BOOMER! has garnered three starred reviews so far. (Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Horn Book Magazine) YAY! The reviewers are blown away by Carol Thompson’s amazing art—and so am I. (Pun intended.)
 
Second, A FAMILY [...]

I was reminded that the 2009 Bulwer-Lytton winners had recently been announced. I always enjoy these each year. This is the annual contest for the worst opening line (since 1983). It is named after Edward George Bulwer-Lytton who wrote the famous opening phrase that Snoopy used so often: “It was a dark and stormy night [...]

It’s so much fun to get thoughtful notes from young readers. At a recent visit to Cook Elementary School in Midland, MI, the kids had put up notes around posters of each of my book covers. (Beautifully hand painted by volunteer, Leigh Young.) Here are a few of my favorite notes. What fun!
I [...]

Well . . . I did make it through the 30 Days, 30 Poems (& 30 Forms)* challenge for National Poetry Month with some semblance of a brain left over—I think. And though there were many days I would come home late and still have to check in to get the prompt, I could usually [...]

 
I thought I’d take a few moments to catch my breath and make a few comments about what I’ve gleaned, thus far, from participating in the Writer’s Digest National Poetry Month challenge. Robert Brewer, who blogs for WD at Poetics Aside, challenged poets to respond to a given prompt everyday for 30 days—thus creating 30 [...]

 
I love reading—it’s an obsession of mine. But I also love hearing the written word spoken. Last night I attended one of the many poetry readings being held around the country in honor of National Poetry Month. This one was at the Ann Arbor District Library and featured poet Robert Fanning.  (One of the founders [...]

Shutta is challenging herself to 30 poems in 30 days written in 30 formats. Yikes!

Things to do for Poetry Month

It started off with a visit to Abbot School in Ann Arbor—2nd and 4th grades. So much energy, fun, and many good questions! I loved it. I left the older kids with snippets from SPITTING IMAGE and the new book I am working on, THOMAS AND THE QUEEN OF THE DRAGONS. “That’s so unfair,” they [...]

 
Recently I visited the schools of two of my grandchildren. One of them was a middle school here in Michigan. Several of the kids in the school had seen me at other presentations talking about writing and books, so I wanted to do something different. And since I like to leave the kids with a [...]