Fourth Friday Roundup #7
Poetry, empathy from fiction, summer reading, dandelions, and lots of MARI IN THE MARGINS love
Fourth Friday Round-up posts are a collection of lovely, inspiring, or just plain fun things that I’ve discovered on Substack or around the web over the past month. I hope you find something here that will make you smile, laugh, or think new thoughts!
Hi friends,
It’s been a busy month, mainly because of the release of my new book, Mari in the Margins! But there are lots of other things going on as well, like spring storms, graduation season, expanding my flower garden, and getting back into a routine of watching my daughter’s kiddos on Tuesday evenings now that she’s done with maternity leave (I also watch my other daughter’s kiddos on Thursdays, but that’s been a consistent thing for a while). Grandma life is busy and fun!
My daughter
has three poems published in Heart of Flesh Literary Journal. I’m very proud of her for pursuing her craft and putting herself out there. Seeking publication can be a long and discouraging road. I hope you’ll check out her poems and maybe see what other gems the journal has to offer.I really enjoyed this piece by Annie Beth Donahue on the
substack about how fiction helps develop empathy.Over at
we are gearing up for our fourth annual Summer Reading Challenge. This year’s theme is Reading Road Trip, and we are planning a lot of fun “stops” along the way throughout the summer. Read more about it in our latest newsletter.As I mentioned above, Mari in the Margins released this month, so I’ve been busy doing interviews and writing guests posts and such. Here’s a list if you’d like to see what I’ve been up to and support the lovely people and publications who have hosted me recently:
In Praise of Reading Poetry Aloud, an article by me on The Rabbit RoomReflections on Doodling in the Margins, a guest post on children’s book author Laura Sassi’s blog.
, a literary meet-'n'-greet in 10 pictures or less. It was so fun to participate in this, and it’s a lot of fun to read these interviews too!
My “picture interview” on
A review of Mari in the Margins and an interview with me over at author Maria Antonia’s blog.
And let’s not miss the Read, Discuss, Do Mari in the Margins feature by .The Thing About Dandelions. This thoughtful and reflective post from
inspired me to take a closer look at a dandelion I spotted in my garden. But it’s not just about dandelions; it’s about feeding the soil in your mind, and it’s absolutely worth the read. I could share one of her posts every month, as much for the thoughtful words as the stunning photographs.
Photo of a dandelion from my garden. I just love this bright and happy yellow!
Thank you so much for the mention, Rebecca! It's so fun to connect over dandelions 💕 It sounds like you've had an amazing month, I hope that rolls right on into June for you!
Thanks for sharing my poetry! 🥰