Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Traci Sorell

Today we continue the Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep series with an essay by author Traci Sorell. Thank you, Traci. When I write nonfiction (or fiction for that matter), I focus on making the invisible visible. If someone had asked my focus five years ago when I began writing for children, I wouldn’t have answered that […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Lita Judge

Today we continue the Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep series with an essay by author Lita Judge. Thank you, Lita. As an author and illustrator of both fiction and nonfiction picture books, I’m often startled when someone asks if my fictional books are harder to create and if I turn to nonfiction projects, in between, as […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Anita Sanchez

Today we continue the Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep series with an essay by author Anita Sanchez. Thank you, Anita. I sit at my desk, fidgeting and fuming. This is intolerable. I mean, I know my rights. I gaze out the window at green fields edged with trees. The sun glows in a cloudless June sky. […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Jennifer Ward

Today we continue the Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep series with an essay by author Jennifer Ward. Thank you, Jen. “Write what you know.” It’s a phrase often shared to encourage students with their writing process. I am a firm believer in “write what you know,” having been a teacher and someone who now writes full-time […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Jess Keating

Today we continue the Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep series with an essay by one of my favorite children’s book authors–Jess Keating. Thank you, Jess, for your heartfelt essay. I’m one of the lucky ones. I know exactly why I’m here on this earth. That doesn’t mean I’ve always known what I wanted to do as a […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Laura Purdie Salas

Today we continue the Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep series with an essay by Laura Purdie Salas. Thank you, Laura. I’m excited to be back sharing how my own personality and experiences have influenced my nonfiction writing. I love this growing awareness among educators, writers, and readers that nonfiction writing is creative and grows out of […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Jennifer Swanson

Today we continue the Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep series with an essay by author Jennifer Swanson. Thank you, Jen. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved science! Curiosity about the world has fueled my passions throughout my life. Some of my earliest memories are examining grass and flowers under a magnifying […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Gail Jarrow

Today we continue the Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep series with an essay by author Gail Jarrow. Thank you, Gail. I’m a writer because I can’t help it. I choose to write nonfiction because I’m inquisitive and (politely) nosy. I didn’t recognize curiosity in myself until I saw the giant yellow chalk circle. When I was […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Pamela S. Turner

Today we continue the Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep series with an essay by author Pamela S. Turner. Thank you, Pam. My first memory: reaching through the wooden bars of a playpen, trying to drag a puppy in by his ears. Although my dog-handling skills have improved, I’m still drawn to animals in a way I […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Laurie Wallmark

Today we continue the Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep series with an essay by author Laurie Wallmark. Thank you, Laurie. Writers are often told to write what they know. As far as I’m concerned, we should write what we’re passionate about. We can always research (and who doesn’t like research?) a topic, but if we’re not […]