In this special Foreword mini-episode we sit down with IRW Director of School Programs Alison Johnson and Steve Costanza, author & illustrator of The King of Ragtime, at the Henry D. Moore Library in Steuben, ME.

Steve & Alison reflect on their 5-school tour of Washington County and share with us what it's like to be back in-person at school assemblies, their most memorable moments with students, and their experience traveling hundreds of miles along the Maine coast with a piano. 

SHOWNOTES:

• The podcast episode Alison quotes is the On Being podcast, "For the Eight Year Old in You," an interview with Kate DiCamillo, and a must-listen. 

In advance of Stephen Costanza's five-school tour with IRW in early May, we're re-releasing this episode of Foreword.  Author/illustrator Stephen Costanza talks his newest picture book, "King of Ragtime: The Story of Scott Joplin."

You can see Stephen perform in person at the Henry D. Moore library in Steuben, ME on Saturday, May 7, 2021, 7:00pm. Visit IRW's events calendar for details. 

This episode originally aired on September 8, 2021.

Welcome back to Season 2 of the Foreword podcast: Reading Outside the Box, where we ask our listeners to think about who, what, where and how they read—and implore them to explore the wide and wonderful world of children's literature!

On Episode 2 we talk to Hazel Stark of Maine Outdoor School, who describes the beauty and benefit of learning outdoors.

Show Notes

About Our Guest

Hazel Stark is Co-Founder and Naturalist Educator at Maine Outdoor School, where she connects her community and classrooms to the outdoors through custom educational experiences. Hazel is a Registered Maine Guide and holds a Bachelor's degree in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic and a Professional Science Master's degree in Resource Management and Conservation from Antioch University New England. You can find her at maineoutdoorschool.org and on WERU on Saturday mornings at 9:30 am where she hosts the Nature of Phenology program, and shares what’s happening in nature each week, all year long.

About Foreword

Foreword is a podcast of Island Readers & Writers (IRW), a nonprofit in Southwest Harbor, ME with a mission to inspire a love of reading and learning in children. Foreword podcast was created in 2020 by Taylor Mace, and is written, hosted, and produced by Kelsey Buckley. 

Welcome back to Season 2 of the Foreword podcast: Reading Outside the Box, where we ask our listeners to think about who, what, where and how they read—and implore them to explore the wide and wonderful world of children's literature!

Episode 1 is an interview with David Wiesner, who talks about becoming an illustrator, his love of story, how to read a wordless picture book, and reminds us that picture books are for everyone. 

Show Notes

About Our Guest

David is an illustrator and writer of children's books, and he is particularly known for picture books that tell stories without words.

He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, and is the author of three Caldecott-awarded titles, Tuesday, The Three Pigs, and Flotsam. 

About Foreword

Foreword is a podcast of Island Readers & Writers (IRW), a nonprofit in Southwest Harbor, ME with a mission to inspire a love of reading and learning in children. Foreword podcast was created in 2020 by Taylor Mace, and is written, hosted, and produced by Kelsey Buckley. 

Science writer and children's book author Kimberly Ridley talks to Foreword about how and where to explore vernal pools, a springtime phenomenon in New England that is teeming with all sorts of exciting creatures! 

Maine author, historian and librarian Alexandra Hinrichs talks her latest project, the picture book biography The Traveling Camera: Lewis Hine and the Fight to End Child Labor.

Eliza Wheeler, author/illustrator of Home in the Woods and Miss Maple's Seeds among many others, talks about her career, work and inspiration.

An interview with Gigi Georges, author of the new release Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America

Children's book author and illustrator Sophie Blackall talks about the inspiration behind If You Come to Earth and her two forthcoming picture books: Negative Cat and The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo.

Author Samara Cole Doyon talks her Coretta Scott King honor-winning book, Magnificent Homespun Brown, the inspiration for the poem, her heritage and her forthcoming children's book.