Today’s episode is brought to you by…the snow day! It’s been another long while since I posted an episode of my podcast. Being back in the secondary classroom has left me still trying to find my groove. But! Today’s snow day seemed like the perfect opportunity to edit and post another episode. Thanks, Snow! ItContinue reading "Rachel Bird by Becky Citra | Author Talk"

Celebrating PRIDE in rural places with Phil Stamper with my first episode in a while. Hope you'll join us.

In this episode, Whippoorwill Award winner Kevin Dunn and I talk about the importance of rural voices in publishing, the impact that transactions of place have on identity, and the connection between DIY punk and rural culture. To learn more about Kevin Dunn: https://www.kcdunn.com/ For more info on the Whippoorwill Award for Rural YA andContinue reading "Vicious Is My Middle Name by Kevin Dunn | Author Talk"

In this episode, I sit down with my buddy, Brian Brady, to talk about the Whippoorwill Award winning Vicious Is My Middle Name by Kevin Dunn which is about Sydney Vicious Talcott and her efforts to derail the construction of an asphalt plant in her new home in Appalachia. Here’s the jacket copy summary: WithContinue reading "Vicious Is My Middle Name by Kevin Dunn | Book Talk"

– Rural Teen Writing Contest Runner-Up – In this episode, high school junior, Laurel Aronian reads her award-winning poem, “So Long, Schoolhouse” and chats with me about her inspiration for the poem, her writing process, and gives some great advice to fellow young writers and teachers of writing alike. Check out her poem: https://literacyinplace.com/2024/02/15/so-long-schoolhouse-by-laurel-aronian-runner-up-2023-rural-teen-writing-contest/ LearnContinue reading "Author Talk | Laurel Aronian"

In this episode, Whippoorwill Award winning Tiffany D. Jackson sits down to chat with me about the importance of representation, her research process, and how to make a book authentic even when it’s about an experience outside of your own. Let’s just all agree to ignore the number of flubs during her bio – IContinue reading "The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson | Author Talk"

We’re kicking off Black History Month by acknowledging and honoring the experiences of rural Black folks. Rural America is not a white monolith, and we’d like for everyone to know that. In this episode, I chat with a former Southern Wells student and current Purdue preservice teacher, Emily McCorkle. We talk about all kinds ofContinue reading "The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson | Book Talk"

We’re back, after a brief holiday hiatus, with an exciting bonus episode featuring *the* George Ella Lyon. Her poem “Where I’m From” has been used by English Teachers all over the world to invite students to think about who they are and their connections to their own places. George Ella Lyon is an award-winning poetContinue reading "George Ella Lyon | Author Talk"

In this episode I talk to Gary Eldon Peter about craft, about out-migrant experiences and identity building, and about the importance of never giving up on yourself or your writing. To buy the book with our affiliate link: https://bookshop.org/a/86567/9781646032532 To learn more about Gary Eldon Peter: https://www.garyeldonpeter.com/bio

With this episode, Reading Rural YAL is starting something new! Rather than just me talking about the book, I’m going to talk about the book with preservice teachers, inservice teachers, and teacher educators. Grace and Maya are fabulous and have incredible insights into the book as well as geospatial understandings of and in education. I’mContinue reading "The Complicated Calculus (and Cows) of Carl Paulsen | Book Talk ft. – Maya & Grace"