Today, I'm thinking about Karmelo Anthony and why we do not have the luxury of only publishing #blackboyjoy and #blackgirlmagic in the kidlit space. As much as I would like to center on joyful expression and humor, we cannot forget our past, in the same way that others can #neverforget . I do write about the funny whimsical moments of childhood.

​However, there is a time for laughing, and there is a time for weeping even if it makes others uncomfortable.
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Banned books won't erase stories that should be told… And, they must be TOLD to receptive ears because these stories shape how we got here. The stories of the past shape our present and our future. These stories have a way of sounding the alarm in times of need if we are willing to learn.

History does, and will, repeat on cycles because people forget--even their own family members, their ancestors. If a written record does not exist, forgetting comes sooner.

I tell my students that's why writing remains important.

Videos have their place, but writing carries catharsis. Putting words on the page is freeing. Some think words should be chained when people cannot be, but censorship can not outrun reality--it only fractures it.

I have to admit that I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around algorithms and what computers want on the quest to help my art be seen. It's the most frustrating part of being a writer. I can write creatively, but can I write convincingly enough for people to take the time to experience the books and manuscripts I pour so much of my heart into? Then there is this blog... My heart is not really into it. I know that the writing can be helpful and that it can reflect the professional side of literacy, but when I write here, I feel like providing literacy help is much like reinventing the wheel, as educators will continue to scrap about phonics vs. whole language instruction. The latest iteration stemming from Lucy Calkins' reading and writing workshops vs. the Science of Reading. I taught my own children in depth literacy skills in early elementary and in upper elementary and middle grades we took a workshop approach. Both love to read and have an excellent grasp on writing. Then my youngest came along, and due to family circumstances, I found myself in a new education setting: public school. That was ten years ago, and admittedly, this former home educator and cooperative instructor felt like the proverbial fish out of water as I tried to convince the other educators about the value in my folksy experience. It has been maddening--and eye-opening--and frustrating--and rewarding. So you see, this blog is a mix of experimentation: often my words and sometimes the computer's as I try to figure out how to be found in the sea of content contained on the World Wide Web.

As a writer, artist, educator, and now, publisher, I have discovered that I must be a marketer, too. Where does artificial intelligence find its place in this world? I have determined--not in my art space and not in my creative writing space. It won't be generating any of my own academic analyses either... I have too much fun in each of these arenas to farm out my thinking and my creativity. But what if I am working on a lesson plan? Or brainstorming tips to help parents build literacy skills practice session at home? Must the wheel be reinvented? The science and technology part of my brain is excited about the possibilities of AI, but the right-brained artist and innovator wonders how the new technologies will help us become more creative or stunt the average person's advancements.

In other words, I am not going to vow never to use AI, in the same way that I will not vow never to use a calculator. I feel like we must determine the places and the spaces where it can be helpful or harmful and delineate the ethical boundaries. The Authors Guild recently released some helpful guidelines, which can be found here:  https://authorsguild.org/resource/ai-best-practices-for-authors/. I am glad that we are having these discussions because I want most of my energy to go into creating and highlighting compelling stories that I think young people will enjoy. Likewise, academically, I love unearthing new (or forgotten) tales and ideas. But when it comes to marketing or writing for the algorithm, could a computer help a writer become more skilled in this arena? I guess time will tell.

Ernst and I were sharing a moment a few years back, and I thought I'd post it here. I first wrote and published this poem almost 30 years ago.