Category: Blog

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Happy National Moth Week!

Happy National Moth Week!

One of the interesting parts of writing a book about moth-watching, besides all the local moths I’ve gotten to know, is how many people reach out to me with photos of the insects they find in their own backyards. I find this thrilling, because it means there are a lot of curious people out there. The moths below, for example, were all found and photographed by friends who weren’t even looking for moths. But they recognized something interesting when it crossed their path, snapped a picture, and sought out more information.  

Which leads me to the hard part of finding these photos in my Inbox: I’m an amateur moth enthusiast and most of the time I have no clue what the insect in question is! But I have a lot of field guides—print and online, and I always have fun looking into it. Here are a couple photographs sent to me by friends in the northeastern US this summer, including two that came in just today. I hope they inspire you to look for moths in your neighborhood!

This image was sent to me by my friend Amelia, who woke one morning to find these gorgeous luna moths (Actias luna) hanging out at her door. They were surely attracted to the porch lights which, for the record, are fit with regular old lightbulbs. You don’t need fancy blacklights to attract moths! (Although blacklights will definitely increase the number of moths that visit you.)
This moth was found by my friend Mariano on his porch in central Massachusetts, at about 2am. I had no idea what it was, but with the help of iNaturalist (see comment below), I was able to zero in on similar-looking moths seen in the same part of Massachusetts recently. Based on that list, I think this is Robin’s carpenterworm moth (Prionoxystus robiniae).
This moth was spotted by Becky and her family (who happen to star in YOU’RE INVITED TO A MOTH BALL!) during a visit to Cape Cod. At first I told Becky I thought it was a Giant Leopard Moth, although its wings looked funny, as if all the scales had rubbed off. As I told her that, a little alarm went off in my head; I thought I might have told someone else that same thing recently. (See next photo.) A little additional research online led me to the correct identification: Leopard Moth (no “Giant” … Zeuzera pyrina). I think. 
🙂
This picture came to me in a text from my daughter, who was hanging out at a skate park at the time. She and her friends found it under the park lights after dark and I told her, “I think this is a Giant Leopard Moth, but it kinda looks funny.” I left it there, but a later moth (see previous photo) helped me realize my error. Now that I’ve mis-ID’d this Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina) twice, I think it’ll stick with me.
Last but not least, this beauty sent to me by my favorite tennis player of all time, Trisha. Her text said, “Not sure what it is or why it is stuck to my window, but it made me think of you.” Ha. I don’t know why it decided to land on her window either, but I do know it’s not a moth. It’s a Red Admiral butterfly! 
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Coming April 2020 …

On April 7, 2020, you’re invited to an epic nighttime adventure. That’s the day my next picture book, illustrated by Ellen Harasimowicz and edited by Karen Boss at Charlesbridge Publishing, will fly into this world.

If you’ve tuned in to my recent moth adventures, here or on Instagram, this is the book that’ll help you and your favorite curious young explorers create moth adventures just like them in your own backyards. YOU’RE INVITED TO A MOTH BALL is written especially for the K-3 crowd, but if you’re reading this post, there’s something in its pages for you, too.

Revealing a new book cover is a delight that only comes ’round once every few years, so I’m going to be celebrating for weeks. The book may not be available until next spring, but there are moths out there right now, people.

Party on!

Edited to add: You’ll be able to purchase this book at your favorite local independent bookstore in April 2020, or possibly before. SUPPORT YOUR INDIES! You can also pre-order now through Amazon. Thank you!

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What the Ocean Carries

I’m thrilled to share a link to my newest essay, an exploration of our plastic world and the things I’ve learned about it while writing books for young readers. It was published in Flyway: Journal of Writing and Environment just last week, and you can read it here.

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to share the link!

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Flyway: Journal of Writing and Environment

Flyway is an online journal housed at Iowa State University that publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry “that explores the many complicated facets of the word environment.” Check it out. Come May, you’ll find an essay I wrote in its pages, an essay that won their 2018 Notes from the Field Nonfiction contest. I’m pretty excited about this, so chances are good that I’ll remind you when it’s published. 🙂

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Six Ways of Love (A Literary Reading)

Please join students and faculty from Bay Path University’s MFA in Creative Nonfiction program (including me!) for an afternoon of readings on the subject of love. The event will be held on Saturday, February 16, 2019 at the Mason Square Branch Library in Springfield, Massachusetts, from 12:30 to 2:30pm. (Please note that this event is geared to an adult audience.)  More details, including a full list of the writers who will read, can be found on the flyer below. We hope to see you there!

 

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February 12 Fill-in-the-Blank Book Club

Hello, reader friends!

Popping in to share the topic of our next Fill-in-the-Blank Book Club event. We’ll be meeting in person at the Beaman Memorial Public Library in West Boylston, Massachusetts on Thursday, February 12 at 6:30 pm, but you can join us virtually by reading and sharing your thoughts here.

Our topic this time around is ‘The Other.’

In a time when our world feels divided, let’s use books and our own intentions to bring it a little closer, shall we? Find a book outside your own culture or your own experience, read it, learn from it, and then share what you find with the rest of us.  I kicked off my own reading for this session with #NotYourPrincess: VOICES OF NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN, and was drawn in by vivid art and compelling words. I was also blown away by Dashka Slater’s THE 57 BUS. And I’ve got a copy of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME on deck in my reading pile.

Explore. Read. Learn. Then join us to spread your (book) love.

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STEMinist Booklist, an NCTE18 Handout

Welcome to all the NCTE18 attendees who joined our Finding Their STEMinist Voice: How Informational Texts Can Inspire Girls presentation on Friday morning. Thanks so much for being part of this important conversation.

Here is our booklist handout: STEMinist Handout

And here is our online resources handout: STEMinist Online Resources

We hope you and your students love these books and web resources as much as we do!

 

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1968: The Audio Book

These beauties arrived in the mail yesterday: audio versions (one digital, one on CD) of 1968: TODAY’S AUTHORS EXPLORE A YEAR OF REBELLION, REVOLUTION, AND CHANGE. This is the first time my work has been presented in audio, and I’m thrilled to give the entire collection a listen. If you’d like a taste, visit the 1968 page on the Brilliance Audio website for a short clip from the introduction, which details the thirteen authors and their stories. Enjoy!