Rajani LaRocca's Blog, page 9

Chappaqua Book Festival!

I had a ball at the amazing, incredible Chappaqua Book Festival on a perfect fall day! I joined over a hundred other authors and met so many amazing readers! What a celebration of children’s literature!

 

Chenery Author Festival 2022!

It was such fun joining this excellent lineup of authors at the Chenery Author Festival at Chenery Middle School in Belmont, MA! It was such a joy to talk books with other authors and young readers!

Project Literacy in Midland, TX!

I had an amazing time visiting schools and libraries in Midland, Texas and participating in their Project Literacy programming. I had a magical experience, which included arriving on a fire truck; spending time with beautiful kids, educators, librarians, (and Clifford!); visiting the gorgeous area libraries; and even appearing on the front page of the newspaper!

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Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat!

I spent a marvelous few days at the Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat at the MIT Endicott House. Organizers Pam Vaughan and Julia Boyce did a stellar job welcoming 40 writers + editors Jessica Anderson, Alex Aceves, and Chris Krones and agents Brent Taylor and Sera Rivers. In the first in-person WPWR since COVID, we learned from the faculty and each other, discussed writing, shared stories, bid on marvelous literary-inspired baskets, and bonded while walking the gorgeous grounds and sharing meals together. I left the weekend exhausted but inspired!

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Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat

I spent a marvelous few days at the Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat at the MIT Endicott House. Organizers Pam Vaughan and Julia Boyce did a stellar job welcoming 40 writers + editors Jessica Anderson, Alex Aceves, and Chris Krones and agents Brent Taylor and Sera Rivers. In the first in-person WPWR since COVID, we learned from the faculty and each other, discussed writing, shared stories, bid on marvelous literary-inspired baskets, and bonded while walking the gorgeous grounds and sharing meals together. I left the weekend exhausted but inspired!

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Highlights Retreat!

I went to Highlights in September with a bunch of writer friends: Chris Baron, Josh Levy, Cory Leonardo, and Naomi Milliner. Our debut novels all published in 2019, and we have been meeting once a year at Highlights since 2018! (We skipped 2020, of course). We spent the weekend catching up and talking about writing and books! Writer friends are the best friends!

Write for the Stage interview!

I had lots of fun talking with Nicole Jost in this interview for Write for the Stage!

The Adirondack Family Book Festival!

I had such a fabulous time at the first annual Adirondack Family Book Festival on August 20,2022! The festival happened at the John Brown Farm Historic Site in beautiful Lake Placid, NY where I got to participate in panels, sign books, and hang out with award-winning authors and illustrators: Kate Messner, Linda Sue Park, Laura Ruby, Jason Chin, Kekla Magoon, Kyle Lukoff, Amy Guglielmo, Joseph Bruchac, Tracey Baptiste, Max Eaton, Benjamin Giroux, and Calvin Ramsey. We had beautiful weather and a fabulous day celebrating books and stories!

Radio Boston Interview!

I loved speaking with host Tiziana Dearing on WBUR Radio Boston today about writing books for young people and how my different identities as an Indian-American, woman, mother, and doctor influence my writing. We chatted specifically about RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE, I’LL GO AND COME BACK, WHERE THREE OCEANS MEET, and BRACELETS FOR BINA’S BROTHERS. You can listen to my segment below!

The Cover Reveal for SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS!

I’m so thrilled to reveal the cover of my forthcoming picture books, SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS, beautifully illustrated by Abhi Alwar, over on Mr. Schu’s Blog! This story about the sweetest joys of summer releases from Abrams Books on May 16, 2023, and I can’t wait to share it with the world! Check out Mr. Schu’s cover reveal interview with Abhi and me, and check out the sweet and hilarious cover! You can find more info and preorder links here.