Laura Shovan's Blog, page 5
September 10, 2020
Poetry Friday: Cut from WIP
Thanks to Kiesha for hosting POETRY FRIDAY at Whispers from the Ridge today. New to Poetry Friday? Find out more here.
Happy Poetry Friday, everyone!
Now that A PLACE AT THE TABLE has launched, I am working on a new middle grade novel. This one is in verse (at least for now). The floods that destroyed the historic street near our old house is part of this book’s story.
Also incorporated into my WIP — memories of being out in the woods as a child, the wonder of catching frogs and newts, the stream where my best friend and I played for hours in the summer. At our new house, toads, snakes, and snails are part of the landscape (and you’ve already met our box turtles).
I’ve drafted many poems that won’t make it into my working draft. Here is one of my favorites.
Where
by Laura Shovan
I woke up last night
thinking of my brother
and me catching frogs,
salamanders, spotting turtles
sunbathing on a rock
or fallen log. Where
did they go, the animals,
when the flood came
and the stream
burst its banks?
If you’d like to read more about the two so-called thousand year floods that impacted Ellicott City in 2016 and 2018, here is an article.
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August 7, 2020
A Place at the Table: Conversation Starters for Families
Excerpted from We Need Diverse Books, May, 2020
By Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
This summer, our middle-grade novel A Place at the Table, will be out in time for the back to school season. It is the story of two girls who meet in a South Asian cooking class and form a reluctant friendship. Sara Hameed, a Muslim, and Elizabeth Shainmark, who is Jewish, are both first-generation children… Being first-generation impacts Sara and Elizabeth in different ways, but it also helps them form a bond.
We wrote this book to highlight authentically how immigrants are treated in this country, as well as the immense contributions they make to their new nation… As we wrote their story, we had long conversations about what it means to belong, and how children of immigrants often feel torn between their family’s home culture and fitting in as Americans.
Many first-generation Americans—like Sara and Elizabeth, like us (Laura) and our children (Saadia)—wonder what our family members’ lives were like in their country of origin. We might want to know what it feels like to be an immigrant. … Laura surveyed her friends, asking, “What questions would you like to ask elders in your family about coming to the United States?” we invite you to sit down with a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or older friend who came here from another country. Share a cup of tea or hot chocolate and pick a few questions from the printables below to ask them.
You can find the full blog post at We Need Diverse Books here.
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August 6, 2020
Poetry Friday: “My Best Friend Is Jewish”
Laura Purdie Salas is hosting Poetry Friday this week. You’ll find links to all of the participating blogs at Writing the World for Kids.
Happy Poetry Friday, friends and readers.
Next Tuesday, August 11, Saadia Faruqi and I celebrate the launch of our co-authored middle grade novel, A PLACE AT THE TABLE.
During one of our *many* conversations about the book (before, during, and after we wrote it), Saadia and I discussed a poem called “My Best Friend Is Jewish.” This piece, by Briana Naseer, appears online at Blue Minaret, the literary journal that Saadia edits.
Pre-order from Baltimore’s Ivy Bookshop to receive a bookplate signed by both authors with your copy!
There are so many overlaps and echoes between this poem and the friendship story at the heart of A PLACE AT THE TABLE. The book is about two girls, one Muslim, the other Jewish, both first generation American. They are not friends when they first meet in an after school cooking club. They are both dealing with typical middle school issues, and with issues that are specific to having immigrant parents. While the two of them begin to open up about their cultures, they never make a big deal about how Muslims and Jews are “supposed to” dislike each other. In this way, they are just like the friends in the poem.
I hope you enjoy it. If you teach A PLACE AT THE TABLE, consider pairing it with “My Best Friend Is Jewish”. That would make for a fascinating discussion with kids.
My Best Friend is Jewish
By Briana Naseer
My best friend and I meet
at freshman band camp
where we are both
wholly unaware
that one of us is Muslim
and one of us is Jewish.
Our history teacher sees us
laughing together,
boasts that he has solved
all of the tensions
in the Middle East
and I am too young
and too naïve
to realize
what he means.
When Rosh Hashanah
and Eid Al-Fitr fall
on the same day
that year,
we end up comparing
the lunar calendars
in our respective religions.
We both get teased
by white boys
who tell us we’re going
to hell, in the name
of Jesus, of course.
We both find
each other’s eyes
when the coaches pray
a Christian prayer
at all the football games.
We both lament
at playing Sleigh Bells
for four years in a row
at the Christmas concert,
heaven forbid
we say “holiday”
or “winter.”
Read the rest at Blue Minaret.
One of *my* best friends is Muslim, thanks to our work together on this book.
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July 24, 2020
Poetry Friday: Doughnuts
Margaret Simon is hosting Poetry Friday on the Louisiana Bayou today. Visit Reflections on the Teche for all of this week’s Poetry Friday links.
I missed National Doughnut Day this year. It’s celebrated on the first Friday in June.
Doughnuts are not my favorite sweet (that honor goes to the lowly cookie), but they play a significant role in two of my middle grade books.
In TAKEDOWN, Mickey’s family tradition is to go out for donuts when she or her brothers does well at a wrestling tournament.
In my new book, A PLACE AT THE TABLE, my character Elizabeth invites her new friend Sara (written by my co-author Saadia Faruqi) over to make Hanukkah donuts. It’s one of the many ways that our two first generation American characters — Elizabeth’s mother immigrated from England and Sara’s parents are from Pakistan — share their cultures with each other.
Like most Americans, I always associates latkes — delicious potato pancakes served with sour cream or apple sauce (or both) — with Hanukkah.
But Hanukkah foods are really about the oil. The great miracle we celebrate on this holiday involved oil for a menorah. And guess what? Doughnuts are fried in oil! That’s why doughnuts are a favorite Hanukkah treat.
Pre-order from IndieBound. A PLACE AT THE TABLE publishes on 8-11-20.
Part of my research for A PLACE AT THE TABLE was making all of the recipes in the book. Not only did I learn to make Tahari Rice and samosas from scratch, I had to find the perfect jelly doughnut recipe. After much trial and error, I landed on a recipe with *the* trick for well-shaped jelly doughnuts that you don’t have to fill after they’re cooked. Trust me, filling hot doughnuts with a turkey baster full of strawberry jam is more awkward than fun.
What’s the trick? Roll out two thin circles of dough for each doughnut. Put a little jelly on one circle and top it with the other. Crimp the edges, and you’re ready to fry. A bonus of this method: the jelly gives the doughnuts a little more balance in the oil, so they don’t puff on one side and tip, making them uneven.
Would I leave you without a recipe? No way! But first, let’s sample a tasty doughnut poem from Greg Pincus.
Doughnuts! Oh, Doughnuts!
by Greg Pincus
Doughnuts! Oh, doughnuts! Fried circles of yum.
You food that I simply adore.
You’re sure not nutritious, but you’re so delicious
I’m always left wishing for more.
I love you with frosting or covered in sprinkles.
I swoon for you, sweet, sugar raised!
When you’re filled with jelly, you warm up my belly…
While still leaving room for a glazed.
I’ll dip you in coffee or dunk you in milk.
I’ll eat you for breakfast or brunch.
I get so impassioned for simple old-fashioned
That sometimes I make them my lunch.
Doughnuts! Oh, doughnuts! Definers of yum.
You perfect fried circles of dough.
Although you’re caloric, you leave me euphoric…
So give me a dozen to go!
Shared with the author’s permission. First posted at GottaBook, June 2009.
Hanukkah doughnuts, also known as sufganiyot.
Ready for the recipe? If you are working with a kid who is Elizabeth and Sara’s age (11) or younger, be sure that an adult is in charge of the frying. The oil is extremely hot.
You’ll find more bonus recipes from A PLACE AT THE TABLE here.
Click to enlarge this printable recipe card.
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July 21, 2020
Educator Guides for Laura’s Books
The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson ElementaryAn award-winning, big-hearted time capsule of one class’s poems during a transformative school year.
“Entertaining . . . Shovan skillfully employs different poetic forms and styles…Characters… will inspire readers as they find the courage to save their school and make their voices heard, both as a united front and as capable, valuable individuals.” —Publishers Weekly
Click here for the free educator’s guide.
TakedownDiscover what happens when one girl wants to break barriers in a sport dominated by boys in this exciting and thoughtful novel by the author of The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary.
“As the chapters alternate between the characters’ perspectives, readers will quickly become invested, particularly when the tweens’ goals eventually merge and they discover that a true wrestler is anyone with the courage to step on the mat.” —Booklist
“Mikayla and Lev are winners.” —Kirkus Reviews
A Place at the TableA timely, accessible, and beautifully written story exploring themes of food, friendship, family and what it means to belong, featuring sixth graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a white, Jewish girl taking a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara’s mom.
“This thoughtful and thought-provoking book is a delicious tale of friendship, food, and family.” —Karina Yan Glaser, New York Times bestselling author of The Vanderbeeker series
***
“I would love to sit at a table with Sara and Elizabeth: two entirely believable characters and a lot of delicious food for thought.” —Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author of A Long Walk to Water.
***
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July 20, 2020
A Place at the Table: Bonus Recipes
A Place at the Table publishes on August 11, 2020 from Clarion/HMH Books.
Welcome, readers and eaters.
While there was only room to print one recipe in the back of A Place at the Table, my co-author Saadia Faruqi and I didn’t want to disappoint potential chefs.
Scroll down to find three printable recipe cards featuring foods from the book. (Cards designed by Mary Zadroga of Steel Toe Creative.) As always, make sure an adult is supervising when you work in the kitchen.
Our middle grade story takes place at an after school cooking club. The chapters alternate between two sixth graders. We first meet Pakistani American Sara Hameed, who is *not* happy when her mom takes over the after school cooking club at Poplar Springs MS. In contrast, Elizabeth Shainmark, a Jewish and half-British girl, hopes learning to cook will help a difficult situation at home. The other kids in the class would rather make mac and cheese or strawberry jam than the South Asian food Mrs. Hammed introduces them to.
In the opening scene, the class makes a wonderful rice and potato dish, called Tahari Rice. Although I made all of the dishes in the book for research, this is one that my family has put on regular rotation.
I chew slowly, savoring the flavors … How can such simple ingredients make my tongue feel like it’s dancing with warmth and smoke? — Elizabeth, Chapter 2
Click to enlarge and print the recipe card for Tahari Rice!
Want to start simple? Khagina is as easy as it gets — scrambled eggs with potato, vegetables, and South Asian spices. Sara whips up this hearty snack for Elizabeth and her younger brother.
“If you had cilantro and cumin, you could make this even yummier,” I say, scraping the scrambled potato-egg mixture onto plate. — Sara, Chapter 19
Click to enlarge and print the recipe card for Khagina!
It was important to me to include one Jewish recipe in A Place at the Table. When most people think of the Hanukkah, they think of latkes (which, to be honest, are delicious!) But many families celebrate this winter festival with another fried food, donuts. Jelly donuts known as sufganiyot are traditional.
The donuts in this recipe are fried in very hot oil. Adult help is a MUST for this step. In the book, Elizabeth’s grandmother, known as Bubbe, does the frying.
I can’t wait for Sara to meet Bubbe. I can’t wait for her to taste my favorite Hanukkah treat, sufganiyot — Bubbe makes the jelly-filled donuts from scratch. — Elizabeth, Chapter 26
Click to enlarge and print the recipe card for Sufganiyot!
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A Place at the Table: Bonus Recipes!
A Place at the Table publishes on August 11, 2020 from Clarion/HMH Books.
Welcome, readers and eaters.
While there was only room to print one recipe in the back of A Place at the Table, my co-author Saadia Faruqi and I didn’t want to disappoint potential chefs.
Scroll down to find three printable recipe cards featuring foods from the book. (Cards designed by Mary Zadroga of Steel Toe Creative.) As always, make sure an adult is supervising when you work in the kitchen.
Our middle grade story takes place at an after school cooking club. The chapters alternate between two sixth graders. We first meet Pakistani American Sara Hameed, who is *not* happy when her mom takes over the after school cooking club at Poplar Springs MS. In contrast, Elizabeth Shainmark, a Jewish and half-British girl, hopes learning to cook will help a difficult situation at home. The other kids in the class would rather make mac and cheese or strawberry jam than the South Asian food Mrs. Hammed introduces them to.
In the opening scene, the class makes a wonderful rice and potato dish, called Tahari Rice. Although I made all of the dishes in the book for research, this is one that my family has put on regular rotation.
I chew slowly, savoring the flavors … How can such simple ingredients make my tongue feel like it’s dancing with warmth and smoke? — Elizabeth, Chapter 2
Click to enlarge and print the recipe card for Tahari Rice!
Want to start simple? Khagina is as easy as it gets — scrambled eggs with potato, vegetables, and South Asian spices. Sara whips up this hearty snack for Elizabeth and her younger brother.
“If you had cilantro and cumin, you could make this even yummier,” I say, scraping the scrambled potato-egg mixture onto plate. — Sara, Chapter 19
Click to enlarge and print the recipe card for Khagina!
It was important to me to include one Jewish recipe in A Place at the Table. When most people think of the Hanukkah, they think of latkes (which, to be honest, are delicious!) But many families celebrate this winter festival with another fried food, donuts. Jelly donuts known as sufganiyot are traditional.
The donuts in this recipe are fried in very hot oil. Adult help is a MUST for this step. In the book, Elizabeth’s grandmother, known as Bubbe, does the frying.
I can’t wait for Sara to meet Bubbe. I can’t wait for her to taste my favorite Hanukkah treat, sufganiyot — Bubbe makes the jelly-filled donuts from scratch. — Elizabeth, Chapter 26
Click to enlarge and print the recipe card for Sufganiyot!
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July 9, 2020
Poetry Friday: Summer Garden Swap
The Poetry Friday blogging community welcomes you to read original poems, book reviews, and favorite verses each week. Our July 10 host is Ruth at There Is No Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town, where you will find a garden full of poetry links.
It’s Poetry Friday.
I’ve been away from my desk for several weeks because of a death in our family. The global pandemic has affected how we grieve, because it affects how we gather … or don’t. It has been difficult to say goodbye without friends and family around.
Our family is finding solace in our new garden. We moved to this house in the fall, so beginning in early spring there have been backyard discoveries every week!
Though I live in Maryland and my summer poetry swap partner Margaret Simon lives in Louisiana, we share the joy of being outside and being surprised.
Margaret sent me a lovely hand-made book, with two original poems inside for inspiration.
Haiku by Margaret Simon
Garden Visitor
By Margaret Simon
Tiptoe turtle seeks
Shade from seering summer sun
Laura says, “Come in.”
Did Margaret know we have two resident box turtles living in our yard?
I met one of our Eastern Box Turtles walking down the path one morning.
Margaret’s second poem is the coolest! A zentangle black-out poem created on a page from “A Legacy of Shadows” by David Lee.
Zentangle Black-out Poem by Margaret Simon. (Click to enlarge.)
A Summer Garden
By Margaret Simon
Here’s to
the place
between
that place
under the trees
under the shadow
where all the words
slide into quiet
sleeping
between
that place
where those
who
know without remembering
no difference
none at all
And here is our beagle, Rudy, enjoying that between place under the trees, under the shadow.
Some friends have said they see a tree spirit watching over Rudy in this photo.
Margaret’s garden poems worked their magic! I took an old newspaper article about trees and climate change and used it to create my own black-out poem.
Source: “Trees pose a puzzle about climate change,” by Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun, 9/25/16. (Click to enlarge.)
Black-out Poem
By Laura Shovan
Climate change growing
Adapt to complex air
Threatened years
Trees decline
Look
Forests fall
Special thanks to Tabatha Yeatts, who runs the poem swap, which is always full of surprises and connections.
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May 14, 2020
Poetry Friday: Conversation with Thanhhà Lại
It’s Poetry Friday!
During the Covid-19 pandemic, many events have been cancelled. From big-arena concerts (I had tickets to see Ringo Starr in June) to small family gatherings, all of us have traded disappointment and even loss for the health and safety of our families, friends, and communities.
One event I was looking forward to was a long-planned conversation with verse novelist and YA/MG author Thanhhà Lai.
We met at the Collingswood (NJ) Book Festival last fall and hit it off as we talked about writing novels in verse. “Invite me to speak in your area,” Thanhhà said.
My local independent bookstore, The Ivy Bookshop in Baltimore, was happy to oblige. To celebrate National Poetry Month in April, Thanhhà had a line up of local school visits and — exciting! — she and I would do a “In Conversation” style talk for adults.
When Maryland shut down in mid-March, I thought the whole thing would be cancelled. But the Ivy Bookshop wasn’t giving in that easily. The bookstore, especially Martha Marani, Emma Snyder, and Emily Miller, made the event virtual.
I reread Thanhhà’s award-winning verse novel, Inside Out & Back Again. Then I went on to her recent YA novel, Butterfly Yellow. The characters are so artfully drawn in this book about an 18-year-old refugee from Vietnam who finds herself stuck in Texas with a wannabe cowboy. The novel portrays Hằng ‘s story, including her harrowing escape from Vietnam and her quest to reunite with her younger brother in America, with humor and humanity.
Her second middle grade, Listen Slowly, is about a very American girl who reluctantly visits Vietnam with her immigrant grandmother. It’s a book that has special appeal for first and second generation American readers. (Read my post with Saadia Faruqi about encouraging first and second generation American kids to talk with family members about their immigration experiences.)
On April 29, we recorded our conversation as a live Zoom event. Thanks to the Ivy Bookshop, I can share it with you! I had a great time talking with Thanhhà about verse novels, the poetry inherent to the Vietnamese language, and how she creates such memorable characters.
The video is available at this link. If you’d like to buy a copy of Thanhhà Lại‘s books, The Ivy Bookshop is mailing out orders. Check out their website here.
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April 21, 2020
#WaterPoemProject: Day 31, Aida Salazar
It’s been a glorious month of poetry.
We’ve cried salty tears, played in the water, written thank you poems, and peeked under the surface of the ocean.
Let’s write one more poem before we say goodbye to the #WaterPoemProject — 30 31 days of water-themed poetry prompts from your favorite children’s authors.
If you’re looking for National Poetry Month writing prompts, we’ve got you covered. Start with Day 1 and you’ll have poetry prompts from now through the end of April, plus an extra day for good luck!
New to this project? Please read the Introduction and FAQ. Or you can watch this video of me describing how to participate. It’s on the YouTube channel Authors Everywhere.
Middle grade author and poet Aida Salazar is here with our bonus prompt!
Aida’s prompt is: Goddess of the Ocean
Aida Salazar
Imagine you are the goddess of the ocean.
Write a poem about what you have to do during an ocean storm to keep all its creatures safe.
***
I always feel a little sad on the last day of writing together, poets. I hope you’ve enjoyed writing in response to the amazing prompts our authors put together!
Write your goddess of the ocean poem by the end of the day tomorrow, Wednesday, April 22, 2020.
If you have been doing the #WaterPoemProject with a group, be sure to share or post your rough draft, read other people’s poems, and cheer for their efforts. Or leave your poem here, in the comments.
Aida Salazar is an arts activist and author of the middle grade verse novels, THE MOON WITHIN (International Latino Book Award winner) and LAND OF THE CRANES (9/15/20) and the forthcoming bio picture book, JOVITA WORE PANTS: THE STORY OF A REVOLUTIONARY FIGHTER. She lives in a teal house with her family of artists in Oakland, CA.
***
#WaterPoemProject Series Posts:
Project Introduction
FAQ
Prompt 1: Irene Latham, The Language of Water
Prompt 2: Elizabeth Steinglass, What Would a Raindrop Say?
Prompt 3: Linda Mitchell, Found Haiku
Prompt 4: Shari Green, Fogbow Fibonacci
Prompt 5: Margaret Simon, The Taste of Water
Prompt 6: Heather Meloche, The Shape of a Wave
Prompt 7: Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, A Water Memory
Prompt 8: Laura Shovan, Rainy Day Opposites
Prompt 9: Kathryn Apel, Silly Solage
Prompt 10: Buffy Silverman, A Watery Home
Prompt 11: Kara Laughlin, Frozen Fog
Prompt 12: Debbie Levy, Jump into a Limerick
Prompt 13: Joy McCullough, What Are Water Bears?
Prompt 14: Linda Baie, Frozen Water Skinny
Prompt 15: Chris Baron, The Hidden World of Water
Prompt 16: Michelle Heidenrich Barnes, Water Wordplay
Prompt 17: Susan Tan, The Sound of Water
Prompt 18: Mike Grosso, Waterplay!
Prompt 19: R. L. Toalson, Wishing Well
Prompt 20: Margarita Engle, Ode to the Shore
Prompt 21: Faye McCray, Poem in a Bubble
Prompt 22: Meg Eden, Surprising Connections
Prompt 23: Beth Ain, Water with Salt
Prompt 24: Kevin Hodgson, A Poem about Peepers
Prompt 25: Laura Purdie Salas, Be a Snow-Maker!
Prompt 26: Amanda Rawson Hill, Where Does Water Come From?
Prompt 27: Nikki Grimes, Word? Play!
Prompt 28: Heidi Mordhorst, Try a Definito!
Prompt 29: Lee Gjertsen Malone, Dirty Water
Prompt 30: Janet Wong, Write a Gift Poem
Prompt 31: Aida Salazar, Goddess of the Ocean
Please support the #WaterPoemProject authors by buying their books from your favorite independent bookstore.
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