It finally rained here yesterday. It hasn't rained since...

It finally rained here yesterday. It hasn't rained since February, and this is our Spring rainy season, so this summer is going to be murder. It was a light rain, but went on for a while, so hopefully it did a little good.

List of places to donate for the Tuscaloosa tornado damage: Tuscaloosa Donations

Help Write Now A Writing Community Auction to Benefit Southern Storm Relief


Black Gate has an article by Sarah Avery on Teaching Fantasy Part 1: Rewards, Backfires, Escapes

"And what do you read when nobody's making you read anything?"

Most of my students, boys and girls both, answer, "Fantasy." They say that with embarrassment, too, because English teachers are famous for their aversion to fantasy.

I also like the J.R.R. Tolkien quote she uses:

Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!


Malinda Lo on the School Library Journal Blog: A Healthy Dose of Diversity