My guest for this end-of-year show is Alison Morris. She's a book expert, and the Senior Director of Title Selection at FirstBook, a non-profit that provides literally millions of books to underserved kids (and so much more) -- we'll talk about it, and how YOU can support their vital mission. She's also here to give us a heads up about Books We Might Have Missed while we were all SOMEWHAT busy with other things, like, you know, a global pandemic. I'm going to ask her about trends she's seeing, award predictions, and SO much more. Join us, won't you?

* The Literaticast has a Patreon. Throw in a buck and help support the show.
* Listen to the Book Friends Forever podcast, which often has guest star Alison Morris!
* Learn more aboutFirstBook and the FirstBook Marketplace
* We name-dropped Jess Keating - check out her books (and life coaching!)
* PW "Pandemic Missed Connections": Spotlighting special books you might have missed!
* Alison really did make a list of all the recent TREE books and ... whoo boy, that's a lotta trees!
* Check out the comic book store Jenn is obsessed with: Silver Sprocket in San Francisco!
* Alison's Podcast Rec: "Films to be Buried With"
* Jenn's Podcast Rec: "The Plot Thickens"
* Love Ted Lasso? Check out this cute keychain 

My guest this month is graphic novelist Gareth Hinds. He's famous for doing amazing Graphic Novel reinterpretations of classics like the Odyssey, the Iliad, Shakespeare, Poe and more... and we'll talk about how he chooses projects, and how he adapts them for modern readers and a graphic format, tips for aspiring graphic novelists, and so much more. We'll also get into his NEWEST project -- a modern classic -- GRACELING, THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, adapted from the YA fantasy by Kristin Cashore, which is on shelves now.

Gareth Hinds and Kristin Cashore are doing a virtual event
through Oblong Books Friday, November 19th
Click here for more info, and a link to registration, and to buy autographed copies of GRACELING, THE GRAPHIC NOVEL!

* The Literaticast has a Patreon - throw in a buck and help support the show!

* Follow me on Twitter! Follow Gareth Hinds on Twitter!

* Gareth's website has ALL his awesome titles, including links to the early, self-published work

* Check out Gareth's other social media - like process videos on YouTube, Insta, and TikTok!

​* Here's a link to that TikTok I talked about with the art teacher!

It's almost Holiday Time already (yeah, I know, yikes!) - and I want to encourage people to get their bookish gift shopping done early this year, and to pre-order books if you want them before Hanukkah or Christmas. To that end, it's time for the annual Holiday Gift Guide! Bookseller Melissa Posten joins me to give some great recommendations of beautiful Fall 2021 books for giving (or, hoarding for yourself!).

* The Literaticast has a Patreon - throw in a buck and help support the Pod
* Visit Melissa Posten on Twitter! Visit me on Twitter!
* TheNovel Neighbor Bookstore in St Louis, Missouri
​* The Novel Neighbor on TikTok
* Order a Mystery Box from The Novel Neighbor! (Such a cool idea!)
* TV shows we talked about : WE ARE LADY PARTS - ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING - TED LASSO

Welcome back to the Literaticast! I'm back from hiatus with lots to say - first, about some of the newsworthy books of mine that came out during my absence. Then I'm joined by my friend, the prolific translator and author Lawrence Schimel, coming to us all the way from Madrid. We chat about World Kid Lit Month, and about the importance of books in translation and the International kid's book market. Lawrence tells us fascinating things about translating children's books, and we talk about how two of his new baby books caused an International Incident, just in time for Banned Books Week. And so much more. Plus, find out what we're obsessed with!

If you'd like to purchase any of the books we talked about on the show, there are links to buy if you click the book jackets below. These are affiliate links to Bookshop.Org, and a portion of the proceeds goes to support the podcast. They are also available anywhere that fine books are sold. 

* Find Lawrence Schimel on Twitter - Find me on Twitter!
* The Literaticast has a Patreon - join for a dollar a month and help support the show!
* September is World Kid Lit Month! The WKLM website has lots of info about celebrating International Children's Books, as well as resources for translators, publishers and more.
* Lawrence used to work at Books of Wonder, one of my fav kids bookstores in NYC!
* The Guardian article Lawrence discussed by Jennifer Croft, "Why translators should be named on book covers."
* The LA Times article Lawrence discussed about the issue of representation in translation, "Amanda Gorman brings the representation debate to the small world of book translation." 
​* Backlash from the Hungarian Government over Lawrence's latest titles: "Hungary fines bookshop chain over picture book depicting LBGT families" 
* And how it is being sold in Russia: "The picture book fighting back against Russia's LGBT+ propaganda law"
​* Interested in knowing more about Banned Books? Banned Books Week is September 26-October 2. 
* The top most challenged books in 2020

... And now for something completely different... If you want to know where to start with Lawrence and my mutual obsession, the work of romance author Alyssa Cole, I'd begin with the Reluctant Royals series!

These are the ones that caused all the fuss overseas, as discussed in the podcast -- available as of 9/14 in the USA.

My guests are award-winning author-illustrator Grace Lin and editor-in-chief of Little Brown Books for Young Readers Alvina Ling. Both are accomplished children's book pros, lifelong besties, AND hosts of the popular podcast Book Friends Forever. They both have a LOT to say about all things Kids Books. We're going to get into stuff like how the industry has changed over the years, how to confront Burnout, and so much more. Plus, of course, lots and LOTS of book recommendations, and what we're obsessed with. Enjoy it! And, wishing Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and Happy Almost-New-Year to us ALL! 

* The Literaticast has a Patreon - throw in a buck and help support the show.
* Find Alvina on Twitter - Find Grace on Twitter - Find ME on Twitter
* Grace Lin's official website
* Listen to the Book Friends Forever podcast on Apple Podcasts!
* Visit the Book Friends Forever website!
* Learn more about the artist Grace mentioned, Cole Phillips!

Guest agent Molly O'Neill from Root Literary joins me and we take it back to basics, talking about query letters and debunking some myths. We also dig into what the pandemic has been like for the publishing industry from our points of view. And Molly recommends some awesome books for your holiday purchasing pleasure! Finally, we get super-over-excited about TV shows: Ted Lasso, The Crown, and Queen's Gambit. 

* Follow me on Twitter!  Follow Molly on Twitter! 

* The Literaticast has a Patreon! Throw in a buck and help keep the podcast running.

* Molly O'Neill's website 

* The Root Literary website

* Molly's Manuscript Wish List

I check in with my friend Suzanna, the co-owner and buyer for Oblong Books and Music in Rhinebeck and Millerton, NY. She talks about how the bookstore has weathered these wild times, what has changed, and what booksellers have learned -- and together, we give AWESOME BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS! Get your pencil and paper ready and prepare to order awesome gifts for the holidays (and treats for yourself, too!)  

* The Literaticast has a Patreon - throw in a buck and you'll help keep the show running! 

* Visit me on Twitter! Visit Suzanna on twitter! Visit Oblong on Twitter! And visit Oblong on the web!

FIND OUT WHERE AND HOW TO VOTE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION

Today we're talking pop culture! If you insert specific pop culture references in your work, how do you walk the line between seeming current now, and possibly making your book seem dated a couple years from now... and how DOES a grownup stay current, anyway? How can 1980's TV inform the way you structure your book, and what can superhero stories teach us about crafting a short pitch? All this and more with my special guest, MG and YA novel writing superstar Lamar Giles!

* The Literaticast has a Patreon! Throw in a buck and help support the show. 
​* Find me on Twitter - Find Lamar on Twitter
* Lamar Giles official website
* Just fun: Five things you didn't know about Lamar!

Special shout-out: My local comic shop is AMAZING, and is one of only a handful of Black-owned comic book shops in the US. The owner is wonderful and has made it their mission for the store to be an incredibly welcoming and inclusive comics space. Megabrain could really use support, as they have had to reduce their hours significantly and can't have their awesome 1980's arcade open during the pandemic - but they have started selling online for all your nerdy needs! Check out Megabrain Comics!

It's a very special episode: Four amazing authors helped me celebrate the Hudson Valley YA Society's 10th Anniversary and launch Christine Heppermann's new novel in verse WHAT GOES UP, in conjunction with Oblong Books & Music's "Oblong Online" event series. Listen in on this great event with Christine Heppermann, Brandy Colbert, Laura Ruby, and Sherri L. Smith. (And please forgive any technical glitches, this was a live event from five locations and something of an experiment!)

* In-person events are on hold in pandemic times, but awesome authors still visit Oblong Books & Music via Oblong Online events! Check out the Oblong website's calendar of upcoming events to find out who will be visiting! 

* GET SIGNED COPIES OF ALL THESE TITLES VIA OBLONG BOOKS*

* Visit Christine Heppermann, Brandy Colbert, Sherri L. Smith and Laura Ruby on socials!

* The Literaticast has a Patreon - throw in a buck and help support the show. :-) Thank you!

As you may have noticed, the podcast took a little hiatus - but we're back, baby! This episode, I give a little "state of the publishing industry" address, where I answer some burning listener questions about how the pandemic is affecting publishing. My special guest is picture book author Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, who talks about shaking up expectations and other important lessons for picture book authors (and, actually, ALL authors!), and tells us all about her latest picture book, YOUR NAME IS A SONG. Plus, I dig a bit into the results of the latest CCBC Diversity numbers.

* The Literaticast has a Patreon! Throw in a buck and help me make more episodes.

* Find me on Twitter. Find Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow on Twitter.

* Visit Jamilah's website where you can learn more about her and her books!

* The CCBC Diversity survey has put out new numbers for 2019 books.

* Support We Need Diverse Books - visit their website for more info!