Six Critical Life Messages in 90 Seconds: Barbara Coloroso
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 Posted in Bystander | 1 Comment »"You're listened to, you're cared for, and you're very important to me -- children need to hear that in lots of different ways every day." -- Barbara Coloroso. In previous blog entries, I praised this book by Barbara Coloroso . . ...
Fan Mail Wednesday #84 (Bully Edition)
Monday, April 12th, 2010 Posted in Bystander, Fan Mail, bullying | No Comments »Usually, I use this recurring feature to respond to letters from young readers. But at the risk of self-aggrandizement, I thought I'd share this topical letter I received last week: James- I just finished reading your newest book last week. As a ...
Weekend Music Video: Richard Manuel, Remembered
Friday, April 9th, 2010 Posted in Music | 1 Comment »"For if I live again, these hopes will never die I can feel you standing there But I don't see you anywhere." It was one of the world's great bands, filled with five extraordinary musicians melting into one: Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon ...
Empire State Book Festival: April 9-10
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 Posted in Current Events, Happenings | No Comments »It's coming to Albany and -- who knows! -- maybe it will be fun. I know I'll be there, signing books (1:45 - 2:45) and participating in a Panel Discussion, "Get Real," along with Jan Cheripko, Daphne Grab, Todd Strasser, ...
Cyberbullying in BYSTANDER: An Excerpt
Monday, April 5th, 2010 Posted in Bystander, Uncategorized, bullying | No Comments »As I dug deeper into my research for Bystander, a bully-themed novel set in a middle school, I realized that I could write a hundred different stories on the subject. There are so many manifestations, so many different approaches to ...
Bullies in the News: Feature Article on BYSTANDER
Sunday, April 4th, 2010 Posted in Bystander, Interviews & Appreciations | 2 Comments »The news has been so sad, so disturbing, so upsetting lately. It's as if the world has woken up and suddenly, wherever you look, there's news and columns about bullies and victims and bystanders. On that note, I was recently the ...
Spring Is Sprung: Poetry Friday
Friday, April 2nd, 2010 Posted in Readings | 1 Comment »I can't hear this poem without thinking of my former father-in-law, a wonderful man named Ed Buhl. He recited it often. Reading up on it, I discovered that was a common thread: people remembered a grandfather saying it, or some ...
Penguins
Thursday, April 1st, 2010 Posted in Fun Clips | No Comments »Then, of course, there's this: [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dfWzp7rYR4]
An April Fools Classic: Writing the Memory
Thursday, April 1st, 2010 Posted in Jigsaw Jones, the writing process | 1 Comment »I'm not a prankster, merry or otherwise, so April Fools Day isn't a big day here at Chez Preller. But as a kid, we had one surefire trick that worked every time. It was fast, easy, and painless (illustrations by ...