Teenage Lexicon

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book with such pure and innocent magic, as one finds in Lydia Green of Mulberry Glen . As we grow older, we tend to forget that fairy tales exist, but Lydia Green of Mulberry Glen , reminiscent of the leather bound storybook tucked next to the fireplace at my grandma’s house, restores a part of your heart you didn’t realize needed restoration.  Warning - Spoilers ahead! I found myself lost in Lydia’s world on every page. Millie Florence strikes the perfect balance between flowering poetry and compelling prose—she allowed the inventive imagery to exist without compromising the pace of her plot, an equilibrium I rarely find in middle grade fiction. I knew the language Florence was capable of after reading Honey Butter , her first novel, but the growth Lydia Green showcases is astounding. She takes you by the hand and pulls you straight to the heart of her mystical world. And her world-building is stellar. Without ever explaining the P...

One of my favorite things about being a teen author is that we have the entire world at our fingertips, which makes for wonderful communication among us, regardless of where we are. Even though Eliza Noel lives in California and I’m over in New York, I was able to participate in her blog tour, which allows her to reach the computers of people worldwide without any strenuous travel.  I had the opportunity—and the honor—to interview Eliza about her upcoming release, Dawn Chandler. Regarded as “a story of faith, family, and contentment”, the middle-grade novel follows twelve-year-old Dawn from Fresno to Lone Pine, California as her parents decide to homeschool her and the rest of her siblings. Dawn isn’t thrilled about being homeschooled, but she’s even more upset about the fact that her family might be moving.  I asked Eliza questions about her book and her writing process to share, marking Teenage Lexicon a stop on her blog tour. Dawn Chandler  is a mi...

At the end of my junior year, I met my future art teacher. Yes, I had been at that school since I was an actual three-year-old, and I had barely stepped foot in the art room. All my fine arts elective credits came from orchestra and creative writing, so I never needed to take any additional credits. Besides, I never saw myself as an artist. I could draw manatees and buildings. That’s it.  However, through a series of unusual events that I can’t quite remember, I ended up in the art wing office, pointing to a college poster on her wall and saying, “Hey, I’m applying there!” “How haven’t I met you yet?” she said. From there, we got to talking about how I want to go into architecture. I explained how I’d done a summer course the previous summer and had fallen in love with it. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and I couldn’t wait. Then she recommended me for AP Studio Art. It was vital that I familiarize myself with the studio setting, she told me, and art skills...

Today's Snapchat memory A year ago today, I published The Knowers . Simultaneously, it feels like it's been much longer since I sent it into the world, but also as if it were yesterday. In honor of The Knowers 's first birthday, here is why I decided to publish it. (Yes, it was my college essay!) My blood runs cold when a teacher asks for something in pen. Nothing I write ever seems solidified enough to condemn to permanence, as I’m not one for that level of commitment. There’s no going back with pen--every line you make is forever yours. A simple fix to this commitment issue: I always use pencil when left to my own devices. Add two numbers incorrectly? Erase it. Write down the wrong date? Erase it. Pencil is one of the few things in life for which you have a reset button. You can do away with any evidence that you can’t do math or don’t know how to use a calendar. So why does everyone always want everything in pen? Is it out of desire for us to be able to ...