It’s real!
I’m in NYC!
So excited to be back, with friends, literally from around the country, to learn, live and celebrate writing this week! (Can you guess my favorite punctuation?)
The Saturday before #TCRWP Writing Institute found several “slicers” meeting up at Bank Street Bookstore. Our goal, Julieanne Harmatz (@jarhartz) and I, was to meet Sally Donnelly (@SallyDonnelly1), a fellow slicer up from the Washington, DC area. We had met Sally, oh so briefly at the March Saturday reunion, and were interested in longer conversations. We all found ourselves purchasing Cynthia Lord’s A Handful of Stars that had been highly recommended by fellow traveler Allison Jackson (@azajacks). (sidenote: What’s up with the @? Those are twitter names to follow. If you aren’t following these three, why not? Oh, not on Twitter; well, why not? You should be!)
Amazing book. A dog balancing a blueberry on his nose should “hook” you right into this book! Bank Street Bookstore was also the site of an amazng toddler read aloud with parents, toddlers and accompanying strollers filling the aisles. And that’s all I have to say about that topic because of another book that I purchased that I will be gifting soon. (Hint – book is by Jimmy Fallon; yes topic connected to the new addition to my family.)
We adjourned to the Silver Moon Bakery and cafe for some coffee and much, much, much conversation. Sally is returning to a third grade classroom after years as a reading specialist. We had advice about techonolgy, blogging, professional books (Good to Great: Focusing on the Literacy Work that Matters by Mary Howard) and fellow bloggers for additional advice.
My one little word is “Focus” so I am thinking about my own professional reading for this summer. This book and my all time favorite What Readers Really Do are my re-reads for this summer along with Colleen Cruz’s, The Unstoppable Writing Teacher, and Jennifer Serravello’s, The Reading Strategies Book, as my two new books. Only four – but rich, savory texts that will feed my soul and brain for the year to come.
Resource - Full 
I loved Handful of Stars. Julianne recommended The Unstoppable Writing Teacher, so it’s on my list. Wish I could be with y’all this week. I look forward to reading about all the learning and fun.
Margaret,
I loved hearing about you and Julieanned in NOLA. That’s on my list of “to do’s” as well!
Thanks for sharing, Fran! I arrive in NYC this evening for two weeks- can’t wait! I’m also reading the Unstoppable Writing Teacher and rereading Good to Great this summer. Such important books!
Christina,
I’m looking forward to meeting up with you sometime these two weeks. I want to share how I’m trying to support my teachers with a google site and see what advice you also have for additions, deletions, etc. Rainy day today!
So many great professsional books. Interesting that I also just realized that I’m influenced by those authors that I also KNOW that I am seeing this summer at either TCRWP or while at ILA in St. Louis next month! 🙂
Always nice to find What Readers Really Do on the tip of your tongue, Fran! Thank you. And welcome back to NYC.
Thanks, Dorothy!
It’s such a wonderful book! So excited to be back at #tcrwp and NYC!
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