Many of you have known or worked with editor Deborah Brodie. She passed away on June 27 after a battle with cancer.
Read the Publisher’s Weekly obituary>>>
The Whole Megillah- #52snapshots 2022 | Week 2, I RememberSaturday night trips for books and records Week 2’s #52snapshots prompt is about “I Remember.” I made a list of things I remembered with a time limit of five minutes. The items revolved around trips with my father. I don’t … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Mid-Week Field Notes–January 12, 2022Some very quick things: I’ve been accepted into the Kenyon Review writing session for teachers and adjuncts later this month. I’m thrilled to be writing with other educators under the auspices of a literary journal I revere. The Sepia Chronicles … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Author’s Notebook | The Book Bible by Susan ShapiroShapiro, Susan. The Book Bible: How to Sell Your Manuscript–No Matter What Genre–Without Going Broke or Insane. New York: Skyhorse, February 2022. Last winter I read Susan Shapiro‘s The Byline Bible and gained inspiration to write about why my grandmother, … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- #52snapshots 2022 | Week 1, My NameInstead of marking #52snapshots as a 2021 done deal, I decided for 2022 I would follow Sonja Livingston’s 52 prompts exactly as laid out in Fifty-Two Snapshots: A Memoir Starter Kit. By the end of the year, I should have … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Mid-Week Field Notes–January 5, 2022Some very quick things: I have decided on a different #52snapshot journey for 2022. I will write to a different prompt from Sonja Livingston‘s Fifty-Two Snapshots: A Memoir Starter Kit each Friday and blog about the process and insights. I … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Author’s Notebook | Two New Picture Books Written by Nancy ChurninChurnin, Nancy. Dear Mr. Dickens. Illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe. Chicago: Albert Whitman, 2021. Churnin, Nancy. A Queen to the Rescue: The Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah. Illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg. Creston Books, 2021. The Whole Megillah (TWM): Where … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Mid-Week Field Notes–December 29, 2021Some very quick things: My 2021 exploration into #52snapshots has ended. I still have plenty of material to work with and plan to tackle revisions through my Writing Family History generative writing sessions that start January 9. One of the … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- #52snapshots–Weeks 51-52This is the final week of my year-long exploration into #52snapshots. In the 52 weeks of 2021, I’ve written 23 essays, sent out nine, and saw the publication of three. I have much revision to do in 2022. Because these … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Mid-Week Field Notes–December 22, 2021Some very quick things: It’s official! My third novel in verse, Camp Nordland, was sold in an exclusive submission to Carolyn Yoder at Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers. The announcement appeared in both Publishers Marketplace … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Mid-Week Field Notes–December 15, 2021Some very quick things: I’ve signed my copy of a contract for a new historical novel in verse. Stay tuned for an announcement! This will be my third novel in verse. I have a contemporary one my agent is shopping … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- #52snapshots 2022 | Week 2, I Remember
The Whole Megillah 
I cannot express how kind Deborah was to me. She reached out and expected nothing in return. She sent me writing exercises, asked me what I really wanted to do in my work (she was sure I could write a novel, and was determined to help me figure out what it was)…she was just so all-around encouraging and supportive and funny. At shiva people laughed about her sharp tongue, but I only got it once — when I accidentally called her Deb.
Hamakom Yinachem.
Deborah was the first professional editor to pull me out of a slush pile and declare I had a voice, and from that day on, became a person I could count on for a clean response, with honest encouragement. Her course at the New School, which I took early in my career, relieved us all of our self-consciousness. In her classroom, contrary to her editorial reputation, we all could fall flat on our faces, and pierce the boundaries which had held us back.
What a loss to the children’s book world, especially at a time when a voice for quality and authenticy is so sorely needed. I didn’t know Deborah well but thought of her as a kindred soul. Baruch dayan ha emet.