MY BLOG
Filter by topic
- Classroom experiences 9
- Cultural reflections 9
- Multicultural literature 8
- Behind-the-book stories 6
- Book recommendations 6
- Discussion guide 4
- English learner resources 4
- Literacy reflections 4
- Either the Beginning or the End of the World 3
- Joseph's Big Ride 2
- Literary process 2
- Author interviews 1
- Collaboration essays 1
- Go Home 1
- Reflections on storytelling 1
- The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup 1
- The Good Braider 1
‘Hard Love’ story: Interview with VOA Cambodia
Soksreinith Ten (call her Nith, she told me) , a reporter with Voice of America interviewed me for their English and Khmer News Service about Either the Beginning or the End of the World. She asked, in a few words tell me what your novel is about.
Elsa Marston’s love affair with Lebanon
Reflections on fellow author Elsa Marston and her literary love affair with Lebanon and the Middle East. Elsa’s stories explored war, cultural difference, and the possibility of peace. In “The Olive Tree,” she searched for “some signs of hope” among people trying to move beyond hatred and anger. Fiction can help us understand the world—and tell its deepest truths.
‘Soldiers Home and Away’ features ‘Either the Beginning or the End of the World’
For fourteen years, America had been mired in war, creating a cultural gulf between military and civilian communities. Through New Hampshire Humanities’ “Soldiers Home and Away” project, “Either the Beginning or the End of the World” became part of a conversation about soldiers coming home, traumatic brain injury, families, and understanding.
Researching to write: ‘Either the Beginning or the End of the World’
Music, folktales, interviews, books, and conversations all became part of Terry’s research for “Either the Beginning or the End of the World.” Her journey into Cambodian history and culture was ultimately about more than war. She wanted to understand what happens afterward—the stories of people living after surviving, and the impact of memory across generations.
‘Joseph’s Big Ride’ in 3 languages at Broken Ground School
At Broken Ground School, “Joseph’s Big Ride” got a magnificent launch with families from around the world. It was read in three languages: English, Nepali, and Kinyarwanda. With ice cream sundaes, a painted Joseph and Whoosh, and a gym full of families, a story written in English became something much bigger.
I love the novel any way I can
I taught a Creative Writing class with young college students in their first year. They didn’t flinch from hard material — gender, class, violence, love, family. But why stories? That’s what I wanted to talk about with them. Here’s a bit of our journey through some of the books we read, and our reflections on how hard it is for us to talk to each other, across generations, across class, across cultures.
Researching a novel: The Kirsten Lee travels with the Blood Moon
The fishing boat Kirsten Lee became part of the research behind Johnny and Sofie in “Either the Beginning or the End of the World.” Fisherman Mike Pawluk was my technical expert on all things fishing. He shared stories of boats, changing regulations, the Gulf of Maine, and a journey beneath a huge red supermoon.
Children’s books about the US in the Vietnam War
The war still belongs to me, as it belongs to everyone else it touched. When I became a children’s librarian, I started watching how writers approached the war in children’s and young adult books.