Hi? How are you? Overwhelmed? News avoidant? Indulging prepper tendencies? A total disaster? Yeah, me too. Luckily, spring break hit just at the right time. 10 whole days of freedom.

At first, I was planning to go to Morocco and Spain. But that was too far and too aggressive – the kind of trip that would require another vacation to recover. Luckily, miles are refundable. Then I was going to go on meditation retreat because silence is golden. But the reality was I needed to work on revising my next books because notes came back from the editors, and now I am on a deadline. Yikes!

This is how I ended up at the Highlight Foundation’s Barn at Boyds Mills Campus on a personal retreat where for a reasonable price you can rent the cutest cottage and be pampered with powerful wifi, three farm fresh meals, and all the snacks and coffee you could want.

The most useful feedback I can offer is that I worked for hours every single day…and it felt like a vacation. Like I feel rejuvenated. Ready to go back and conquer it all. Fresh.

This is probably because I have not thought about anything except my writing. My decision fatigue has been cured! The food is excellent. Each day they served something new, and I was not responsible for thinking of the recipe, buying the ingredients, cooking, or serving anyone but myself. The menu of activities is limited. You can eat, sleep, walk, write/make art, or talk to people about writing/making art. If mealtime is over and the other people go off to write/make art, you are down to three options. The day that it snowed and the day that it rained, I had two options. There are really no other decisions to make other than how inspired and productive you want to be. It was delightful.

I stayed in the very cool Nikki Grimes cottage. It had so many little touches like cobalt blue bottles in the window and custom made African mud cloth valances. There was a shelf full of her books and the walls were decorated with her awards and personal artifacts. Goalz! There are lots of nooks to work in all around the campus, but I truly fell in love with the cottage and spent most of my time in there. I will definitely be back and try to stay in the exact same one again. Although, there is a Renee Watson cottage. And one for Floyd Cooper. I should try those, and THEN decide which is my favorite. Showdown!

The Nikki Grimes Cottage (#9)

Doing a personal retreat definitely has a different feel than being on campus for a workshop. The workshop people were on a tight schedule and spent a lot of time together writing, reading, and critiquing each other’s work. There were a few other people on personal retreat. We ate some meals together, but I came prepared to eat alone because the configuration changed everyday with people coming and going. I personally enjoyed the ebb and flow, but if you are hoping for a more consistent set of connections, I would come for an organized workshop retreat.

If you are looking for a place to write, especially if you write for children, make a pilgrimage to Highlights. It will feed you in ways you are not expecting, and you will definitely get your work done. Each year they accept applications for scholarships. The deadline is in February.

A great place to meet up! You can also fly into Scranton.

Hang in there. Onward!

News and Reviews

If you missed the 2025 Global Reads Webinar, no worries! There is a recording. Check out the entire presentation CHOCK FULL of ideas for teaching Nearer My Freedom. What was this? Once a month in the spring, the World Area Book Awards (Américas Award, Children’s Africana Book Award, Freeman Book Award, Middle East Book Award, and the South Asia Book Award) sponsor a 60-minute webinar on a book recognized by one of the awards. You can watch the replay on YouTube and get lots of teaching ideas, tips, and resources.

Recommendations

Best recent read:

Current Read:

A Stunning Poem:

Ocean Vuong, Seventh Circle on Earth

A Fascinating Podcast:

The Stacks on Lolita (which I have never read, but might!)

Must Listen Music

Cleo Sol and Myles Smith – they are already famous, but maybe you, like me, are a slow adopter. Get on the bandwagon.

Seen on Screens

Trash TV is back with the Bachelor in Paradise. They are putting the youngens and the goldens together on the beach so it will probably be a haute comedic mess.

Good TV is back with Survival of the Thickest. Viva Roma!