Monday, August 24, 2009

Farewell to Karla Kuskin

Karla Kuskin, author of 50 children's books (and illustrator of many), died over the weekend in Seattle. The New York Times has a fine obituary for Kuskin, who at one point spoke to the SCBWI WWA chapter.

A poem she wrote has wonderful advice for writers; it will resonate in my head for a long time:

Write about a radish
Too many people write about the moon.
The night is black
The stars are small and high
The clock unwinds its ever-ticking tune
Hills gleam dimly
Distant nighthawks cry.
A radish rises in the waiting sky.

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