hope is a group of picture book creators

I've been absent lately. From this blog. From social media. From outside my house. Well, I do go to the grocery, so that counts. The Covid pandemic was long and hard but, quite frankly, I fell into a quiet, happy rhythm during those years of introversion. Work from home? Sign me up! Writing webinars and asynchronous art classes? Don't mind if I do. My family started rituals to mark the time: homemade pizza Fridays when my husband and I introduced the kids to all matter of silly, scary, and brilliant movies and shows. I am not saying the pandemic was a good thing. It emphatically was not. But the time out from the world was a gift to me and my family. Fast forward to now and so much has changed and changed quickly. My husband started a private practice. My dad turned 96 and after a bad fall moved to assisted living. My son graduated high school. My daughter spent her first summer away from home working an internship in Boston. I now work a demanding full-time job, but I get to help kids become confident and enthusiastic readers! It's all good but my family unit has dispersed and long quiet days marked by Friday pizzas will soon be a memory. Very soon. Like in 3 weeks we drive my baby boy to college for his first year. I've been absent in public spaces because I've been processing so much change. I've been doing work behind the scenes to make sure each change occurs with minimal angst and drama. I've been absent while I learn resilience, a work-in-progress. What does any of this have to do with writing picture books? In my absence, I've been learning how to illustrate using Procreate and traditional materials. It's a slow process but I LOVE IT! I've been sending more manuscripts to more and more agents, with more and more positive feedback. And after several years of hibernation, on the brink of empty nesting, I'm rejoining my picture book family in September in the best way I know how. You see, I received a scholarship to The Highlights Foundation and will be spending 4 fab days in the mountains with other PB creators. At a time when the political climate is cruel and the news feels like a perpetual gut punch, a time when I am mourning the absence of my kids's laughter, I'm re-upping my kidlit community membership, showing up and saying yes to new ideas, new friendships, new challenges, and new inspirations. I plan to leave the retreat with paint and pastel stains on my clothes, notebooks scribbled with character studies, and a heart full of hope.