12 x 12 Picture Book Podcast

Where Picture Book Biographies and Poetry Come Together
The National Poetry Month celebration continues! 12 x 12 charter member, poet, and author Lisa Rogers shares how poetry comes into play when writing picture books—even picture book biographies.
In this episode, you'll discover:
What it's like to be a poet and write a picture book about a poet
How she finds the emotional throughline in her stories
Why she's drawn to writing about creative people
The impact of writing her John Cage book in second person
Why she writes picture book biographies
Why she didn't give up writing picture books
The steps she took to stay committed to the writing craft
How she determines the stories she's meant to write
Why reading and writing poetry helps with writing picture books
How word choice influences her writing choices
The importance of creating mental images in your stories
How sounds influence her word choice
 
Books mentioned in this episode*:
16 Words: William Carlos Williams and "The Red Wheelbarrow" by Lisa Rogers and Chuck Groenink
Beautiful Noise: The Music of John Cage by Lisa Rogers and Il Sung Na
Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony by Lisa Rogers and Stacy Innerst
Woody's Words: Woodrow Wilson Rawls and Where the Red Fern Grows by Lisa Rogers and Susan Reagan
Hound Won't Go by Lisa Rogers and Meg Ishihara
All the Small Poems and Fourteen More by Valerie Worth and Natalie Babbitt
Gnomes and Ungnomes: Poems of Hidden Creatures
Ode to Grapefruit: How James Earl Jones Found His Voice by Kari Lavelle and Bryan Collier

Get the 12 x 12 Poetry Playbook for Picture Book Writers HERE: https://12x12challenge.com/poetryplaybook
If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us!
Thank you for listening!

Let's celebrate poetry!
Welcome to National Poetry Month! We begin the celebration with one of our favorite poets AND poetry teachers, author Renee LaTulippe. Renee shares why she loves poetry and how, over her career, she's worked to help others understand and use poetry techniques in their own work.
In this episode, you'll discover:
How Renee helped set our 12 x 12 poetry elves up for success
Why Renee is so passionate about poetry
What is so appealing about free verse
How to make poetry exciting for anyone
Enjoying poems vs. determining their symbolism
What should your readers take away from your work
What she loves about the craft of writing
What she sets out to do (and not do) with her poetry
The definition of "common measure"
How she went from writing poetry anthologies to a poetry picture book to a poetry graphic novel
Ways Limelight: Curtain Up on Poetry Comics could be used in Drama and English classes.
The difference between a poem, an anthology of poetry in picture book form, and a poem picture book 
What she's working on now
 
Renee LaTulippe's books*:
Crab Ballet by Renee LaTulippe and Cécile Metzger
Limelight: Curtain Up on Poetry Comics by Renee LaTulippe and Chuck Gonzales
 
Whether you adore poetry or you're afraid of it, you're bound to be inspired by this episode.
 
Resources mentioned in this episode: 
Renee LaTulippe's Writing Lyrical and Rhyming Picture Books Bundle is now available for 25% off here
Renee's Lyrical Language Lab here
Renee's Story Lark Road Curriculum here
Get the free poetry download here.
 
If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us!
Thank you for listening!

What does a bookseller want book creators to know?
Welcome to our first After-Party! After-parties will be a semi-regular feature on the 12 x 12 Picture Book Podcast, where we'll take some time after a 12 x 12 webinar to dive a little deeper into something the speaker talked about or maybe ask a few questions we didn't get to during the live webinar.
Our first after-party guest is author-illustrator and bookseller Julie Rowan-Zoch. Her recent webinar, "Ask a Bookseller," is available to the public now! (Podcast listeners get 25% off! Click here.)
In the webinar, Julie shared how booksellers choose books to include in their inventory, what they want book creators to know, and how you can increase your chances of booking an event—even giving us a sneak peek at their behind-the-scenes software. In this after-party, we discuss what to actually say to a bookseller when trying to book an event or pre-order campaign, and more!
In this episode, you'll discover:
How to approach a bookseller about hosting an event
How pre-order campaigns work
How far in advance should you try to schedule in-person events and pre-order campaigns
How to set up a book event when you're traveling
Dates and times to NOT schedule your events
Do's and Don'ts of using social media to connect with bookstores
How a little kindness can go a long way
 
Julie Rowan-Zoch's books*:
Debug This Book written by Omar Abed and illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch
I'm a Hare, So There! written and illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch
Stopping By Jungle on a Snowy Evening written by Richard T. Morris and illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch
Louis by Tom Lichtenheld and illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch
Not All Sheep Are Boring by Bobby Moynihan and illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch
You're Here! (Year-by-Year Books) by Karla Oceanak and Julie Rowan-Zoch
You're One! (Year-by-Year Books) by Karla Oceanak and Julie Rowan-Zoch
You're Two! (Year-by-Year Books) by Karla Oceanak and Julie Rowan-Zoch
 
Julie Rowan-Zoch's "Ask a Bookseller" webinar is now available for 25% off here.
The bookstore Julie Rowan-Zoch talks about in this episode is Old Firehouse Books.  
Not a 12 x 12 member yet? Join the newsletter to find our upcoming free events, scholarships, and sales. Click here.
If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us!
Thank you for listening!
 
*At no additional cost to you, 12 x 12 may earn a commission on books published through the links in this post. (Links go to Bookshop.org when available.)

Why would a picture book author write a graphic novel?
Why not? Author (and Charter 12 x 12 member) Marcie Colleen shares how curiosity (and the willingness to say yes) led her to reach beyond picture books and into the world of chapter books—and most recently, graphic novels for young readers.
Marcie shares her journey to writing graphic novels (even though she's not an illustrator) and what she discovered about the similarities and differences between writing picture books and graphic novels.
Plus, Marcie tells us all about her new 6-week graphic novel writing course: Panel by Panel: How to Write Comics & Graphic Novels (Even If You Can't Draw!)
Listen to the podcast now as Julie and Marcie reflect on friendship, writing, comics, and so much more.
In this episode, you'll discover:
The importance of writing friends in your writing life
Where a love of storytelling and curiosity can lead
Why she's written all types of kidlit from picture books to chapter books to graphic novels for young readers
How to sign up for Marcie's six-week graphic novel course
The similarities and differences between writing picture books and graphic novels for young readers
Why the graphic novel market is so rich right now
Can you write a graphic novel if you can't draw?
The challenges for illustrators of graphic novels
Marcie's newest graphic novel (coming in 2027)
How she began writing graphic novels 
The different ways advances and royalties work with different graphic novel publishers
The difference between art notes in picture books and graphic novels
Why reading is such an important tool in your writing toolbox
The importance of finding your style
How the 6-week graphic novel course is set up week-by-week
Marcie's role as Dance Captain in the 12 x 12 community (including playlists!)
Books mentioned:
The Penguinaut by Marcie Colleen
Love, Triangle by Marcie Colleen and Bob Shea
Survivor Tree by Marcie Colleen and Aaron Becker
The Bear's Garden by Marcie Colleen
Happy Friendsgiving by Marcie Colleen and Laura Sandoval Herrera
Super Happy Party Bears by Marcie Colleen
Cat Ninja by Marcie Colleen, Stephanie Cooke, Steven Scott, Nick Murphy, Paul Ritchey, and Chad Thomas
Kitten Ninja by Colleen AF Venable, Marcie Colleen, and Ellen Stubbings
Kitten Ninja: Braver Than Ever by Colleen AF Venable, Marcie Colleen, and Ellen Stubbings
Time Buddies by Matthew Cody, Colleen AF Venable, Marcie Colleen, and Chad Thomas
Time Buddies: Past, Present, Hooture, Vol. 2 by Marcie Colleen, Stephanie Cooke, Nick Murphy, Paul Ritchey, and Eduardo Medeiros
Go with the Flow by Karen Schneemann and Lily Williams
Look On The Bright Side by Karen Schneemann and Lily Williams (the follow-up to Go with the Flow)
 
If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us!
Thank you for listening!

What's the silver lining of having a broken arm?
While Julie is away, Kelli will play! Kelli is taking over the podcast today. And, just like writing, an idea starts in one place, and then life smacks you down, and you have to head in a different direction. She didn't intend to break her arm/shoulder and do an episode about it, but when life gives you lemons, make lemon drop martinis!
You'll discover:
How Kelli broke her arm (and still made her flight!)
The good and bad of breaking your dominant hand
Praise for lefties!
The importance of learning something new
How to apply this to writing (It all connects, we promise!)
Ideas for changing up your writing routine
The benefits of finding a new perspective
The importance of finding a critique group
The pros of adding a new critique partner
Type-written vs. hand-written first drafts
A challenge to write in a different genre
The growth that comes along with changing things up

If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us!
Thank you for listening!