During the first half of this course, author Araceli Esparza will go through some idea generating writing exercises that will spark or build upon your picture book idea.
In the second half, youth services librarian Amanda Coppedge Bosky will share some examples of great read-aloud picture books and guide you through re-imagining your picture book dummy. We'll discuss using language to build tension and create surprises, how page turns act as "curtains" between scenes in your book, and more.
Araceli Esparza is a published, award-winning bilingual Chicana poeta. Her work has appeared in multiple anthologies and journals, and her voice can be heard in the Wisconsin Life archives. She is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and a graduate of the MFA program at Hamline University.
Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Araceli is the daughter of migrant farmworkers from Guanajuato, Mexico. A lineage that continues to ground her work in resilience, labor, and story.
Today, she is planting seeds as a social justice speaker, survivor, and founder of Midwest Mujeres, a Latina mentoring and storytelling collective where women transform their lived experiences into voice, healing, and power.
In her words: “To me, being a Chicana poeta means to catch fire—to bring forth something from labor and sweat, to have enough when there’s not a lot.”
Amanda Coppedge Bosky is a youth services librarian as well as a middle grade and young adult writer. She has spent nearly two decades reading picture books aloud to children in story time.
Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703.
Our galleries are open Tuesday through Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday noon to 5pm, and other programs take place throughout the week. Please check the events calendar and education section for details.