You May Contribute A Verse

Karen Chan on Making Gloo Books Sticky

Karen Chan of Gloo Books is with us today! Not only is Karen a wonderful editor and publisher with a really crystal clear vision for the Gloo Books vibe, but she has leveraged that vibe into an even better book called A Bike is Not Just a Bike: An Ode to Girls Who Dare to Ride, by a talented author named Brenna Jeanneret!
 
Gloo Books isn't old as publishing houses go, but Karen and team have come a long way in a short time. Enjoy Karen's verse!
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This episode’s book reviews: 
MY SUBWAY RUNS by James Gladstone and Pierre Pratt
WHEN THE WITCH WROTE BACK, words by Nathan Christopher, pictures by Pablo Pino
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The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 
 
Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  
 
Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 
 
Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

In This Podcast with Andrew Hacket

Andrew Hacket is back to discuss his book In This Classroom and his ongoing Leonardo DiCaprio-style work with Red Comet Press! His is the ultimate champagne pass success story and we hope you enjoy!
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This episode’s book reviews: 
 
RAMP IT UP, words by Katrina Tangen, pictures by Wendy Wen
 
THE RARE BIRD by Elisha Cooper
 
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The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 
 
Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  
 
Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 
 
Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

The Sad Moment that Started It All with Jessica Milo

Here's to Cowboy! 
Jessica Milo is here. We talk (way too late) about her debut book My Pony Wonder, how she came up and with whom, and most importantly, Uber for Unicorns.
Despite the episode title, this is a really fun chat!
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This episode’s book reviews: 
KICKS IN THE SKY by CG Esperanza
THE GHOST WHO SAVED HALLOWEEN, words by Jen Anyong, pictures by Kaly Quarles
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The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 
Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  
Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 
Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Rachel Michelle Wilson's A Communicator

How to pee your pants, the Rachel Michelle Wilson way!
Rachel was a delight and if you don't know her work, you do now. She's got hustle, she's got skills, she's got bubble wrap and ghosts (but no play dates). Since we last talked in August, aside from her books To Catch a Ghost and How to Pee Your Pants (the Right Way), she's also announced How to Escape a Playdate, out October 13!
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This episode’s book reviews: 
 
Mike Mongo's ASTRONAUT INSTRUCTION MANUAL
GROUCHO THE GROUCHY GROUNDHOG (VOLUME 2): THE TERRIFYING TURNIP TAKEOVER! by Lydia Lukidis and Tara Hannon
HOW TO PEE YOUR PANTS (THE RIGHT WAY) by Rachel Michelle Wilson
 
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The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 
 
Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  
 
Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 
 
Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Quiet Activism with Joan Marie Galat

It's Joan Marie Galat day! We've been waiting a long time for this one. Joan writes because she's curious, she's dedicated, and she cares deeply about sharing her passion and quiet activism with her audience. 
She has a lot to show for her passion! From DOT TO DOT IN THE SKY to WILDLIFE CROSSING, Joan's exploration of the world comes through clearly.
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This episode’s book reviews: 
MY DADDY IS A COWBOY, words by Stephanie Seales, pictures by CG Esperanza
TIC-ERRIFIC ME, words by Alicia Meyers, pictures by Cait Brennan
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The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 
 
Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  
 
Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 
 
Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Une Episode Avec Andrea Caulfield

It's author and educator Andrea Caulfield on the podcast today! Andrea is World Language Curriculum Specialist for Denver Public Schools and is quadrilingual, something I (Josh) hope to be when I grow up. Andrea has partnered with Voces Digital to publish Les Zombies Attaquent Quebec, a French-language short novelette for French learners.
Andrea's perspective on language learning is refreshing and new here. Her experiences with Voces and path to publishing her book are both entertaining and enlightening, which is also all you can hope for when you're reading something educational in a language you're trying to learn!
Shout out to our friend Jan Thomas for connecting us to Andrea! This chat was absolutement un plaisir.
PS I had one good window to record my intro, found my mic settings all messed up, and then a crew started jackhammering the street right outside my window. Apologies for the very poor quality on my end!
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This episode’s book reviews: 
 
STILL FRIENDS, words by Troy Wilson, pictures by Mike Deas
VIGDIS: A BOOK ABOUT THE WORLD'S FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT by Ran Flygenring
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The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 
Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  
Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 
Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

There's a Stan Yan in the Basement

Otherwise known as The Many Misfortunes of Stan Yan's Internet Connection, which we managed around quite successfully, I'd say!
Join us for a chat with Stan Yan, author-illustrator-graphic novelist-comic artist of (yes, I already made the book title puns above) There's a Zombie in the Basement and (JLG Gold Standard) The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang!
Despite our intermittent connection issues this was an absolutely wonderful chat as we got to know the breadth of Stan's educational and illustrative chops. Next time we'll talk more about his history as a stockbroker.
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This episode’s book reviews: 
THE STUFF BETWEEN THE STARS, words by Sandra Nickel and illustrations by Aimee Sicuro
SPARKLE PIGS by Kit Holliday (hi Steph!)
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The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 
Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  
Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 
Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Ocean's Heart, Land's Heart with Jilanne Hoffman

Jilanne Hofmann is back (here's her first episode)!
She has some updates from several things we discussed in our first chat, namely that now The Ocean's Heart is out in the world, and HeartLand is soon to be born! 
We talk about both of these as well as her work with the educational market. And lots more! Stay tuned for passion and... heart?
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This episode’s book reviews (all author-illustrators this week!): 
 
THE OCEAN'S HEART by Jill herself, illustrated by Khoa Le
CALVIN GETS THE LAST WORD by Margo Sorenson, illustrated by Mike Deas
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The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 
Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  
Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 
Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Literary Manager Lindsey Aduskevich, After All These Years

It's not every day we get to hear fresh thoughts from a literary agent/manager in her first four months of agenting. Lindsey Aduskevich joins us today for some insights on her journey to becoming a Junior Literary Manager at Martin Literary!
 
What's more important is that we have known Lindsey for six years, since one fateful Twitter (RIP) thread led to the creation of our first critique group. And look at us now!
 
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This episode’s book reviews (all author-illustrators this week!): 
 
DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE by John Hare
THE SEARCH FOR OUR COSMIC NEIGHBORS by Chloe Savage
NO MORE GNOMES by Beth Mills
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The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 
 
Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  
 
Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 
 
Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Winsome Bingham on Friday!

Winsome writes. Winsome reads. Winsome cares. And Winsome Bingham speaks. About her editorial voice, her lyricism, her Reycraft family, her views on humor, joy, trauma, craft, and the perfect mix of art and words.
Winsome Bingham is the author of several very acclaimed books, including Soul Food Sunday, Fish Fry Friday, The Walk, Missing Momma, The Table, Life is Beautiful, and, coming September 1, 2026, On Fridays, her latest collaboration with Jason Griffin (go listen to our conversation with him if you haven't yet!).
Today our reviews are for On Fridays, because you should go and preorder it or request it from your library immediately!
You are going to love Winsome's verse!
 
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The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 
Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  
Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 
Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!