You May Contribute A Verse
This is the podcast You May Contribute a Verse, where we talk to kidlit creators, share their stories, and learn from their journeys!
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Episodes
Tuesday Sep 16, 2025
Tuesday Sep 16, 2025
It's Steena Hernandez day! Show up and do the thing, claim your agency, and bring your A-game.
Steena's debut book Lupita's Brown Ballet Slippers is available today!
What's pancaking? How do you plan a school visit? What's Josh's favorite shape? All these answers and more await you.
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This episode’s book reviews:
I HATE EVERYTHING by Sophy Henn
VALLEY: THE WIGGLE-BUTT PUP by Jae Lynn, illustrated by Juliette Miron
CHURRO STAND by Karina N. Gonzalez, illustrated by Krystal Quiles
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!
Tuesday Sep 09, 2025
Tuesday Sep 09, 2025
Since we first recorded this episode, our guest Jyoti Rajan Gopal has had two books published, and that should tell you a great deal about her hustle and her dedication.
Desert Queen is one we talked about most in this conversation, but 2025 has also seen Love is Here with You: A Lullaby of Blessings and The Power of Your Name as well! Congrats, Jyoti!
Jyoti has also started a podcast called In the Picture, which you should check out here!
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This episode’s book reviews:
INVESTIGATORS by John Patrick Green
FEELING BOO by Alex Boniello and April Lavalle, illustrated by Olivia Chin Mueller
KAFKA AND THE DOLL by Larissa Theule, illustrated by Rebecca Green
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!
Tuesday Sep 02, 2025
Tuesday Sep 02, 2025
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where's the fire? Cedar Pruitt is here and it's been a long time coming!
Her book FIRE FLIGHT: A WILDFIRE ESCAPE was out in early 2024 and we are sandwiched right in between that delight and her 2026 book WHAT MARCEL FOUND: THE INCREDIBLE DISCOVERY OF THE LASCAUX CAVE PAINTINGS.
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This episode’s book reviews:
WHISPERS FROM MOTHER EARTH by Maryam Khalifah
TINY HIKER by Natasha Zimmers, illustrated by Jaimie MacGibbon
OSCAR'S AMERICAN DREAM by Barry Wittenstein, illustrated by Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell
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!
Tuesday Aug 26, 2025
Tuesday Aug 26, 2025
Today’s guest is Meg Auchenbach, author illustrator of If You Are An Artist! We talk about what it actually looks like when an editor asks for more work, an inside look at what it takes to be an author/illustrator in today’s market, joining a debut group and the mystery of all mysteries: how do you manage your writing time with other commitments and life!
Make sure to listen until the end for Meg’s Dead Manuscript and my impersonation of Kip from Napoleon Dynamite!
Team Versy is Brenna Jeanneret, children’s lit author, mother, rock climber, outdoors person, and podcaster, and Josh Monken, children’s lit author, father, and science communicator.
This episode was proudly sponsored by Tielmour Press
Our guest for this conversation was Meg Auchenbach. You can find Meg here.
This episode’s book reviews:
OLIVIA by Ian Falconer
VERA LA VALIENTE IS SCARED by Ana Siqueria illustrated by Teresa Martinez
TO CATCH A GHOST by Rachel Michelle Wilson
The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our new 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 IG @joshmonkwords and @brennajeanneret as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!
Thanks and see ya next time.
You May Contribute a Verse is a homespun production, produced, edited, recorded, conceptualized, and marketed by Josh Monken and Brenna Jeanneret.
Tuesday Aug 19, 2025
Tuesday Aug 19, 2025
Content advisory: Portland, rainbows, girl cheese, gender expansiveness, A Song for Nolan, Rushie Ellenwood, and big energy! (And Vicki Johnson)
Enjoy responsibly!
This episode was proudly sponsored by Tielmour Press.
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This episode’s book reviews:
VERA LA VALIENTE IS SCARED by Ana Siqueira, illustrated by Teresa Martinez
ISLAND STORM by Brian Floca, illustrated by Sydney Smith
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!
Tuesday Aug 05, 2025
Tuesday Aug 05, 2025
Ana Siqueira is a beacon of dedication and inspiration! Her latest books VERA LA VALIENTE and STICKY HERMANA come out in August and October 2025, respectively, and both are equally wonderful.
This episode was proudly sponsored by Tielmour Press.
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This episode’s book reviews:
MISTACO! A TALE OF TRAGEDY Y TORTILLAS by Eliza Kinkz
DINOSAURS: A SHINE-A-LIGHT BOOK by Sara Hurst, illustrated by Lucy Cripps
FORTS by Katie Venit, illustrated by Kenard Pak
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!
Tuesday Jul 22, 2025
Tuesday Jul 22, 2025
Sue Lancaster is here to enrich your ears with her voice and your eyes with her books... and her magazine, The Toy! Check out last year's Supermoon (from Tielmour Press!) and, out in May, Outside the Box!
This episode was proudly sponsored by Tielmour Press.
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This episode’s book reviews:
SANTIAGO'S DINOSAURIOS by Mariana Rios Ramirez, illustrated by Udayana Lugo
GROUCHO THE GROUCHY GROUNDHOG by Lydia Lukidis, illustrated by Tara Hannon
I AM COW, HEAR ME MOO by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Gus Gordon
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!
Tuesday Jul 08, 2025
Tuesday Jul 08, 2025
It's Brenna, Jenna, and Josh. Oh my. Jenna Johnson joins us today for discussion of her debut books EVERY BODY MOVE! (out in September 2025, and a singalong!) and I SPARK LIKE LIGHTNING (out in winter 2026).
And believe us when we say there's more goodness to come from Jenna soon!
Our chat with Jenna goes way beyond her debuts to permission, persistence, passion, and the agonizing roller coaster that is the publishing industry. We hope you enjoy!
This episode was proudly sponsored by Tielmour Press.
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This episode’s book reviews:
CARSON CROSSES CANADA, written by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Kass Reich
THE BABY WHO STAYED AWAKE FOREVER, by Sandra Salsbury
SAFE CROSSING, by Kari Percival
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!
Tuesday Jun 24, 2025
Tuesday Jun 24, 2025
Today we cross into uncharted realms! It's a podcast head-to-head-to-head as we talk to Danielle Render Turmaud, picture book author, therapist, and host of the podcast You, Me, and The Writing Journey! (check out this same conversation and all her others over on her feed!)
Danielle's virtual event Take Your Kid to Publishing Day is Saturday, July 19, and registration is still open through late June! This event will introduce kids to the business of publishing, and maybe help some of our kids understand what the heck we spend so much time doing. Sign up today!
This episode is an emotionally honest doozy and a great one for those of us (meaning all of us) who sometimes have to build a little resilience to withstand the waiting, frustration, and rejection.
Show note: early in the chat we reference Michele Ziemke's Mighty Kidlit community. Check it out!
This episode was proudly sponsored by Tielmour Press.
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This episode’s book reviews:
PRAIRIE BOY: FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT TURNS THE PRAIRIE INTO A HOME by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
JIM! SIX TRUE STORIES ABOUT ONE GREAT ARTIST: JAMES MARSHALL by our own friend of the pod Jerrold Connors
STINKBIRD HAS A SUPERPOWER by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Bob Shea
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!
Tuesday Jun 10, 2025
Tuesday Jun 10, 2025
I don't think we've ever talked about Jared Leto on the podcast before. Or the board game Clue for that matter. Katie Venit is here with the niche hits!
FORTS and CASSINI'S MISSION are out, respectively, in July and August and to be perfectly honest it's a crime you can't get them now, because they're great and Katie is amazing. We all vibed!
This episode was proudly sponsored by Tielmour Press.
Shoutout this week from Brittany Pomales to Elayne Crain for her debut There's Something Odd About the Babysitter!
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This episode’s book reviews:
SPARKLE PIGS by Kit Holliday
MUNCHPIE MORGAN by Merry Lorenz, illustrated by Kenneth Anderson
CACTUS QUEEN by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Jenn Ely
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!