Writing With a Broken Tusk

Writing With a Broken Tusk began in 2006 as a blog about overlapping geographies, personal and real-world, and writing books for children. The blog name refers to the mythical pact made between the poet Vyaasa and the Hindu elephant headed god Ganesha who was his scribe during the composition of the Mahabharata. It also refers to my second published book, edited by the generous and brilliant Diantha Thorpe of Linnet Books/The Shoe String Press, published in 1996, acquired and republished by August House and still miraculously in print.

Since March, writer and former student Jen Breach has helped me manage guest posts and Process Talk pieces on this blog. They have lined up and conducted author/illustrator interviews and invited and coordinated guest posts. That support has helped me get through weeks when I’ve been in edit-copyedit-proofing mode, and it’s also introduced me to writers and books I might not have found otherwise. Our overlapping interests have led to posts for which I might not have had the time or attention-span. It’s the beauty of shared circles—Venn diagrams, anyone?

5/20/19 5/20/19

Cliff Swallows and Building Narratives

5/13/19 5/13/19

Rajani LaRocca on Midsummer's Mayhem

5/6/19 5/6/19

Your Voice Matters: Guest Post by Carmen Oliver

4/30/19 4/30/19

Marina Budhos on Mentoring Writers

Who have I learned from? In whose footsteps have I followed? What have I done to nurture those who will follow me? Having been in this writing business now for some 30 years, and taught writers for about twenty of them, I suppose it's natural to think about such questions from time to time. I have followed Marina Budhos's work for years, ever since I read her incandescent novel, The Professor of Light. So when I learned she was part of the WNDB 2019 group of mentors, I asked her if she'd write me a reflection on what mentorship means to her.

4/22/19 4/22/19

Deborah Ellis on "A Day Before..."

4/15/19 4/15/19

Visions of Revision

4/8/19 4/8/19

Pictures: Possibly 12,000 Years Old

4/2/19 4/2/19

Blue Trunk and Access for Travelers With Physical Disabilities

Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia, Rupa Valdez is also the founder and President of Blue Trunk Foundation, an organization and web site dedicated to a single goal--accessible travel for everyone. I asked Rupa if she'd talk to me about her organization and its mission.