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Middle Grade Matters

Shannon Balloon

On the Middle Grade Matters podcast, host Shannon Balloon talks to to authors and publishing professionals about all things middle grade. The show explores topics like the craft of writing, the journey to getting an agent and publishing a book, and why middle grade books should matter to everyone.

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Episodes

120 episodes

  1. Ep. 117: Beth McMullen (Write. Revise. Publish.: Essential Lessons From The Writers With Wrinkles Podcast) 58:34
  2. Ep. 116: Claribel A. Ortega (Witchlings) on Writing the Final Book in a Beloved and Bestselling Series 37:35
  3. Ep. 115: Máire Roche / Mary E. Roach (Little Monsters) on Reimagining Little Women for Young Readers Who Love Spooky Stories 41:30
  4. Ep. 114: Perin Gurel (Laleh and the Language of the Birds) on Indie Publishing and Writing for Kids versus Academia 45:01
  5. Ep. 113: Fleur Bradley on Writing Mysteries (and Other Stories) for Kids and Teens 55:57
  6. Ep. 112: Nancy Tandon (The Haunting of Walker Pond) on Selling - and then Writing - a Novel on Proposal 47:43
  7. Ep. 111: Huda Al-Mirashi (Hail Mariam) on Faith and the Challenges of a Writing Life 43:10
  8. Ep. 110: Tracy Wolff (The Aftermyth) on Creating Stories that Spark Imagination 55:25
  9. Ep. 109: Katherine Applegate (The One and Only Ivan) on writing and her latest book, Wombat Waiting 44:40
  10. Ep. 108: Philip Stead (A Potion, A Powder, A Little Bit of Magic) on Writing and Illustrating Whimsical Stories 51:41
  11. Ep. 107: Filling the Gap: Why We Need More Young Teen Lit 47:27
  12. Ep. 106: Aaron Starmer (You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This) On Writing a Book That's Weird In a Good Way 38:53
  13. Ep. 105: Jasmine Warga (The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan) on Zero Drafts and Writing From an Animal's Perspective 32:58
  14. Ep. 104: N. West Moss (Birdy) on Finding Joy After Loss 47:48
  15. Ep. 103: Beth Ferry (Growing Home) On Loving Your Own Story 45:04
  16. [LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 75: James Ponti (Part 2) (City Spies) on Writing a Bestselling Middle Grade Series 43:51
  17. [LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 74: James Ponti (Part 1) (City Spies) on Writing a Bestselling Middle Grade Series 40:35
  18. Ep. 102: Simon Stephenson (The Snowman Code) on both Screenwriting and Novel Writing 37:47
  19. Ep. 101: John Schu (Louder Than Hunger) on Connection and Compassion in Storytelling 44:00
  20. Ep. 100: Michelle Knudsen (Into the Wild Magic) on The Importance of Persistence in Writing 45:53
  21. [LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 66: Jordan Kopy (Theodora Hendrix) on Turning Traditional Monster Tropes on their Heads 52:40
  22. Ep. 99: Second Year Podcasting Anniversary - Come with me behind the scenes - how it started, how it's going, and what's next. 29:04
  23. Ep. 98: Melissa Dassori on Second Books and Magic in Storytelling 37:29
  24. Ep. 97: McCall Hoyle (Forever Ripley) on Exploring the Bond Between Dogs and Kids 44:37
  25. Ep. 96: Jamie Sumner (Schooled) on Embracing Imperfection in the Creative Process 41:42
  26. Ep. 95: Cordelia Jensen (Lilac and the Switchback) on Crafting a Novel-In-Verse 39:42
  27. Ep. 94: Alyssa Colman (Where Only Storms Grow) on Historical Fiction With and Without Magic 34:18
  28. Ep. 93: Pablo Cartaya (A Hero's Guide to Summer Vacation) on Connecting With Readers Through Shared Experiences 45:31
  29. Ep. 92: Tiffany D. Jackson (Blood in the Water) on Writing MG After Success in YA 34:05
  30. Ep. 91: J.E. Thomas (The AI Incident) on Engaging Children in Conversations about Artificial Intelligence 49:36
  31. Ep. 90: Amanda Zieba (WordNerd) on Hybrid Publishing and Creating Resources for Teachers 50:00
  32. Ep. 89: Shannon Balloon and Karen Reeder (BookHuddle Podcast) On Our Favorite MG Books of the Year (So Far) 44:21
  33. Ep. 88: Meg Medina (Graciela in the Abyss) on Diving into a Fantasy World 49:39
  34. [LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 34: Joel Brigham on Query Letters and First Pages 59:09
  35. Ep. 87: Katherine Marsh (the Medusa series) on Monsters, Myths, and a Girl Protagonist 41:39
  36. Ep. 86: Erin Entrada Kelly (At Last She Stood) on Her Foray into Nonfiction 35:28
  37. Ep. 85: Kate O'Shaughnessy (The Wrong Way Home) on Community and Belonging 52:14
  38. Ep. 84: Dianne K. Salerni (The Tontine Caper) on Writing Humor and an Omniscient Narrator 50:06
  39. Ep. 83: Lauren Wolk (Candle Island) on the Importance of Setting in Her Novels 52:06
  40. Ep: 82: Marie Benedict (The Secrets of Lovelace Academy) on Infusing Historical Fiction with Adventure. 44:49
  41. [LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 46: Literary Agent Alexander Slater on Publishing in Middle Grade 1:01:09
  42. [LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 58: Gayle Forman (Not Nothing) on Seeing Stories From Different Perspectives 34:34
  43. Ep. 81: Debbi Michiko Florence (Last Chance Academy) on Writing a Middle Grade Mystery Series. 46:24
  44. Ep. 80: Lisa Schmid (Hart & Souls) on Non-Scary Ghost Stories and Podcasting 43:44
  45. Ep. 79: Britnee Meiser (All My Bests) on Writing Realistic Middle Grade Romance 34:33
  46. Ep. 78: Megan E. Freeman (Alone and Away) on Her Books, Her Inspiration, and the Question Everyone is Asking . . Will There Be a Third? 47:13
  47. Ep. 77: Kyle Lukoff (A World Worth Saving) on Writing Adventure, Jewish Folklore, and Trans Youth in Middle Grade. 41:24
  48. Ep. 76: Wendelin Van Draanen (Flipped) on Writing From the Heart 45:35
  49. [LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 31: Megan Reyes (Heroes of Havensong) on Writing a Fantasy with Four Points of View 53:26
  50. Ep. 75: James Ponti (Part 2) (The Sherlock Society) on the Joy of Storytelling 44:39