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Tamara Ellis Smith

Tamara Ellis Smith

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    tamaraellissmith

    Writer of children's books | Believer of empathy inspiring action | Mother of 4 | Student of all
    We had a celebration of my dad's life (and a reded We had a celebration of my dad's life (and a rededication of his newly-fixed memorial stone) this past weekend. It's been six years since he died. One of the questions we asked was "Where and how do we still connect with him?" People had beautiful answers. When a bird flies overhead. When the lights flicker. In a dream. When, after searching the same field 5 times for a missing glove (one of the pair he gave you as a gift), you yell "Where is it, dad?!", and it appears in front of you. But also, he was right there, right then, at the celebration with us: with my mom, my sisters, my brother, their partners, their kids, my husband, my kids, my brother's childhood friend, my parents' best friends, and my nephews' friends. My dad built community in each place he went. Gathered people in his arms. Showed us we are in it together. And he did the same things in real time this weekend. He was "invisible, and everywhere."* I miss him. I’m still trying to figure out what the ground feels like without him. This weekend, maybe, got me a little bit closer to an answer. (Photos 2 & 3 are my nieces and nephews, sons and daughters writing “HAVE FUN!!” in front of my dad’s stone. It was his favorite thing to say, no matter what you were heading out to do. It meant “try hard, fall hard, get mad, get creative, try again, love it, and have fun 🩷”) *"Invisible, and everywhere" is from @alisonmcgheewriter's stunning novel Telephone of the Tree. One of the truest and most gentle explorations of grief I've ever read.
    Reading your books, @benjamin.alire.saenz, changed Reading your books, @benjamin.alire.saenz, changed the shape of my heart ❤️ And now, oh I hope you're discovering as many of the secrets of the universe as you can ⭐ (Quote taken from the interview 'A Riot in the Heart': A Conversation with Author Benjamin Alire Sáenz with R. Joesph Rodriguez @scribestoday)
    As one of my summer projects, my son, @lucaiah, is As one of my summer projects, my son, @lucaiah, is coaching me to run an 8 minute mile. But my life is busy, and sometimes I have to multitask—and Pax and Stellaluna need to get out every day, so they’ve become my training partners. It’s hard and fun and nutty. I love running. I do a lot of creative thinking out there, (when I'm not wrangling dogs). And I love HALF MOON SUMMER by @elainebvickers and GHOST by @jasonreynolds83, both about runners. Both beautiful middle grade novels.
    Another birthday. I looked at my post from this da Another birthday. I looked at my post from this day last year, and I have to admit— many things have stayed the same. Grief still hangs out with me. Fear, too. The longing to contribute more to the kid lit community, always more. Disbelief and heartache haven’t let go either. How can they? I wake up every day amazed that we don’t just stop the world. Refuse to move forward until the truth is told. My birthday is still an iffy day for me. But I'm doing a pretty good job of embracing @mattzhaig's suggestion: "Don't think of it as getting older. Just think of it as getting closer to who you are." I also love what @bayo.akomolafe says: "The middle isn’t the space between things; it is the world in its ongoing practices of worlding itself.” Last year I ran on my birthday with my dog Pax. Today I ran with my running crew: @mollydugan8, @karawires, @slydogstudio, @caikman2023, @mlescaze, @ginnyy828, and @feedkidswell in spirit. I'm grateful to be getting ever closer to myself in this middle, worlding moment in time. And I'm even more grateful to be connecting with other people doing the same.
    My friends in Northfield, Minnesota are in the mid My friends in Northfield, Minnesota are in the middle of it all. One is a doctor at a medical clinic and her patients are afraid to leave their houses to go to their appointments. Her husband spent the day at the grade school their 2 sons attended, protecting kids and their parents from being abducted. It's hard to imagine. Except it isn't hard to imagine. It's hard to know what to do. If you want some guidance, like I did, these are 3 places my friends suggested we can support. Links in bio. Community Action Center @community_action_center Indivisible Twin Cities @indivisible_twincities Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee @miracmn We're in this together.
    I don’t usually post my draft milestones, but this I don’t usually post my draft milestones, but this one has been a long time coming, so bear with me? I have work ahead of me, but the story I want to tell is in here (somewhere 😂) Also, shout-out to @kirstencappy, who runs the incredible organization @imyourneighborbooks! Kirsten gave me this @sproutworldofficial pencil when I began the draft, and it carried my words to THE END! Write a middle grade novel in the winter, plant some basil in the spring! I hope your holidays are peaceful, let’s make lying wrong again in 2026, and if you can, donate to @imyourneighborbooks before this year is out!
    November is Children’s Grief Awareness Month. But November is Children’s Grief Awareness Month. But really REALLY—it’s every month and every week and every day. For kids and the rest of us. I’ve said this before, and I’m going to say it again here. Grief is universal, and it is so very personal. It connects us profoundly, and it makes us feel so alone, too. Let other people show you their grief. Let them be exactly where they are—this month and all months. If you’re living with grief, pick up AS LONG AS YOU NEED by @jspark3000 and IT’S OK THAT YOU’RE NOT OKAY by @refugeingrief. Or listen to an episode of @allthereis with Anderson Cooper. These books, this podcast, these people save me every day. Educator @scbnorsworthy created a wonderful guide for GRIEF IS AN ELEPHANT, if you need a door into a conversation about grief with a child. You can find it on my website. And for brilliant lists of grief books for kids, check out these incredible people: @maistorybooklibrary @ohthebookswelove @child_life_grief_notes @thehealinglibrary @imperi @mychal3ts @readingrainbow @elunanetwork @thedougycenter @nancyillustrator @chroniclekidsbooks @agentemurph @aevitas_creative
    If the skeletons tell you to read banned books, wi If the skeletons tell you to read banned books, will you do it then? #bannedbooks #weneeddiversebooks #freedomtoread
    Banned Book Week is coming to a close, but we need Banned Book Week is coming to a close, but we need to support diverse authors, We Need Diverse Books, and BANNED BOOKS every day. WNDB has partnered with Bookshop.org to highlight the power of diverse literature, even as book challenges target these titles. Check out WNDB’s list of banned books to add to your TBR list. Any purchase you make via their link will provide a small commission to WNDB, which will fund their programs and mission to amplify diverse voices. Per WNDB: Use code BBW25 to get 20% off through October 19! Link in bio! @weneeddiversebooks
    Empathy is not a made-up emotion. Sharing a feelin Empathy is not a made-up emotion. Sharing a feeling is real. It might be messy, but it’s real. I’m not sure how we take some healing action if we don’t start with empathy. Right now. @empathylabuk is a kick-ass organization. Reading-based empathy education works. 1. Reading for enjoyment increases. 2. Wellbeing improves. 3. Social action habits increase. We need an empathylabus!
    To be honest, I never love my birthday. I never ev To be honest, I never love my birthday. I never even really like it. Especially these last few years. Grief I can't shake. Fear of the future. A longing to contribute more to the kid lit world. Fresh disbelief and heartache every day at the cruelty of this country. But this year—today—I'm embracing @mattzhaig's wise suggestion: "Don't think of it as getting older. Just think of it as getting closer to who you are." I don't know Matt, and he doesn't know me, and yet—I feel connected to him. And I think that's the whole point. We wake up every day and try to get just a little bit closer to who WE are, so that we can connect with other people who are trying to get closer to who THEY are. Those moments of alchemy create something new from the grief, the fear, the longing, the heartache. Something that entwines with love, gratitude, and curiosity. So, on my birthday this year, I want to celebrate everyone who is getting closer to who they are—and touching me deeply while they do it. Whether you know it or not, I adore you. (This is me smiling with gratitude—for you all and for my running partner Pax. A sweet way to start the day.) PS. As my brains warms up, this list will grow 😂🩷 @mattzhaig @alisonmcgheewriter @agentemurph @refugeingrief @patricknessbooks @jspark3000 @elanakarnold @bethkephartnow @as_king_ @kirstencappy @hyperbolebooksvt (Maria), @alicepollvogt @karawires @mollydugan8 @slydogstudio @feedkidswell @caikman2023 @mlescaze @iamicaniwillido @calliedepina @nancyillustrator @lizgardensalad @feministabulous @officialtraecrowder @coxy.official @heathercoxrichardson @audrey_vernick @maria_gianferrari_author @cvbest20 @jessmacsmith11 @danielllsmith4 @lucaiah @zorysmithmio @tavia.sm @anniescholl @katieflindallart @kt_mather @jad_aaah @claudiasherman_ @ellie_churchill @finnryn08 cooper_wyman07 @jordyallard24 @tlcalder_ @evelyn_daviddi @maine_diaz @dottyg77 @andersoncooper @mychal3ts @erinentrada @cylevinson @nickcaveofficial @heatherdemetrios @julie_falatko @fairytaleevolution @lizkostandinu @olins.habits @markdfreeman @miaadamssings @sharrywright @sharonsaysso @swtomp @kellybennettwrites @cindyfaughnan @anders_ripley
    A few moments from my book launch for BUBBLE TOWN, A few moments from my book launch for BUBBLE TOWN, a @chooseyourownadventure jr. interactive story! What a wonderful adventure we all had! (The only thing missing was a visit from amazing artist @maine_diaz!) 1. See me inside, prepping for the party? 2. Sidewalk scene 3. Fact: I’ve never seen all of books together before! @schwartzandwadebooks, @barefootbooks, @chroniclekidsbooks, and @chooseyourownadventure 🩷 4. Cookies compliments of @sweetvttreats (Yum!) 5. Friends and family 6. BUBBLE TOWN was @hyperbolebooksvt’s first book launch! What an honor! Maria Brown, heartful and hilarious owner of Hyperbole, has made so many of us so happy! A bookstore in our town! 7. Writing BUBBLE TOWN was freeing and so fun, but it was hard to keep track of all those story lines! (Thank you, @zorysmithmio, for helping me hold the story map!) 8. Should we blow the bubbles? You choose! 9. Should we help Stuart the duck and his friends save their home? You choose! 10. Meeting some new readers 📘🩷 11. We all made blueprints of inventions for making animals’ lives better! (This one is a smeller sensor, to help bees find flowers faster 🌼🐝)
    Book Launch for BUBBLE TOWN! Come to @hyperboleboo Book Launch for BUBBLE TOWN! Come to @hyperbolebooksvt this Saturday (June 21, 2025) from 11-12:30 for an adventure filled with books 📘 and bubbles 🫧 and cookies 🍪 and crafts 🎨 ABOUT THE BOOK: “Developers are trying to destroy the local riverside ecosystem but the animals are hoping to stop it…and YOU are their secret weapon! For ages 5-8. Come join the adventure! @maine_diaz @agentemurph @chooseyourownadventure
    Today is Empathy Day, a culminating event of the w Today is Empathy Day, a culminating event of the week-long Empathy Day Festival put on by the brilliant @empathylabuk, along with many children’s lit writers, educators, and volunteers. Let’s make Empathy Day every day. And let’s turn empathy into action every day. Saturday (6/14/25) is No Kings Day. A great example of E➡️A. Let’s make No Kings Day every day too. @nokingsdaymarch @indivisibleteam @empathylabuk #empathyintoaction #empathyinaction #childrensliterature
    Yes! Welcome to the world, Stuart, Eleanor, and YO Yes! Welcome to the world, Stuart, Eleanor, and YOU! My new chapter book BUBBLE TOWN is available everywhere as of today, June 3. I was lucky enough to be asked by the brilliant folks at Choose Your Own Adventure if I wanted to take this cool idea—a duck that can talk to a girl…it has something to do with bubbles—and turn it into a story. I did! And here it is! Developers are trying to destroy the local riverside ecosystem, but the animals are hoping to stop it . . . and YOU are their secret weapon! For ages 5-8 🫧 Come join the adventure! @chooseyourownadventure @maine_diaz
    COMING SOON: BUBBLE TOWN written by @tamaraellissm COMING SOON: BUBBLE TOWN written by @tamaraellissmith, illustrated by @maine_diaz, and pubbed by @chooseyourownadventure. Developers are trying to destroy the local riverside ecosystem, but STUART is determined to stop it…and only YOU can do it! For ages 5-8. Available 6/3 wherever books are sold.
    A little late in the day, but hey, every day is in A little late in the day, but hey, every day is indy bookstore day for me. Thank you to the local bookstores of my heart — @hyperbolebooksvt @bearpondbooks, @phoenixbooksvt, and @bridgesidebooks — and to all of the indy bookstores everywhere. We need you now more than ever. @chooseyourownadventure @maine_diaz
    Trees hold the soil in place. Without them, soil e Trees hold the soil in place. Without them, soil erodes, floods are more frequent, pollutants spread—and Stuart the duck’s friends and family will lose their homes! Will you CHOOSE to join their ADVENTURE and help them save their beloved tree in BUBBLE TOWN? @maine_diaz @chooseyourownadventure
    If you had the chance to save the world, would you If you had the chance to save the world, would you? Will you CHOOSE to save Stuart the duck, Eleanor the owl, and Ancient Mother Maple on your ADVENTURES in BUBBLE TOWN? Coming June 3, 2025 from @chooseyourownadventure, @maine_diaz, and me 🌍
    How lucky am I? I got to write a CYOA book with @m How lucky am I? I got to write a CYOA book with @maine_diaz and the amazing crew at @chooseyourownadventure! Coming June 3, 2025, BUBBLE TOWN is funny and full of my heart—now more than ever, Stuart and his friends, the river and the trees all need us. We’re in this together.
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