16 Words: William Carlos Williams and "The Red Wheelbarrow," illustrated by Chuck Groenink. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2020.
My debut picture book!
16 WORDS: WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS AND "THE RED WHEELBARROW"
Winner, 2019 JULIA WARD HOWE AWARD for young readers,
given by the Boston Authors Club
Starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly
A Junior Library Guild selection
A Bank Street College Best Book 2020
SCBWI Crystal Kite Member Choice Award Finalist 2020
Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award 2016
Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice
Reviewed by The New York Times
Published September, 2019 from Schwartz & Wade Books with illustrations by the talented Chuck Groenink!
Check out this video of my book launch at Wellesley Books by Mia Wenjen of Pragmatic Mom!
Check out this video of my book launch at Wellesley Books by Mia Wenjen of Pragmatic Mom!
Thrilled that 16 WORDS received STARRED reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, many other laudatory reviews and honors and a feature in The New York Times Book Review! Praise for 16 WORDS: William Carlos Williams and "The Red Wheelbarrow" "At once spare and lush: a gorgeous introduction to the power of poetry." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Williams’s koanlike poem closes the story, its marvel of compacted meanings crystallizing everything that has come before." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "Great for reading aloud, this will also be a good choice for launching poetry units and inspiring neophyte poets." —Booklist A "fine introduction to a celebrated American poet." --The New York Times Book Review "A unique picture book that shows how poetry can capture a feeling or an image with a few well-chosen words." —School Library Journal "Debut author Rogers suggests that there is power in noticing, as Williams did-- finding the extraordinary in the ordinary." —The Horn Book Magazine "A grand exploration of the reason why poetry exists." —A Fuse#8 Production, School Library Journal A Junior Library Guild selection A Bank Street College Best Book 2020 SCBWI Crystal Kite Member Choice Award Finalist 2020 Winner, Julia Ward Howe award, Boston Authors Club CCBC Choices, 2020 
Publishers' Weekly Book Announcement!
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Poetry Writing Activities!
Click to download two poetry activities based on "The Red Wheelbarrow!" 
Signed, personalized copies are available from my local independent bookstore, Wellesley Books, which always offers a treat to my hound dog, Tucker! Call the store to order, or order without personalization here. (But I'd love to sign your book for you!)
You also may order 16 Words from Random House, on Indiebound.org, Barnes & Noble, Target, or Amazon.com. ISBN 9781524720162 Schwartz & Wade Books 
Writer Patty Bovie profiled me in WellesleyWeston Magazine, Summer 2019.Click the image to read!
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Meeting Teresa Marshall Hale
Meeting Teresa Marshall Hale, Thaddeus Marshall's great-granddaughter!
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A draft of this picture book, then titled "Mr. Marshall's Red Wheelbarrow," about the inspiration for William Carlos Williams' famous poem, "The Red Wheelbarrow," won the 2016 PEN-New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award.
Williams was not only a doctor, but a physician. His neighbor and patient, Thaddeus Marshall, who raised and sold vegetables and chickens, inspired the poem. I went to the beautiful town of Rutherford, New Jersey, home of Dr. Williams and Mr. Marshall, to research my book. Later, I was thrilled to meet Teresa Marshall Hale, Thaddeus Marshall's great-granddaughter. Well before she learned of the Williams-Marshall connection, Ms. Hale's interest in genealogy led her to study her family's history. She's spent many hours in archives in the south, including in Charleston, SC, where her great-grandfather was born, learning key information about her family. It was an honor to meet her.  The PEN - New England awards
were held at Simmons College in Boston.
It was a thrill to be honored with the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for the manuscript of MR. MARSHALL'S RED WHEELBARROW, which became 16 WORDS when it was published by Schwartz & Wade Books. I am so grateful to the award committee for recognizing my work and to their commitment to encouraging new writers. |