Young Adult Authors Unplugged From Arroe Collins

The last thing Adriana and Jon expect to find in the harsh juvenile detention center in which they are both imprisoned is love. But when they start to communicate through Adriana’s journal, left in the center's shared library, the unexpected happens. Adriana knows why she is in Compass juvenile detention center: her bad taste in “friends.” If she can manage to keep her head down for the next seven...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

“ If you want to get away with murder, do it on an Indian reservation” so writes debut author , K,A, Corbell  in her YA thriller , LOOKING FOR SMOKE,  a sensitive look at the historic issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.    The Indigenous communities of the US and Canada face a prevailing issue in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, or #MMIWG2S.  The numbers speak for themselves: 84...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

You need to work to live.  That’s the truth for most people, and plenty of bosses have been abusing that truth for centuries. Long before the first labor unions were formed, workers still knew what exploitation looked like. It looked like the enslavement of Black people. It looked like generations of children dying in dangerous jobs. It looked like wealthy people hiring private militaries to attac...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

Terri Libenson’s best-selling graphic novel series,  Emmie & Friends,  feature humorous portrayals of friends coming of age, figuring out where they fit, and navigating the challenges of middle school. The first five books – Invisible Emmie, Positively Izzy, Just Jamie, Becoming Brianna and Truly Tyler   – deliver endearing and relatable stories about friendship and middle-school drama. Now, T...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

Jas Hammond’s debut novel,  WE DESERVE MONUMENTS  won the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent, received B&N YA Book Award shortlist recognition, and garnered acclaim as a “Best Book of the Year” by BuzzFeed, People, Parents, Amazon, and more. THIRSTY, their      second YA novel, explores society’s normalization of alcoholism through protagonist, Blake, who’s trying to gain adm...

From the  New York Times  bestselling and award-winning author, Joanna Ho, comes an uplifting call to action that highlights Asian American history, paired with vibrant and colorful illustrations by artist and activist, Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya .  WE WHO   PRODUCE PEARLS   is a rich celebration of Asian American identity and a reminder of self-worth, of legacy, and, most of all, of destiny. This d...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

LOUDER THAN WORDS   is an amazing collaboration that brings together two inspirational Black artists,  New York Times  bestselling author  Ashley Woodfolk  and actress  Lexi Underwood , for a story about  the transformative power of art as protest  and its capacity to change the world. When Jordyn Jones transfers to Edgewood High, it’s her opportunity to forget everything that happened at her old...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

This provocative Young Adult novel by best-selling author Jennifer Donnelly will forever change how you think about beauty, power, and what it really means to follow your heart. When Arabella faces makes her debut in society, her parents want her to be sweet and compliant so she can marry well, but try as she might, Arabella can't extinguish the fire burning inside her -- the source of her deepest...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

In the tradition of timeless classics like Charlotte’s Web   and Stuart Little, the one and only Katherine Applegate has crafted a poignant, delightful, heartbreaking, unforgettable final foray into the world of Ivan, the world’s favorite silverback gorilla. For more than a decade, readers have been enchanted by the modern classic The One and Only Ivan, a Newbery Award winner and a #1 New York Tim...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

From three-time Newbery Honoree Christina Soontornvat and award-winning historian Erika Lee comes a middle grade nonfiction that shines a light on the generations of Asian Americans who have transformed the United States and who continue to shape what it means to be American. It begins centuries before America even exists as a nation. It is connected to the histories of Western conquest and coloni...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

The iconic Latina heroine Dora the Explorer is back with an all-new CG-animated series that premieres Friday, April 12th, exclusively on Paramount+. With beautiful animation and imaginative character-driven storylines,  DORA   follows everyone’s favorite bilingual explorer, Dora and her best monkey friend, Boots, as they embark on epic adventures in a fantastical rainforest. Guided by trustworthy...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

Lullabies, love songs, caroling, karaoke — have you ever wondered . . . why do we sing? Travel the world and learn about the reasons we sing—to have fun and share our stories; to pass the time and remember times past; and to come together and celebrate! With gentle rhyming text, this musical adventure around the globe is the perfect introduction to the magical world of singing—from Bollywood to Br...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

For Elio Solis, eighth grade fizzes with change--his body teeming with hormones. His feelings that flow like lava. His relationship withPops, who's always telling him to man up, the Solis way. And especially Camelia, his first girlfriend. But when betrayal and heartbreak send Elio spiraling toward revenge, he doesn't anticipate that a fight to prove his manhood and defend Camelia's honor will lead...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation