Author Archives: Michael Salinger

January 21, 2019

Dreaming BIG and Small – 6 broken rules.

  Poets have always been trouble makers – in many places they have been arrested for stirring the pot a little too vigorously – or in the “wrong” direction. But – even poets can be guilty of staying inside their safe boxes. Whether that box be the safety of tenured academia or a local “scene” […]


January 19, 2019

Eastern Middle School, Greenwich, CT

12 years – that’s how long Sara and I have been coming to Eastern Middle School in Greenwich, CT. We love this little public school with its art covered walls and rambling old building and we really do have friends here. Eastern used to be traditionally our last school of the year but overseas scheduling […]


December 2, 2018

How do you do what you do, do? Cuyahoga Community College

Alternative title: Being Crackpot Poets for Fun and Profit Sara and I sort of made up our jobs. Twenty years ago, I didn’t even know that what I am doing for a living now was even an option. In fact – according to recent research by Dell and the Institute For The Future 85% of […]


November 21, 2018

NCTE 18 – Houston we have NO problem.

My favorite sport is reading. Sara and I love going to the National Council of Teachers of English conference. We’ve been going to NCTE for a couple decades and each one has been an opportunity to connect with friends new and old and to learn and grow. This year’s iteration was especially fulfilling. We have […]


November 8, 2018

East Central Ohio Educational Service Center, New Philadelphia, Ohio

And the winner in our acronym competition is… East Central Ohio Educational Service Center, New Philadelphia, Ohio supports teachers and students in – surprise, East Central Ohio. We’ve worked with their teachers and students the last couple years. As much as we enjoy our international travel we love working with our fellow buckeyes any chance […]


October 20, 2018

Sara Holbrook wins the Jane Addams Peace Award for her novel: The Enemy

“You didn’t mention the ceviche.” I quipped – “No, I didn’t” said our sardonic waiter in a deadpan as heavy as the woodwork in the Tudor steakhouse where Sara and I dined with editor Carolyn Yoder after Sara’s receipt of the Jane Addams Peace Award for children’s books in the shadow of the UN building […]


October 19, 2018

Bahrain Bayan School

Ever have the feeling that you’ve been somewhere before? The Bahrain Bayan School was the very first international school we ever visited over 14 years ago! It was great to complete this big crazy circle with friends old and new. Our host with the most on this iteration was a force we met in Cairo […]


October 18, 2018

Universal American School Dubai

Some wilt in the heat some thrive. Universal American School in Dubai can be grouped with the latter as can their vivacious and voraciously read librarian Rhonda. Juggler of competing schedules between the lower and upper school, feeder of visiting crackpot poets – enthusiastic student advocate and literacy pusher Rhonda kept us on track from […]


October 16, 2018

Abu Dhabi Community School

Abu Dhabi Doo! It’s been nine years since our last visit to Abu Dhabi Community school and while we encountered some new faces we also ran into some old friends. This young lady had her picture taken with Sara back in 2009 and again this visit. Thank you to Mary and Julie – librarians extraordinaire […]


May 23, 2018

Jakarta Intercultural School

We’re not going to let something like the library burning down slow us up. This was Sara and my fourth trip to Jakarta Intercultural School. If three times is a charm – four times is the magic summoned. These repeated visits allow us to really become friend with the folks we are working with and […]


Testimonials

“Sara and Michael bring infectious energy and joy leavened with deep knowledge of best practices in literacy to their work with children and teachers.” Ellin Keene – Author of Mosaic of Thought and The Teacher You Want to Be
“Sara and Michael bring magic, and a contagious love of words to both students and teachers alike!” Georgia Heard - Author of Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School More testimonials...