Author: Diana Pho
Diana Pho
Diana M. Pho is an independent scholar, playwright, and Hugo-Award-nominated editor, currently working at Erewhon Books as Executive Editor. She has a double bachelor’s degree in English and Russian literature from Mount Holyoke College and a master’s in performance studies from New York University. Learn more about her at dianampho.com.
Are you thinking about writing a book for children or teenagers? Good for you! Many children’s book authors feel inspired by their young readers, and love that their stories provide encouragement to growing minds. In fact, writing “kidlit” — a common slang word used by children’s authors and readers — is a valid market supported by a range of professional organizations, including the well-known Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Libraries are also strong advocates of children’s books; for example, the American Library Association is quite active in sponsoring conferences and awards. Children’s books even have their own distinguished trade, fiction, and…
Highly-accomplished people are often praised for their deeds. When you use the phrase “to rest on your laurels” to describe a person’s character, though, it implies that the person is slacking off, relying on their good reputation or achievements as an excuse to not put in the effort at their current task. What about “resting on laurels” implies this type of laziness? Let’s start by defining what a laurel is. Laurel is a type of tree (“laurus nobilis”), whose leaves are also known as sweet bay: Yes, the same as those bay leaves you use for cooking! Besides their culinary…