Writers often talk about the long road to publication. This is one of those stories, and it isn’t over yet!
I started writing poems about firefighting after my father died in 2006. It was a grief project, a way to feel closer to him. And it helped. I was so proud of his long career in the New York Fire Department, his years of fighting fires in the Bronx during the “Bronx is burning” days, which the FDNY calls “the war years.”
One of the things about my father that I marveled at was his disposition. All those years of seeing and doing hard things never curdled his optimism, his kindness, or his gentleness. One of my favorite childhood memories is hugging my father when he came home from work, and the smoky smell that emanated from him when we hugged– an ever-present reminder of the dangers and the importance of the work he’d just done.
All these years later, I get to honor that work with a children’s book. TRUCKS, BOOTS, AND BELLS: FIREHOUSE POEMS will be published in fall 2026 by Holiday House. I’ve seen a peek at the illustrations by Aaron Marin, and it’s going to be a beautiful book! It was announced this week in Publisher’s Weekly and Publisher’s Marketplace, two small but significant mile markers along the way to publication. It’s feeling more real!!
Stay tuned for more updates on this project of my heart.