by Mary E. Cronin | Jun 9, 2023 | Community connections, Poetry, Teaching
It was a joy to be the Visiting Poet at PS 86 in the Bronx last week! I attended kindergarten there, and PS 86 was also the polling place in our neighborhood. I have many memories of accompanying my parents to vote, and of my mother working as an election worker...
by Mary E. Cronin | Mar 31, 2023 | Cape Cod, Community connections, SCBWI, We Need Diverse Books
At the school where I work, the vast majority of children qualify for free and reduced lunch. A quarter of our K-3 students are English Language Learners, many from Brazil. Most of the children had never met an author, or had a book signed… until author Ana Crespo...
by Mary E. Cronin | Mar 22, 2023 | Community connections, FDNY
What a delight and honor to be invited as a guest on the “Bronx Heroes” podcast! My conversation with hosts Dan Zauderer and Rina Madhani was far-ranging. I got to talk about my deep affection for my home borough, growing up in a firefighting family, and how I try to...
by Mary E. Cronin | Oct 15, 2022 | Cape Cod, Community connections, SCBWI, Teaching, We Need Diverse Books
When author Ana Crespo made an author visit via Zoom to the school where I work as a Literacy Coach on Cape Cod, the joy in classrooms was palpable. Most children in our K-3 school had never met an author before, and they were excited to meet Ana. Crespo, a native of...
by Mary E. Cronin | Oct 7, 2022 | Cape Cod, Community connections, Poetry
WHAT IS A FRIEND? I am delighted to be a part of a new poetry book for middle graders that answers this question. It’s a collection of poems about all aspects of friendship– getting along, competing, trying out new ventures together. My poem, “Team,” is about a...
by Mary E. Cronin | Oct 8, 2020 | Cape Cod, Community connections, LGBTQ+, We Need Diverse Books
It was a delight to be part of a (remote) round-table discussion this week on WCAI-FM (the Cape and Islands NPR station) about children’s literature and diversity. On “The Point” program hosted by Mindy Todd, I was joined by an educator from the Mashpee...