Nikki Grimes

Every day a story
We have yet to write.
What will yours be?
What will mine?

You have to. Lord knows, there's more than enough in the world to cry about. Gotta laugh whenever you can!

All the time!

a woman is standing in front of a door with her arms in the air and smiling . ALT: a woman is standing in front of a door with her arms in the air and smiling .

God knows how to balance things out. Just after my personal hell-week ended, with my email account restored & new protections added, I received some of the best news of my career. Let's just say I'll be happy-dancing, for quite a while! Thanks, Lord. Jesus, your grace and goodness abounds.

I'm reading this now and laughing inside. Two days after this post, my email was hacked! I spent the last week recovering my accounts, with the tech aid of two indomitable friends. I do not wish a hack on anyone! I cannot begin to calculate the man and woman hours it took to set things right. Ugh!

William & Mary University of Williamsburg, VA faces its uncomfortable & painful history of enslaved peoples. Through The Lemon Project, they identify and memorialize enslaved peoples connected with this institution. As some diligently try to bury such history, I find this ongoing project noteworthy.

Oh joy! I've been hacked! So I'll be a little scarce here, because I'll be dealing with this, and trying to get it all sorted. If you know me and by any chance receive an invitation with my name on it, or pretty much anything else for the moment, best to delete it, or text me to check. All for now

The Joy of Learning and literacy conference brought me to William and Mary and Williamsburg Virginia. What a stunning campus! A step back in history for sure. Here's the little taste. More to come.

My garden is mostly mad at me, right now, and with good reason. I haven't had any time, lately, to work on it. The flowers are pretty much on strike, except for these! I visited them this afternoon to say thank you. The roses were not impressed! Too bad. They will simply have to wait their turn!

Experiencing email woes at the Worst. Possible. Time! Has me longing for the good-old-days of actual, physical correspondence, and—what's that? Oh, yeah—phone calls! Missed connections are not a good thing, people. Just sayin'. Sigh.

Don't jinx it!

Thanks, Amy! I totally get why folks stop posting, though. There is very little engagement, here. Too often, we post, and the sound we hear is crickets! That doesn't encourage one to hang around. I, however, am especially stubborn, so I keep trying. Three cheers for stubbornness!

Yes! The joys! Sometimes, I feel my house laughing at me.

Hot water heater. Air conditioner. Attic insulation. I know this is a 1st world problem, but I wish my house would take its hand out of my pocket. Is there an app for that? If one more thing has to be repaired or replaced, I'll scream. You'll know because you'll hear me from wherever you are!

There is grief aplenty, right now. Remember: nature has healing power. Spend time in your garden, go hiking, or go for a walk in the woods. Let the fragrance of a rose, the beauty of bird song, or breezes ruffling the leaves in the trees kiss your soul, and bring you a moment of solace and joy.

Where am I off to next? William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. Not too shabby! Hope there's time to tour the campus following my keynote. I hear the town is stunning and rich in history. I just might be forced to go back just because. (Such a hardship!)

Is there anything more precious than fan mail from little ones? I don’t think so. One student wrote “ Dear Nikki Grimes, I love your book Oh, Brother because it’s a great book. Can I ask you a question? Can you come to my school? You don’t have to but if you want to.”😍

New fan mail from the Littles! The very sight of that chunky handwriting alone makes me smile. Looking forward to diving in two words from these precious little ones. Easily one of the most delightful things about my job!

Trying out dictation feature. It feels weird! We'll see how I feel about it after a week or so. Yikes! Beginning a new adventure. Gotta do it! Wish me luck.

Project Narrative Education Podcast · Monthly · The Project Narrative podcast is built on the idea that storytelling is one of humanity’s greatest inventions, a way in which we both seek to understand the world and to ...

When I'm not writing, I'm talking. Guess there's no avoiding my voice! (Hoping that's a good thing.) This time around, I'm delving into Ordinary Hazards, the long journey to get there, and my writing process along the way.

podcasts.apple.com/mt/podcast/p...

Saw a doctor this morning about my painful, swollen hand. He told me I’ve been work8ng too hard. Sent me home with a brace to wear when I work! It’s always something, isn’t it? Sigh.

My favorite pic from the Fair. I'm so proud of her! If you know, you know.

I rarely blurb novels in verse, largely because I'm incredibly picky when it comes to this genre. Last year, however, I blurbed three because I believed each one to be a winner.
I sure can pick 'em, can't I?
Congrats, ladies! You all killed it!

One of the great pleasures of being 75 is that I no long embarrass easily. If I see a guy who is clearly a snack, not only will I tell him so, but I will look him straight in the eye when I do, and smile. I'm not going to do anything about it, mind you, but there is absolutely no shame in my game.

I'm sorry, what? There's another addition to the series? That Dyamonde Daniel sure does get around!

The book fair is almost here! Hope to see many of you this Saturday in chilly Philly. Your sunny faces will warm us all up! I'm especially looking forward to signing Stronger Than for the first time, along with illustrator E.B. Lewis. Sweet!

It's a wrap! My co-author Stacy Wells, enjoyed a full house at the Texas launch of Stronger Than. Next I head to Philly where illustrator E. B. Lewis and I will sign copies at the African American Children’s Book Fair. Hope to see some of you. I’ll need your sunny smiles to warm me up! Brrrrrrr.

So happy that you've discovered it! Enjoy.

Let's hang on to the last part, keep praying, keep moving forward doing all we know to do. And each day, make space for joy. Joy is our fuel.

My heart goes out to you, Mama. I know you're feeling it. I'll be adding you to my prayer list.