Exploring the Novel-In-Verse with Mae Respicio
Apr 26, 2025
Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA
Join us in person at Book Passage in Corte Madera where we'll explore some of the key craft elements that shape a verse novel—voice, structure, image systems, and the balance between poetry and plot—and you’ll leave with new sparks to bring your own verse novel to life. Registration closes April 25.
Event Info
WHAT
A novel in verse is storytelling at its most powerful core—where every word counts, white space carries weight, and emotion cuts straight to the heart.
How do you craft a full narrative arc in this unique form while making it resonate deeply with readers?
We’ll explore some of the key craft elements that shape a verse novel—voice, structure, image systems, and the balance between poetry and plot—and you’ll leave with new sparks to bring your own verse novel to life. We’ll do a couple of writing exercises, so bring something to write with! While not required, having a story idea you’d like to develop into an MG or YA novel in verse will help you get the most out of our time together. This seminar is also perfect for writers with a verse novel in progress, as they'll leave with fresh insights to help revise their work.
WHEN
Saturday, April 26, 2025
10:00 am - 12:00 am PST
WHERE
Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd.
Corte Madera, CA
PRICE
Members: $20
Non-members: $25
REGISTRATION INFO
Click the Register For Event button at the top of the page. Registration closes April 25.
QUESTIONS?
Contact Darcey Rosenblatt or Donna Lambo-Weidner
Meet Mae Respicio
Meet Mae Respicio
Mae is an award-winning author of middle grade books full of hope and heart, including The House that Lou Built, which received the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Honor Award and was named an NPR Best Book. Her work has earned starred reviews and landed on numerous state reading lists. Her latest, Isabel in Bloom, a Middle Grade novel in verse, was praised by The New York Times as a “sweet and heartfelt novel [that] explores how bumpy beginnings can offer chances for new growth.” She’s also written over a dozen nonfiction kids' books (Capstone) and has seven (!!!) upcoming Middle Grade novels releasing over the next few years (Penguin Random House). Mae lives with her supportive husband, teenagery teens, one rascally dog, and two chonky pet rats in the suburban wilds of Northern California.
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