Holly Thompson's Blog

This summer I'm a guest blogger for SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators). Watch for my posts every Thursdays throughout August on the SCBWI Official Blog. 

I open Week 1 with "SCBWI: One Intro to Another, Learning from Each Other," focusing on individuals and moments that led to writing for young people, then joining the regional team of SCBWI Japan, volunteering my time, and gaining a deep education in the craft of picture books and novels, learning from every speaker we featured and the monthly events we held for writers, illustrators and translators.

Week 2 dives into the Asian Festival of Children's Content with SCBWI opportunities in Asia.

Week 3 tackles Translation and the Wide Worlds of KidLit. 

Week 4 explores The Lasting Impact of an Internship.

Have a look!

Huzzah! Listening to Trees: George Nakashima, Woodworker written by me and illustrated by Toshiki Nakamura has won a 2025 Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Crystal Kite Award!

This is the second time for a literary work of mine to receive a Crystal Kite. My verse novel Orchards was also awarded a Crystal Kite!

Both Listening to Trees and Orchards, as with most of my books, took years of research, many drafts and extensive revisions. I learned so much along the way creating each of these books, and it's such an honor to receive this literary peer-voted recognition. 

Thank you!

The updated Educators Guide for Listening to Trees: George Nakashima is now available! You'll find it linked from the Listening to Trees Holiday House publisher's page. 

Below are photos of the guide, and here's the Listening to Trees: George Nakashima, Woodworker Educators Guide link. In the Educators Guide see the QR code that will take you to my guest blog post in DiVerse Verse on researching the book and ideas for guiding students in writing their own haibun--the Japanese poetry form that combines haiku plus prose. 

I'm booking school visits for 2025-2026, so have a look at the Educator's Guide and visit my website hatbooks.com to see all my books. Send me a message and request a visit to your school. I love doing writing workshops, using poems to inspire young people to craft their own poetry.

A huge thank you to Lori Mehler for two features on George Nakashima in the March 2025 issue of the magazine Doylestown Living. 

First is "Roots of Peace: The Legacy of the Nakashima Foundation" which describes George Nakashima's dream to create peace altars for each continent of the world, beginning with the massive peace altar he crafted from an enormous walnut log that is installed at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan. The article features George's daughter Mira Nakashima, architect and woodworker, sharing additional ways in which peace and connections are core elements of Nakashima Woodworkers that are explored through art, events and the fostering of community. 

In "Echoes of the Forest: A Tribute to the Master of Wood, George Nakashima" Lori Mehler provides a beautiful introduction to picture book Listening to Trees: George Nakashima, Woodworker  and shares the observation that my writing tends to thread together the natural world, human resilience and art. The interview that follows features my responses to twelve challenging questions Lori asked! Included is focus on my relationship to trees and nature in my youth; my experiences in Japan forests visiting ancient trees; the physical book with illustrations by Toshiki Nakamura and detailed back matter material; discussion of the haibun form; themes of healing and resilience that thread through my books; inspiration drawn from two lands and cultures; cultivating compassion; and Mira Nakashima's extraordinary enthusiasm for this book project that stretched over a number of years. 

The link to a digital copy of the magazine is here. The two articles appear on pages 25-30. 

I'm so grateful for these back-to-back articles. I hope you'll read them and continue to strive for peace. 

I'll close with a quote from Lori Mehler:

Thompson's connection to George Nakashima's life and work goes beyond mere biography. As a writer she sees beauty in craftsmanship, in the delicate interplay between tradition and innovation and in the quiet, life-affirming moments that nature provides. Readers of all ages will find Listening to Trees a gentle introduction to Nakashima's legacy, his love for trees, and the enduring lessons he taught through his work. As a writer who has spent time in both Japan and the United States, Thompson's ability to weave these two worlds together offers readers a unique perspective on cultural exchange, art and the deeply rooted connection between human beings and the environment. 

Listening to Trees: George Nakashima, Woodworker (Neal Porter/Holiday House)

A huge thank you to Lori Mehler for two features on George Nakashima in the May 2025 issue of the magazine Doylestown Living. 

First is "Roots of Peace: The Legacy of the Nakashima Foundation" which describes George Nakashima's dream to create peace altars for each continent of the world, beginning with the massive peace altar he crafted from an enormous walnut log that is installed at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan. The article features George's daughter Mira Nakashima, architect and woodworker, sharing additional ways in which peace and connections are core elements of Nakashima Woodworkers that are explored through art, events and the fostering of community. 

In "Echoes of the Forest: A Tribute to the Master of Wood, George Nakashima" Lori Mehler provides a beautiful introduction to picture book Listening to Trees: George Nakashima, Woodworker  and shares the observation that my writing tends to thread together the natural world, human resilience and art. The interview that follows features my responses to twelve challenging questions Lori asked! Included is focus on my relationship to trees and nature in my youth; my experiences in Japan forests visiting ancient trees; the physical book with illustrations by Toshiki Nakamura and detailed back matter material; discussion of the haibun form; themes of healing and resilience that thread through my books; inspiration drawn from two lands and cultures; cultivating compassion; and Mira Nakashima's extraordinary enthusiasm for this book project that stretched over a number of years. 

The link to a digital copy of the magazine is here. The two articles appear on pages 25-30. 

I'm so grateful for these back-to-back articles. I hope you'll read them and continue to strive for peace. 

I'll close with a quote from Lori Mehler:

Thompson's connection to George Nakashima's life and work goes beyond mere biography. As a writer she sees beauty in craftsmanship, in the delicate interplay between tradition and innovation and in the quiet, life-affirming moments that nature provides. Readers of all ages will find Listening to Trees a gentle introduction to Nakashima's legacy, his love for trees, and the enduring lessons he taught through his work. As a writer who has spent time in both Japan and the United States, Thompson's ability to weave these two worlds together offers readers a unique perspective on cultural exchange, art and the deeply rooted connection between human beings and the environment. 

Listening to Trees: George Nakashima, Woodworker (Neal Porter/Holiday House)

Florida friends--I'll be doing three Listening to Trees family and friends events this week with book signings in Palm Beach and Broward counties. Then as soon as I return to MA, I'll be talking about the book in a webinar with the Five College Center for East Asian Studies. Join me and learn more about the extraordinary life of woodworker George Nakashima.

2/20 3-4 pm at Hagen Ranch Road Library, Palm Beach County--Listening to Trees Author Visit and Haiku Workshop plus book signing. Details here.

2/22 11-12:30 at Pompano Beach Library and Cultural Center, Broward County, Listening to Trees Reading and Haiku Workshop plus book signing. Details here.

2/23 11-12:30 with signings and garden walks 12:30-3 at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Palm Beach County. Reading and Garden Haiku Writing, plus book signings and garden meandering. Details here.
Ideal for makers ages 6 and up.
Then, shortly after I return to the frosty north...
2/25 7-8 pm I'll discuss George Nakashima and the process of making of Listening to Trees for the Five College Center for East Asian Studies (FCCEAS. Register here.

Happy 2025! Are you ready to dive into some picture book writing? 

My 2025 GrubStreet picture book writing classes start soon! 

Intro to Picture Books is a two-week course that meets for two Monday evenings: January 27 and Monday February 3 from 6-9 pm (Boston time) on Zoom. This course offers an overview of writing for the picture book format with in-class writing explorations. 

6 Weeks, 6 Picture Books is a six-week course that meets on six Monday evenings from 6-9 pm (Boston time) on Zoom beginning on February 24 and ending on March 31. This course is for those who'd like to craft and significantly revise three picture book texts over a six-week period with feedback and a supportive group.

Let your picture book friends know. Students who've previously joined 6 Weeks, 6 Picture Books are welcome to join again. 

Generative, supportive, inclusive. Scholarships are available. Join us!

Collage of some 2024 picture books

Listening to Trees: George Nakashima: Woodworker (Neal Porter/Holiday House) was featured in an online event presented by Japan Society Boston (JSB) and Museum of Fine Arts Boston yesterday! 

I had the pleasure of sharing my processes for researching, drafting and crafting the manuscript and back matter pages. I showed some process photos and gave a partial reading of the book.

MFA Boston curator Asako Katsura then dove into the reasons why George called himself a woodworker, and spoke of the Arts and Crafts movement and contexts for understanding his work, as well as the concept of naturalism and how George meant for his furniture pieces to be part of everyday life. 

Asako also shared a Nakashima bench photo and its exact gallery location in the MFA where, for the next few weeks while it is displayed, visitors can find it and enjoy the experience of sitting on one of George's iconic pieces of furniture. 

We were fortunate to be joined by George's daughter Mira Nakashima, who shared more details about her father's use of live-edges and some points about his particular woodworking ways. Peter Grilli, President emeritus of Japan Society Boston, also joined and shared the huge influence Japan had on Nakashima, and asked Mira to speak of George's experience living in India.

Thank you to Joanne Ha, Program Manager for JSB, for hosting and to Japan Society Boston, the MFA and everyone who attended!

You can view the full description of the event here, and you can view the recording of the event via the Japan Society Boston's YouTube channel.  

 The 2024-2025 edition of Footprints, the literary magazine of student work from my Elements of Fiction course at Yokohama City University, is here!

Elements of Fiction is an English course within the YCU International School of Liberal Arts in Yokohama, Japan. For background on this creative writing course and my creative portfolios approach, visit my chapter "Creative Portfolios: Adapting AWP Goals for EFL Creative Writing Courses in Japan," in The Place and the Writer  (Bloomsbury Academic, 2021).

Featured in this issue is writing from students living permanently in Japan, as well as exchange students. The Elements of Fiction course has recently shifted into an intensive course with 15 weeks of content packed into just one week, so some of these avid students developed their short stories and poems within an especially short time frame for crafting new pieces, receiving peer and teacher feedback, revising and polishing for publication.

I'm so pleased to present the 2023-2024 edition of Footprints literary magazine. 

This 2023-2024 edition features short fiction--fantasy and realistic--set in Japan and elsewhere in the world, plus poetry--free verse and in various forms. Here's the table of contents:

Please take a peek inside and journey with these stories and poems from YCU students. 

The students and I hope you enjoy!

For earlier online editions of Footprints:

          See this post about Footprints 2022-2023.

See this post about Footprints 2021-2022.

See this post about Footprints 2020-2021.

See this post about Footprints 2018 and Footprints 2019.

Great news! Listening to Trees: George Nakashima, Woodworker has been named a 2025 Orbis Pictus Recommended title. What an honor for Listening to Trees to receive this commendation. 

From the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) website:

The NCTE Orbis Pictus Award® for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children was established in 1989 to promote and recognize excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children. Orbis Pictus commemorates the work of Johannes Amos Comenius: Orbis Pictus—The World in Pictures (1658), considered to be the first book actually planned for children.

And such beautiful company for Listening to Trees--NCTE selected one winner, five honor books and eight recommended books. Some of these picture books I've read and shared in my picture book classes. I'm eager to read, study and share all of them. 

Congratulations to all of the writers, illustrators, editors, art directors and the many others involved in the making of these nonfiction picture books!