The Lerner Blog

Singing was a passion of mine when I was in school. I sang second soprano in my high school’s chamber chorale. I went on two choir tours, to Colorado and Tennessee. (By bus. All the way from Minnesota. With about thirty other kids between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. It was a blast for […]Read more "Beautiful Music"

You might have seen that the launch party for Kate Hosford’s Big Bouffant was the picture of the day on PW. Kate’s part at New York’s Books of Wonder was a smashing success, and we’ve been marveling at all the creative coiffeur. Here are the highlights: And the boys got in on the updos too. […]Read more "Big Apple, Bigger Bouffants"

This weekend I traveled by train to Vermont and paid a visit to The Center for Cartoon Studies. If you haven’t heard of CCS, let me fill you in. It’s a small college (about 50 students tops) nestled in a small village (White River Junction). It’s a nurturing environment where emerging cartoonists spend a year […]Read more "Away at Cartoon College"

I ran across a great Q+A recently in an old company employee newsletter (in the days of print newsletters) that asked people what others thought they were reading versus what they actually were reading. It was very amusing, so I’ve asked my digital-age colleagues the same thing. Here’s what they say. (This is Part I […]Read more "What Are You Reading?"

Working with Jane Brocket has been a treat. Her book Spiky, Slimy, Smooth: What Is Texture? came out this spring, and we have several more books planned. I first came across her writing and photographs on her blog, yarnstorm. Jane provided a wonderful variety of photographs for Spiky, Slimy, Smooth, and when it came to […]Read more "Evolution of a Cover Design"

What did we do before Twitter, cars, and laser surgery? Somehow early civilizations managed to get along just fine and even excel when it came to communication, transportation, and medicine. In honor of our new Twenty-First Century Books series, we are celebrating Technology in Ancient Cultures Week!All week long we will be posting fascinating facts […]Read more "Technology in Ancient Cultures Contest"

Just a reminder, I’m still taking unlikeable narrators for another few weeks. I’ve gotten a good handful of submissions since I put out my call, and I’ve dipped into a few. I’m disliking what I see—which is kind of the point. And I appreciate all the tips on favorite problematic narrators. Keep ‘em coming. Photo […]Read more "Unlikeable update"

Dictators seem to be making headlines on a daily basis right now. Whether it’s Muammar al-Qaddafi in Libya, Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, or Omar al-Bashir in Sudan, the issues are hard to ignore. But how did these dictators establish power and take control of their populations, including the media, military, and courts? In our Dictatorships […]Read more "Dictatorships and Current Events"

Keep an eye out for the March 1st issue of Kirkus Reviews. The Maltese Mummy, by Trina Robbins and Tyler Page, received an encouraging review. The Maltese Mummy is the second volume of the Chicagoland Detective Agency, a series of graphic novels starring kid sleuths Megan and Raf (and dog sleuth Bradley). These funny, hip, […]Read more "Good Graphic Fun, Says Kirkus Reviews"