In episode 41 of The Porchlight, Marcie Colleen charms us with her wit and heart, both of which are larger than life. Marcie holds a bachelor’s degree in Education of English and Language Arts from Oswego State University and a master’s degree in Educational Theater from New York University. She is the author of THE SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS chapter book series with Macmillan/Imprint, as well as her debut picture book, LOVE, TRIANGLE, illustrated by Bob Shea (Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins), and PENGUINAUT!, illustrated by Emma Yarlett and published by Scholastic in 2018. Marcie creates highly acclaimed Teacher’s Guides that align picture books and middle grade novels with the Common Core and state mandated standards. She is the Education Consultant for Picture Book Month and the Curriculum Developer for Time Traveler Tours & Tales. Marcie is also a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops and teaches online at The Writing Barn, Kidlit Writing School, and other venues.
During Marcie's interview with host Bethany Hegedus, they discuss the random places ideas can come from and the sometimes difficult process of finding the right title. Marcie details a story of how she listened to too many voices of critique and had to find her way back to her own vision after writing 39 drafts of PENGUINAUT. They give a shout out to author and 12X12 founder Julie Hedlund, featured on episode 20 of The Porchlight, for introducing them online. Marcie also discusses the joy she finds in puns and wordplay and how she uses both in her work. She also believes she was called to teaching and giving back by empowering new writers no matter how green they are because she seeks to lift people up the way she herself was lifted up by her mentors, which include Alvina Ling. Get ready to laugh and be inspired by Marcie Colleen, and find out more about her at http://www.thisismarciecolleen.com.