At the flower shop, while colorful bouquets sit waiting to be purchased, they talk to each other. Write their conversation.
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2024-2025 Book Reveal!
Are you getting excited?!
Each year, I announce the line ups for our wildly popular literature programs!
For the Quill (ages 5-7), I reveal themes you’ll explore while building foundational pre-literacy skills in reading, writing, and math.
For the Dart (ages 8-10), Arrow (ages 11-12), Boomerang (ages 13-14), and Slingshot (ages 15-18), I give updates and announce the book titles for the coming academic year!
Book Reveal Dates!
Click the links to register for the Zoom webinars (space limited).
For kids ages 5-10: Thursday, May 30 (12:00 pm EDT)
For kids ages 11-18: Friday, May 31 (12:00 pm EDT)
(Or watch on Facebook.)
When you register, you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of our fantastic GIVEAWAYS!
SIX FAMILIES will win:
- A gift card to purchase ALL the books for the year-long program of your choice
- A bundle of enchanted tools for writing—markers, pretty papers, sidewalk chalk and more!*
You don’t have to attend the webinars live to be eligible to win, but you do have to register! So be sure you add your name to the webinar registration for at least one of the days.
*International customers will receive one gift card that covers costs for both books and tools for writing!
Come live! The chat will be FLYING!!
Use this PDF Download to keep track of the book titles during the lives.
The Programs
Our Mechanics & Literature programs teach:
- grammar,
- punctuation,
- literary devices,
- and more through living literature!
The big reveal is also exciting for you because these are:
- books your family will read aloud together and treasure all year
- books that naturally teach all the stuff you worry about! (See above!)
Selecting the Books
Here at Brave Writer, we take the selection of these book titles Very Seriously!
All year, we read, discuss, and delight in the year’s latest fiction as well as relishing the classics.
- We aim for diversity of authorship and protagonists
- We incorporate a variety of genres: fantasy, poetry, nonfiction, historical fiction and the classics
- We carefully orchestrate the sequence of the books
- We balance book length against the holiday demands of a given month
- We alternate moving, poignant books with silly, lighthearted books
- We launch the year with a sure-fire winner and end with a warmhearted one
By the time we’ve settled on a book list, we’re chomping at the bit to share it with you!
You can expect a lively, inspired reading journey.
Our 2023–2024 year-long programs are still in the store!
After May 27, they will only be available as Literature Singles!
[Podcast #235] Why Moms Make the Best Advocates with Shannon Watts
Shannon Watts is the founder of Moms Demand Action, a six-million member organization she describes as “maybe the world’s largest real life field experiment for what happens when you show women how their abilities and their burning desires and their values align, and how they come alive and can achieve things they never imagined possible.”
We are thrilled to have her on the Brave Writer podcast today to talk about her upcoming book, Fight Like a Mother.
Chris Langford Photography
In this episode, we talk about:
- how both misogyny and motherhood shape women’s journey to, and through, advocacy,
- how to withstand blowback and the discomfort that comes with growth, including celebrating small wins and “finding your people,”
- and how social media has allowed women to bypass traditional media gatekeepers.
Our conversation with Shannon about the intersection of motherhood, feminism, and activism is one that will keep us fueled for a long time. We hope you enjoy it.
Show Notes
Moms and Advocacy
The fierce protective nature commonly found in moms can help them bust through the misogynistic baggage that’s been heaped upon them their whole lives. Whether it’s advocating for common sense gun laws or advocating for a child in the education system, the love a mother has for her child can bring out the best in her as an advocate and as a fully empowered adult.
Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
Just like being pregnant or parenting teens, moms have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable when being activists. Bucking authority and facing backlash can make many stop their advocacy before it even really starts. In her book, Shannon acknowledges this and gives concrete ways women can overcome these obstacles and build stamina for the fight.
Media Gatekeepers
Despite creating one of the largest grassroots groups in American history, and being an expert on policy, Shannon still often gets shut out from major media appearances. When she is let in, she’s often relegated to the role of describing the emotional side of the issue. Shannon talks about how social media has been huge for her and other women to bypass traditional media gatekeepers to get their voices heard.
Our conversation with Shannon about the intersection of motherhood, feminism, and activism is one that will keep us fueled for a long time.
Resources
- Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention!
- Pre-order a copy of Fired Up and sign up for Shannon’s free Firestarter University course
- Check out Shannon’s book and other books we’ve recommended on the podcast in the Brave Writer Bookshop.
- Get involved at MomsDemandAction.org.
- Sign up for Shannon’s Substack
- Follow Shannon’s on Instagram: @ShannonWatts
- Order a copy of Julie’s new workbook, Becoming a Critical Thinker.
- Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
- Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684
Connect with Julie
- Instagram: @juliebravewriter
- Threads: @juliebravewriter
- Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter
Connect with Melissa
- Website: melissawiley.com
- Substack: melissawiley.substack.com
- Instagram: @melissawileybooks
Produced by NOVA Media
May Day Sale 2024!
UPDATE: The sale has expired.
- Do you have a resistant writer?
- Have you struggled to teach writing this year?
- Do you want a fresh start in language arts next year?
- Are you new to homeschooling and seeking a writing and language arts program?
Growing Brave Writers is the tool you need no matter where you are in your homeschool journey—kids ages 8–18!
You’ll use these foundational writing practices again and again across the curriculum to teach all of your children!
It is the ONE purchase to teach them all!
In each chapter of Growing Brave Writers you’ll find:
- a coaching guide in each chapter that will take you about 3–7 minutes to read
- a corresponding activity written in a step-by-step format
- a checklist for your self-esteem (planners rejoice!)
- sample narrative sketches to help you assess your child’s progress
- word banks that provide you with academic language for those sketches and any reporting
- samples of the writing activities
Whew! Time savers!
May is a super time to jump in!
Either get ready for next year or wrap up this year. We’ve got you!
Need handholding? After purchase, we’ll send monthly emails walking you through the year with Growing Brave Writers! (Yay for support!)
Need tips now? Check out our blog post on using Growing Brave Writers at the end of the year.
Friday Freewrite: Itchy
Aliens from outer space visit and share that they don’t understand what “itchy” means. Describe how it feels.
New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.
