Janet Ruth Heller's Blog
Dec.12.2010
I joined my first critique group for writers when I lived in Chicago in the 1970s and 1980s. I had met the other members of my group when we all co-edited the literary journal _Primavera_. We did not have time during our editorial staff meetings to discuss one another's creative writing. So five...
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Oct.28.2010
On October 26, 2010, the U. S. Department of Education released an excellent letter to schools about the need to take a more comprehensive approach to combating bullying. In general, schools often view bullying as isolated incidents, rather than perceiving underlying patterns of discrimination...
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Sep.04.2010
Recently, Sarah Palin mixed the words "repudiate" and "refute" to create the neologism "refudiate." While I am impressed by people who use polysyllabic words correctly, I doubt that anyone is impressed by individuals who try to sound educated by using long Latinate-...
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Jul.12.2010
As a big sports fan, I watched LeBron James's ESPN interview last week with fascination. James had the whole nation in suspense about which NBA team he would join. I kept thinking that good writers also deserve media attention.
When Wordsworth and Coleridge were alive, British newspapers and...
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Jun.13.2010
I write many poems, some about children. I find that the poems about kids are very hard to publish. Why is this so difficult?
My theory is that many editors, especially men, believe that poems about children are overly sentimental and thus unworthy of publication. But we can easily refute...
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Jun.04.2010
In 1999, I went to a writers' conference where one editor claimed that books for children must have the child hero or heroine alone completely solve the problems raised. I was astounded by this narrow-minded claim, which would nullify the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle stories, the Harry Potter novels, the...
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2 comments
Heller uses a storytelling voice with modern, accessible language. Her well-written prose moves the reader forward as she creates reader empathy for the moon, and makes readers want to know what the moon will do to overcome the sun's bullying. The text never feels too long, but sings with a lyrical storytelling rhythm. Heller has obvious insight into how it feels to be bullied or emotionally abused, and the way hurtful words can impact on one. . . . How the Moon Regained Her Shape is both entertaining and a great tool on how to deal with the impact of bullying or emotional abuse, and how to build self esteem and confidence and belief in oneself. It encourages readers not to hold onto negative comments, but instead to seek out their friends, to seek out positive messages about themselves and to listen to them, and to build up their self esteem and hold onto their self worth. This book can spark positive discussion and bring about a greater understanding of bullying or emotional abuse and its impact. If you've ever experienced bullying, emotional abuse, or felt put-down, or know someone who has, pick up this book. You won't regret it. Highly recommended.”
—Cheryl Rainfield on www.cherylrainfield.com--Picture Book Reviews
About Janet
Janet Ruth Heller is a poet, literary critic, college professor, essayist, playwright, and fiction writer. I am a past president of the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature, and I am currently president of the Michigan College English Association....
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Causes Janet Heller Supports
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Nature Conservancy, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Autism Speaks,





