Good Night, Escargot just debuted on the Indie bestseller list!!!

I’m also aware that I have limited time on this planet to make all the things I want to make. I already have more ideas than I will ever be able to use.

I literally don’t think I could do this. Not sure what that says about me.

I often tell myself that I’m not *actually* writing the thing, I’m just experimenting to see what it would be like if did write the thing. “I’m not actually writing the thing,” is kind of a mantra, to be honest.

If anyone was wondering what sort of gift to give me for any occasion at all…

Is there a good alternative model? The experts I trust seem to be skeptical of most of the proposals for regulating Big Tech (e.g. age verification, eliminating Section 230) but in a sea of wrong answers, is there a right one?

I remember pitching a version of this story to each of the big long-form magazines back in the early 2000s and each of my editors telling me this was tinfoil hat stuff and they weren’t interested. I think about it often.

Ok that sounds pretty damn amazing! Good luck with the launch of your book!

I spent this afternoon with some kids in grades K-2 at Schwab Elementary School in Nashville writing a story about a lamp named Chicken who has a meltdown in the library and I defy you to tell me a better way to spend the day.

This right here. Every conversation across difference builds the movement. Every time we share information about something to DO besides doomscroll and despair builds the movement. Every invitation, every connection.

Happy book birthday to my favorite French snail and imaginary friend/alter ego from Day 2 of our coast to coast tour!

Part of striking is supporting the local, independent businesses who might lose employees/customers that day. Help them out by buying a little sumpin extra the day before or the day after—or both!

Start by striking on May 1!

If you’re still asking why Eric Swalwell got exposed now please read this.

Yellow and black posters that say no work no school no shopping May 1, 2026

I just told my Lyft driver (a regretful Trump voter) about the May 1 general strike (no work/no school/no shopping) and he was so psyched! “OK, no work on May 1! We have to get together.”

Who have you told?

Some reviews of Deep Blue!

I made a goofy video about the book. Check it out!

Diving into Deep Blue The story behind the second book in the Blue Series

How pandemic pool closures inspired me to face my fears and become an open water swimmer—and write Deep Blue.

open.substack.com/pub/dashkasl...

Christ on a cracker, Senator. Your poll-tested messaging is not up to the task of responding to a populace terrified about an unhinged madman launching a world-destroying war.

Congratulations to @dashkaslater.bsky.social on the release of her latest picture book, DEEP BLUE, the beautiful sequel to her WILD BLUE picture book (both illustrated by Laura Hughes).

If you're looking for books for young readers about mustering courage and overcoming fears, these are perfect!

Deep Blue: Swimming in the Big Blue Sea Check out Deep Blue: Swimming in the Big Blue Sea - <b>Swimming in the ocean can be scary, until Kayla uses her imagination to overcome her fears in this lyrical story for readers trying something new...

My mom is out of the hospital which means I can finally lift my head up long enough to say, "Hey! I have a new book out tomorrow!" It's called Deep Blue and it's about conquering your fears to discover the joy of swimming in the ocean. You can order it here.
bookshop.org/a/96530/9781...

a stack of books with the words i want to read all the books Alt: a stack of books with the words i want to read all the books

Just a reminder to buy all kinds of books for your kids...weird ones, new ones, old ones, debuts etc.

That popular series they love is great, and it probably began as a single book which took off.

With cool imprints closing, we need to bring in more voices, more ideas, more variety.

hey, if AI proponents hadn’t been making up nonsense about AI tools while forcing them on us, then maybe people wouldn’t reflexively block AI tools, even when they actually work. that’s not on normies for being rational consumers. that’s on AI proponents for being systematically full of shit

Children’s books don’t need to have an obvious message or moral and those that do are generally considered to be … not good.

My latest, on why those of us who write for young people need to move beyond the hero’s journey.

dashkaslater.substack.com/p/we-need-ne...

Today and tomorrow!

B&N is running a preorder sale from 3/24 - 3/26. 25% off on preorders!
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/good-night...

I just can’t.

When: Warwick school board meeting, March 17. What happened: Board members agreed to postpone voting on a resource list for Warwick High School’s AP Language and Composition course. Why it matters: The board decided to separate the book “The 57 Bus” from the resource list and vote on the resource at the April 21 board meeting to allow for additional feedback to be obtained. “The 57 Bus” is one of many books that AP students can select for the course and parents will be informed of the book choices at the beginning of the school year.

Book description: “The 57 Bus” by Dashka Slater is a young adult nonfiction book that tells the story of Sasha and Richard, whose lives collide on a bus in Oakland, California. The book explores the complex intersections of race, class, gender identity and the justice system. Public comment: Michelle Bautista, a district resident, questioned why Warwick would offer a book that deals with trauma. She suggested that the book was not a good choice to be on the reading list. Quotable: “This is a disturbing book that has negative and toxic energy, and a highly politicized book,” Bautista said. Then directing her comments to the Warwick board, she said, “A lot of you ran on these issues,” noting that board members would be “very easily replaceable.”

Also: After discussion, all nine board members approved “The Giver, Graphic Novel,” by P. Craig Russell, adapted from Lois Lowry’s original novel, to be used for the Warwick Middle School course, Grade 8 English Language Arts. Board member Jerry Steinman questioned having a “graphic” novel in the curriculum. It was explained that “graphic” refers to the illustrations that present the novel in a way that resembles a comic book, not to any images that are sexually graphic. Background: “The Giver” has been a part of the Warwick Middle School curriculum for many years, and the graphic version of the book would be available to students who prefer that type of book. Traditional paperback books would also be available. “The Giver” is a novel about a seemingly utopian society that has eliminated pain and conflict through sameness but at the cost of emotions, color and choice. The book explores themes of memory, individuality and the price of a pain-free existence.

I don’t know what makes me more disgusted—the fact that the Warwick, PA school board might ban my book because ONE parent thinks it has “toxic energy” or the fact that one of the board members making decisions about what books students can read legitimately didn’t know what a graphic novel is.

Welcome to the Stupidocene A short list of things that are making us stupid. Read it while you still can.

This week’s Sigh of Relief lists 11 things that are making us stupider as a species. Read it and weep/laugh/stare blankly into space waiting for the AI to tell you how to react.

open.substack.com/pub/dashkasl...