When art is personal, playful, and purposeful, it can change the way people learn and connect. In Episode. 185, Dr. Diane talks with poet, teaching artist, and speaker LeJuane “El’Ja” Bowens about poetry, workshops, civic engagement, and why the next generation gives him hope.

El'Ja shares how a 10th-grade poetry project sparked his love of writing, how an open mic after the military helped him realize poetry could become a career, and how his work as a teaching artist grew from one workshop into a mission. He also talks about making poetry accessible for kids of all ages, using creative writing to invite participation, and designing workshops that feel more personal than academic.

Our conversation explores purpose over popularity, the role of art in civic engagement, and why poetry can be both fun and deeply meaningful. If you love poetry, teaching, creativity, and conversations about the arts as a force for connection, this episode is for you.

Chapters

• 02:08 – How El'Ja became a poet.
• 04:05 – Becoming a teaching artist.
• 06:18 – What makes a workshop work for wide age ranges.
• 09:01 – Making poetry fun and accessible for young learners.
• 10:26 – Using themes, choices, and play in creative writing.
• 14:55 –El'Ja shares the poem “Perfect.”
• 17:20 – Purpose over popularity.
• 18:58 – What El'Ja believes art is for.
• 19:40 – Art, civic engagement, and the TEDx talk.
• 23:14 – What currently brings hope.

Links

• Follow LeJuane “El’Ja” Bowens
• Watch El'Ja's TEDx talk
• Buy El'Ja's books

Call to Action

If this episode speaks to you, share it with a teacher, poet, artist, or anyone who believes creativity matters. Subscribe, rate, and review Adventures in Learning, and keep the conversation going about poetry, purpose, and the power of art.

Support the show

Share this episode

If this conversation sparked wonder, gave you a helpful strategy, or offered a needed reminder of hope, please share it with a friend or colleague.

Subscribe • Download • Review • Tell a friend

Stay updated with our latest episodes and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Adventures in Learning website. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.

What makes a classic story feel new again? In this episode of Adventures in Learning, Dr. Diane talks with author Máire Roche about Little Monsters, Little Women, Bromantasy, and the power of stories that help young readers feel seen.

Máire shares how Little Women shaped her as a reader and writer, why Meg has always been her favorite March sister, and how Little Monsters grew from her desire to write a spooky, recognizable story for kids.

They explore literature as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors, plus anxiety, representation, gender, class, Bromantasy, writing full time, and why hope means planting anyway.

Perfect for Little Women fans, middle grade readers, teachers, librarians, and anyone who loves thoughtful book talk. Also, check out the book club interview with the cast of Riverside Center for the Performing Arts' Little Women!

Timestamps + Chapters

• 00:00 – Welcome and why Little Monsters felt instantly special.
• 02:27 – The origin of Little Monsters and writing Meg's story.
• 05:19 – Reading from chapter one.
• 07:15 – Reimagining Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy for a modern audience.
• 09:55 – Choosing each sister's monstrous power.
• 16:15 – Growing up with Little Women and becoming a writer.
• 22:54 – Bromantasy, anxiety, representation, and hope.

Links

• Pre-order Little Monstersand Bromantasy
• Follow Máire Roche
• Check out Episode 183 and get tickets to Little Women

Support the show

Share this episode

If this conversation sparked wonder, gave you a helpful strategy, or offered a needed reminder of hope, please share it with a friend or colleague.

Subscribe • Download • Review • Tell a friend

Stay updated with our latest episodes and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Adventures in Learning website. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.

What happens when the actors in Little Women read modern reinterpretations (Little Monsters, and Beth Is Dead) of the very characters they’re bringing to life onstage?

Dr. Diane welcomes the March sisters from Riverside Center for the Performing Arts ’ Little Women for a lively conversation about sisterhood, performance, and reimagining classic characters. Sarah Mae Andersen (Meg), Ashlee Beary (Jo), Ella Schnoor (Beth), and Madison Cox (Amy) share how they found their way to theater, how they connect to their characters, and how reading modern versions of these familiar sisters deepens the story they’re telling onstage. We also discuss how Little Monsters and Beth is Deadoffer new ways to think about the March sisters while honoring the emotional core of Louisa May Alcott’s original story.

Timestamps

• 01:05 – Meet Sarah, Ashlee, Ella, & Madison
• 05:05 – Connecting to Meg, Jo, Beth, & Amy
• 10:16 – Sisterhood, peacemaking, and character nuance
• 18:48 – First reactions to Little Monsters
• 24:39 – Beth Is Dead and the murder mystery twist
• 28:22 – Why Little Women keeps getting reimagined
• 36:13 – What’s currently bringing hope

Links

• Get tickets for Little Women at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts
• Follow Riverside Center for the Performing Arts, Sarah Mae Andersen, Ashlee Beary, Ella Schnoor, and Madison Cox on Instagram.
• Read Little Monsters by Máire Roche and Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet.

Support the show

Share this episode

If this conversation sparked wonder, gave you a helpful strategy, or offered a needed reminder of hope, please share it with a friend or colleague.

Subscribe • Download • Review • Tell a friend

Stay updated with our latest episodes and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Adventures in Learning website. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.

What if midlife isn’t a crisis, but a portal to your next adventure? In this episode, Dr. Diane sits down with Dr. Ellen Albertson, the “Midlife Whisperer,” for a conversation about self-compassion, reinvention, and what it really means to thrive in midlife. Dr. Ellen shares her approach to helping women move through midlife with more clarity, confidence, and compassion, blending psychology, wellness, and practical tools for transformation.

Together, they explore the core ideas from Dr. Ellen’s work, including how to love yourself first, energize yourself, reprogram your mind, empower yourself, and reconnect with purpose. They also talk about nervous system care, the power of breath, creativity as an antidote to numbness, and why community and connection matter so much in seasons of change.

The conversation also introduces Dr. Ellen’s new metaphor for transformation, Dragonflying, and how human design can help us better understand ourselves and the way we move through the world. If you’re ready for a reset, this episode offers hope, perspective, and a reminder that change begins from the inside out.

Timestamps

• 01:02 – Midlife as a portal, not a crisis
• 03:11 – The seven steps: love yourself, know yourself, energize yourself, and more
• 12:56 – Learning through play, stress, and staying present
• 14:54 – “Just breathe”: nervous system care and self-compassion
• 20:38 – Dragonflying and the human design connection
• 24:17 – Human design, self-worth, and navigating your next decades
• 26:43 – Connection, empathy, and the power of community
• 28:46 – Hope, peace, and wonder in everyday life
• 33:06 – What’s currently bringing Dr. Ellen hope

Call to Action

If this conversation resonated, share it with a friend navigating midlife, change, or a season of reinvention.

• www.themidlifewhisperer.com and the dragonflying academy
• Get your Midlife Radiance Assessment with Dr. Ellen
• Check out Rock Your Midlife.
• Follow Dr. Ellen Albertson on Substack, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, & Facebook.

Support the show

Share this episode

If this conversation sparked wonder, gave you a helpful strategy, or offered a needed reminder of hope, please share it with a friend or colleague.

Subscribe • Download • Review • Tell a friend

Stay updated with our latest episodes and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Adventures in Learning website. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.

What if a Greek-underworld adventure could help middle grade readers name anxiety, see hidden home struggles, and believe they’re worthy of rescue too?

In this episode, Dr. Diane talks with author and former costume designer Shana Targosz about Relic of Thieves, a companion to River of Spirits that can stand on its own and sits comfortably beside Percy Jackson on the shelf. Shana shares why Anya’s story—turbulent home life, deep anxiety, and the shattering loss of a best friend—is so personal, and how sending Anya (and Lizzie) into the Greek underworld lets readers watch a quiet, fearful girl discover her own strength and worth.

They dig into friendship and empathy (what it means to “be a Lizzie” for someone whose home life might be hard), a fresh, agency-centered take on Hades and Persephone, and how Shana’s years in theater and costume design shape her vivid, read-aloud-friendly worldbuilding—including a sentient cloak that becomes a character in its own right. Shana also teases Book 3, featuring the youngest Fate, talks about writing for and with her son as first ideal reader, and reflects on turning old wounds into stories that offer kids safety, second families, and hope.

Timestamps

• 01:32 :Companion novel magic: reading Book 2 first and meeting Anya
• 03:19:Why Anya’s story is personal and why kids in hard homes need it
• 07:22:Lizzie, friendship, and helping readers build real-world empathy
• 08:27:Rethinking Hades and Persephone and giving Persephone more power
• 10:41:Writing across ages: trauma, grief, loss, and “a dollop of hope”
• 11:21:Read-aloud goodness: opening lines and raspberry jam doom
• 15:50:From costume design to the page: theater, visuals, and voice
• 18:33:Charon’s sentient cloak and turning clothing into a character
• 19:44:Returning to the Underworld: evolving shops and settings
• 20:49:Big reveal: Book 3, the youngest Fate
• 22:41:Writing for her son and sharing emotional moments as he reads
• 26:18:Advice for young writers: your story matters, even when it’s hard
• 27:32:Writing from past pain toward safety, second families, and hope
• 29:08:What’s currently bringing Shana hope

Invitation / Links

If you love Greek and Roman mythology, character-driven fantasy, or books that hold both darkness and healing for middle graders, this conversation is for you.

• Listen to Episode 181 on your favorite podcast app.
• Ask your library or local indie bookstore to order Relic of Thieves,and River of Spirits

Support the show

Share this episode

If this conversation sparked wonder, gave you a helpful strategy, or offered a needed reminder of hope, please share it with a friend or colleague.

Subscribe • Download • Review • Tell a friend

Stay updated with our latest episodes and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Adventures in Learning website. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.

In 2026, Candace Fleming did something no one else has ever done—she became the first author to receive both the Children’s Literature Legacy Award and the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Young Adult Lifetime Achievement in the same year, while also winning the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown. We celebrate that extraordinary moment, then go straight to what really matters to Candace: kids, questions, and story-rich nonfiction that invites readers to think.

We talk about why she still shows up in classrooms as a “nonfiction cheerleader,” helping students see that great nonfiction starts with passion and curiosity, not a pile of facts. She shares how she encourages kids to move beyond “Google it” retrieval toward authentic research by starting with something they love, asking big, weird questions, and following those questions wherever they lead.

The conversation explores the craft behind tackling complex, often heavy topics for young readers. Candace discusses Death in the Jungle and her current middle grade project on rhino poaching in South Africa, where wildlife forensics, economics, colonial history, and the story of one orphaned calf intersect. We reflect on nonfiction as an imaginative, deeply personal form of writing, and what it means to nurture original thinking and voice in an AI world.

This episode offers a rare window into an unprecedented awards year and the curiosity-driven process behind some of today’s most compelling nonfiction for young readers.

Chapters:

• 01:42: What this triple recognition really means
• 04:26: Writing across age groups & interests
• 07:01: School visits, passion, & kid-chosen topics
• 10:22: Retrieval vs research, big questions, & nonfiction as imaginative work
• 12:17: Nonfiction in an age of AI: voice, perspective, & original thinking
• 15:16: Rhino poaching: crime scenes, orphaned calves, & complex issues
• 25:54: A “lighter” World War II family story
• 27:27: Finding hope

Learn More:

• Visit Candace's website and follow her on Instagram.
• Listen to Episode 18.
• Check out Candace's books.
• Learn more about CBCC & Wild Tomorrow.

Support the show

Share this episode

If this conversation sparked wonder, gave you a helpful strategy, or offered a needed reminder of hope, please share it with a friend or colleague.

Subscribe • Download • Review • Tell a friend

Stay updated with our latest episodes and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Adventures in Learning website. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.

What if your next great STEM or STEAM lesson started with a pirate sheep, a muddy teddy bear, or a very confused Little Red who thinks a wolf is a cat? In this joyful springtime episode, author‑illustrator and former pre‑K teacher Ashley Belote joins Dr. Diane to share playful, practical ways to turn picture book read‑alouds into rich learning adventures for early childhood and elementary students. From sink‑and‑float challenges with Sheepwrecked, to slime chemistry in Valenslime and Frankenslime, to circuits, empathy, and seasonal change in Little Red and Big Bad Fred, you'll walk away with classroom‑ready ideas that blend laughter, literacy, and hands‑on STEM/STEAM exploration.

Episode Chapters

[00:00] Spring joy & Sheepwrecked adventures (mapping, sink/float, boat building)

[04:31] Slime chemistry & growth mindset with Frankenslime/Valenslime

[07:25] Don't Wash Winston: mud pies, compassion & engineering challenges

[11:17] Little Red and Big Bad Fred

Ashley's fractured fairy tale origin (playful doodling → wolf mistaken for cat), Little Red/Fred friendship arc, and why adults need unstructured play as much as kids do.

[14:55] Energy stick circuits & connection demos the transformative power of friendship

Hands-on science—turning insulators (wood spoons, paper towels) into conductors with foil/water mirrors how Little Red's friendship transforms conflicted Fred.

[20:51] SEL application & seasonal science with Little Red and Big Bad Fred

Kids apply circuit metaphor to relationships ("What insulates you from connection?"), plus Little Red's changing outfits/colors reveal seasons, time-of-day, visual literacy.

[25:00] Make read alouds and read alikes your superpower for playful connections

Call to Action

Ready to make picture books your STEM superpower?

• Explore Ashley Belote's picture books and reach out if you'd like Dr Diane and Ashley Belote to bring a picture book STEM workshop to your community

Support the show

Share this episode

If this conversation sparked wonder, gave you a helpful strategy, or offered a needed reminder of hope, please share it with a friend or colleague.

Subscribe • Download • Review • Tell a friend

Stay updated with our latest episodes and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Adventures in Learning website. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.

What happens when you finally give that brave, younger version of yourself permission to come back out and play? In this episode, author and teaching artist Alicia D. Williams joins Dr. Diane to talk about solo travel, rediscovering joy, and seeking kindness around the globe—from Paris and Mexico to Ghana, Ireland, and Italy.

Along the way, we celebrate Alicia’s beautiful new picture book, Nani and the Lion, and dive deep into the power of oral storytelling and read‑alouds to transform classrooms and kids’ lives. Alicia names what many early childhood educators feel: we rush children into writing before we’ve honored the building blocks of story. She shares why story should begin with talking, acting, drumming, and drawing—and how oral storytelling grows vocabulary, empathy, expression, and confidence.

Looking for the perfect book for Read Across America or World Read Aloud Day? Look no further. Alicia has given us a lyrical original folktale that celebrates courage, rhythm, and the power of finding your voice.

Episode Chapters

• [01:07] Choosing bravery and joy through travel
• [06:55] What happens when you ask, “Show me how kind the world is”?
• [10:53] From invisible to seen -- finding community and connection
• [14:08] Curiosity, conservation, and connection
• [20:46] Nani and the Lion,
  • Alicia introduces Nani and the Lion,—an original folktale rooted in rhythm, drumming, repetition, and big, participatory read‑aloud moments that invite kids to march, roar, and join the story.
  • Alicia and Dr. Diane uncover the deeper theme: when you do the thing that brings you joy, you tame the “lions” that try to quiet you and help free others to be brave, too.
• [28:55] Joyful read‑alouds and playful learning through STEM
• [30:57] The power of oral storytelling
• [33:40] From spoken story to writers’ workshop
• [35:16] Sneak peek: Nani and the Monkey
• [40:21] Choosing joy every day

About Our Guest

Alicia D. Williams is an award‑winning author, teaching artist, and global traveler. She is the author of Genesis Begins Again (a Coretta Scott King Honor Book) and the new picture book Nani and the Lion, Learn more on Episodes 29 and 77.

Support the show

Share this episode

If this conversation sparked wonder, gave you a helpful strategy, or offered a needed reminder of hope, please share it with a friend or colleague.

Subscribe • Download • Review • Tell a friend

Stay updated with our latest episodes and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Adventures in Learning website. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.