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Category Archives: Farewell

Farewell

What Was on My . . .

Posted on September 24, 2025 by sandranickel • 8 Comments

All good things must come to an end. And, alas, so must WhatWasOn… My life has simply become to full to be able to keep it going. Continue reading →

what was on…

It’s been a wonderful run doing this blog and talking to writers, illustrators, editors & agents of children’s and young adult literature. I’ve absolutely loved it! We got to the heart of everyone’s work and lives by asking What Was On their minds, desks, playlists, refrigerators, and much more.

But all good things must come to an end. And, alas, so must WhatWasOn… My life has simply become to full to be able to keep it going. I’ll leave the archive online for your reading pleasure, but will not be contributing any new content.

I will miss you, my dear readers, and of course the conversations with writers, illustrators, editors & agents. My heartfelt thanks to all of you!

Sandra Nickel is an award-winning author of picture books. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults and has presented workshops on writing for children and young adults throughout Europe and the United States. She is honored to be the winner of a Christopher Award, the winner of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Crystal Kite Award, a finalist for the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction for Younger Readers, a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection honoree, and a Charlotte Huck Award Recommended author.

Please visit Sandra’s website at sandranickel.com

Sandra is represented by Victoria Wells Arms of the Wells Arms Literary Agency.

(Photo by EMO-PHOTO)

★ BEAR’S BIG IDEA COVER REVEAL ★

Mr. Schu celebrated the Cover Reveal of BEAR’S BIG IDEA on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read. In addition to sharing the cover for the first time, Mr. Schu asked me to finish the following sentences: Bear’s Big Idea tells a story…, Il Sung Na’s illustrations…, Picture books…, Story is…, and John Schu, you should have asked me… I had a lot of fun with these sentences. You can find all of my answers HERE!

★ STORY MONSTERS INK MAGAZINE ★

I’m absolutely delighted that Story Monsters Ink Magazine featured me in their June, 2024 issue!

★ JUDGING THE GOLDEN KITE AWARD FOR PICTURE BOOK TEXT★

Over the past year I read nearly 400 picture books submitted for the Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text. Instituted over 50 years ago by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the Golden Kite Awards are the only children’s literary award judged by a jury of peers. It was an absolute honor to be on the jury and be immersed in the imaginations of so many creators. For all of you picture book authors out there: Bravo! You are bringing hope and insights, love and laughter to the world, and I celebrate each one of you!

★ CHARLOTTE HUCK AWARD RECOMMENDED BOOK ★

Can you imagine your book being honored for its "potential to transform children’s lives by inviting compassion, imagination, and wonder'? Well, it happened! BIG BEAR AND LITTLE FISH has been named a Charlotte Huck Award Recommended Book by the National Council of Teachers of English.

BREAKING THROUGH THE CLOUDS-- “An energetic, compassionate examination of a determined researcher who left her mark on the field of atmospheric sciences.” —Publishers Weekly

★ CHRISTOPHER AWARD WINNER ★

I’m so unbelievably honored that Nacho’s Nachos was named a Christopher Award winner. The Christopher Awards celebrate producers, directors, authors, and illustrators whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit.” Sending forever thanks to the Anaya family, the de los Santos family, Sandra Martinez, the Piedras Negras Oficina de Convenciones y Visitantes, Oliver Dominguez, Lee & Low Books, Victoria Wells Arms, and the Christopher Awards Committee.

The National Air & Space Museum ★ Online Story Hour ★

Join Aimee Sicuro and me at The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for its Online Story Hour. I read The Stuff Between the Stars, we talk about Vera Rubin, and Aimee demonstrates how to paint the most beautiful galaxy. You can watch HERE. The Stuff Between the Stars is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and the winner of a Crystal Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

GENEROUS WORDS AND BEST WISHES FROM ★ Hillary Clinton ★

Thank you Secretary Clinton for your generosity and kind words.

“Thank you for sending me a copy of your book, The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in sharing it with me, and have such fond memories of my time with Vera. Thank you for telling her story and for helping to ensure that her life and accomplishments are celebrated and remembered. You have my gratitude and best wishes for a successful publication.”

★ VCFA Alumnx Success Series ★

Vermont College of Fine Arts featured me as part of its Alumnx Success Series. I talk about The Stuff Between the Stars, the importance of writing about historical female figures, the importance of Nacho’s Nachos being named a finalist for the Golden Kite Award, and what we can learn by looking at the stars in the way Vera Rubin did. The interview is HERE.

Poetry . . .

‘The Sun Has a Secret,’ my poem about the sun falling for the moon, is in SCOOP’s 1st anniversary issue. If you haven’t yet picked up an issue of SCOOP, do. It’s a brilliant children’s magazine that counts among its contributors Neil Gaiman, Sir Tom Stoppard, Herbie Brennan, and Jacqueline Wilson.

Antagonists . . .

I started thinking about antagonists when I was working on my MFA at Vermont College of Fine Arts. It wasn’t too long before I came to the conclusion that antagonists—yes, antagonists plural—were at the core of the very best stories. In fact, as I examined my favorite stories more closely, I realized that there are 13 Antagonist Archetypes, each capable of producing different reactions in the protagonist and reader. This realization turned into a presentation I gave in Amsterdam, morphed into a three-hour workshop I gave in Switzerland, and then was condensed into a breakout session for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator’s Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles. For those of you who missed it, you can find it here: Enter the Antagonist–no scratch that–Enter the Antagonists, Plural.

THE PARIS REVIEW . . .

The Paris Review celebrated James Fenimore Cooper’s birthday by picking up and republishing portions of my April 30, 2014 blog–The Voracious Child Readers of Russia. If you would like to read the Paris Review’s Natty Bumppo, Soviet Folk Hero (September 15, 2014), click below.

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