Roxane Orgill

Pairing Verse with Nonfiction

May 28, 2019April 18, 2019 by Vicki Palmquist

Why write nonfiction in verse? If you do, is it still nonfiction? Good questions in a time when genres are expanding. I’ve used verse in two nonfiction stories: a picture book, Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph, and a book for ages ten and up, Siege: How Washington Kicked the British out of Boston and Launched a Revolution (Candlewick Press).… more

August 17, 2016July 28, 2016 by Vicki Palmquist

I’d like to know a thousand things about this book because you’ve opened so many doors for my imagination. I’ll restrict myself to only a few of those questions, primarily to help students who are drawn in by all the stories within this photograph and the poems you’ve written about it. You have been a journalist and a music critic.… more

Francis Vallejo

August 9, 2016July 21, 2016 by Vicki Palmquist

We are pleased to share with you our interview with Francis Vallejo, the illustrator of Jazz Day: the Making of a Famous Photograph, our Bookstorm™ this month. This book is so rich with visual images that stir readers’ imaginations. You’ll feel like you’re standing on the street with the other onlookers! The title page says that you used acrylics and pastels to create this art.… more

Louis Armstrong’s Red Beans and Rice

March 14, 2021July 21, 2016 by Steven Palmquist

A Cajun-inspired favorite recipe from jazz musician Louis Armstrong, this is a perfect accompaniment to your reading of Jazz Day by Roxane Orgill.

Print Recipe

Louis and Lucille Armstrong’s Red Beans and Rice

Total Time6

Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 pound kidney beans¹⁄₂ pound salt pork strip of lean, strip of fat1 small can of tomato sauce if desired6 small ham hocks or 1 smokedpork butt2 onions diced¹⁄₄ green bell pepper5 tiny or 2 medium dried peppers1 clove garlic choppedSalt to taste

Instructions

Wash beans thoroughly, then soak overnight in cold water.

… more

Bookstorm™: Jazz Day

March 13, 2021July 5, 2016 by Vicki Palmquist

This month we’re featuring Jazz Day, a book that’s all about jazz and a photograph that recorded a moment in time, people at the top of their musical careers and people who were just getting started. Author Roxane Orgill is familiar with the jazz culture; she’s written several books about the music and the people. Illustrator Francis Vallejo took elements of photography, graphic design, acrylic, and pastels to illustrate his first book.… more

Pairing Verse with Nonfiction

Roxane Orgill

Francis Vallejo

Louis Armstrong’s Red Beans and Rice

Bookstorm™: Jazz Day

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