K. Leigh Ansberry | Kidlit Author

Winner gets an agent critique!

Not surprisingly, bad news for the Arctic as well as the rest of the planet.

Crows are my favorite bird!

Literary Agent Interview: Sophie Sheumaker Interview and Query Critique Giveaway Today I’m thrilled to have agent Sophie Sheumaker here. She’s a literary assistant at BookEnds.   Hi­ Sophie! Thanks so much for joining u...

I entered to win a query critique! www.literaryrambles.com/2025/10/lite...

I just entered #RevPit #10Queries! Enter now for a chance to win free feedback on your query and 1st 5 pages.

bsky.app/profile/revi...

Hello #kidlit friends - my agent has left the biz 😭 so I'm back in the trenches with my #MiddleGrade contemporary about a homesick girl with anxiety and a captive #elephant with PTSD. 🐘 Fingers crossed I find the right agent to champion this story! #amquerying

My fella says hi! He looks through the window at me while waiting for his morning peanuts.

Thrilled to be in the 2025 Winner's Circle for my #50PreciousWords entry, "The Anglerfish," based upon a true event. Many thanks to Vivian Kirkfield and all the judges for their hard work in sorting through nearly 600 poems and stories—and inspiring us to make every word count!

Perfect ending!

Aww, thank you. I thought for sure there would be tons of anglerfish poems! Maybe there are, but I haven't seen any others. It was such a poignant and poetic event.

#50PreciousWords 2025 International Writing Contest IS OPEN Welcome, everyone! This is the OFFICIAL #50PreciousWords 2025 International Writing Contest IS OPEN post!! I’m so glad you are here. Some of you have been participating since the beginning. B…

viviankirkfield.com/2025/03/02/5...

My #50PreciousWords entry this year was inspired by the story of the deep sea anglerfish spotted near the surface of the water last month. 🐟

Book 4, Another Extraordinary Animal series. Rosie is a bullfrog who holds the world triple-jump record at the Calaveras County, CA jumping contest. #edusky #tlsky #stem #kidlit #steamteambooks #elementaryscience

Are you a Boxer or a Bulldog today? 🇺🇸 🐶 🇺🇸 🐶 🇺🇸

I do! I write kid lit. Thanks!

Opened a window to let out a fly and a bird flew in. Dog grabbed bird, I grabbed dog, bird flew out of dog’s mouth and disappeared. Kids and I went on a 10-min. hunt for missing bird. When it showed up, we opened more windows and it finally flew out.

The fly is still in here. 🪰

"Kill off young people’s exposure to theater, and you kill off a generation of playgoers, along with the empathy and camaraderie (already in short supply) that is intrinsic to theater."

YAY!! Woke up to an Honorable Mention in the #50PreciousWords contest for my poem, "Cityborn." Thanks to @viviankirkfield and all the judges for your hard work. The entries are always amazing—I don't know how you do this every year (but I'm sure glad you do!) #KidLit #Nature

I haven’t fully processed the sheer awesomeness of the day, but #SolarEclipse2024 was truly a once-in-a lifetime experience. It was like the Super Bowl for a science teacher! The family was gathered, the weather was perfect, and core memories were made. #Totality #Ohio #STEM

Does this count?

Great interview!

🎵 I can buy myself flowers 🎵

(🎵 With my husband’s Kroger employee discount 🎵 😂)

Image of elderly woman sitting on bed in front of a window. Text reads "A person with Alzheimer's is not giving you a hard time. A person with Alzheimer's is having a hard time."

I lost my sweet mother-in-law to Alzheimer's last week. Four years ago it was my own mother, and five years ago it was my father-in-law. If there is one thing I've learned about living with a loved one with this insidious disease, it is this:

Woman holding horse bridle with schoolchildren watching.

I asked my daughter what happened at school. "Nothing," she replied. Turns out someone had brought in a horse! I guess it takes a lot to impress her. (Might be a children's book in there somewhere...)

"Don't take shit off fools" is a great daily affirmation! Might get that on a coffee mug 😂

Me!

cont'd KIDLIT/YA CUSTOM FEEDS:
Editors
Art Directors/Book Designers
Agents
K-12 Educators & Librarians
Indie Bookstores
Book Bloggers

cont'd

Illustration of long-haired girl in red clock on flower-filled green hillside, looking up into the blue sky. In the sky, we see a few fluffy clouds along with some white skywriting that spellings the word "bluesky."

Do you know a kidlit/YA person new to Bluesky? Here are starting resources that might help, pls see full thread 👇🏼

My take on social media
Quick tips + templates
My Bluesky how-to videos
KidLit Authors & Illustrators On Bluesky
Kate Messner's KidLit Community list

cont'd

My girl Suki ❤️