The Official Blog of Greenwillow Books
Under the Green Willow
Author interviews, cover reveals, behind-the-scenes stories, and news from the home of children's and young adult literature since 1974.
Welcome to Under the Green Willow, the blog where Greenwillow Books editors and authors share the craft, curiosity, and community behind the books. From the sugaring woods of Vermont to the alternate-history colonies of a tinker's Philadelphia, our contributors explore the worlds they build and the stories they tell.
Here you'll find:
- Author Spotlights — In-depth conversations with Jessie Haas, Kent Davis, Alexandra Duncan, Christine Heppermann, Erin Entrada Kelly, Megan Whalen Turner, and Lynne Avril.
- Cover Reveals — First looks at new titles, including Ask Me How I Got Here and The Land of Forgotten Girls.
- Behind the Scenes — Posts on worldbuilding, the magic and science of A Riddle in Ruby, and working on Amelia Bedelia in Paris.
- Anniversary Celebrations — Greenwillow Books marked its 35th anniversary in January 2010 with a year-long blog celebration.
- YALLFest Coverage — Updates and exclusive content from the young adult literary festival.
Greenwillow Books was founded on December 16, 1974, by Susan C. Hirschman. The original team included art director Ava Weiss, managing editor Ada Shearon, and senior editor Libby Shub. The first list was published in fall 1975, and the imprint has been discovering and championing distinctive voices in children's literature ever since.
The rhythm of the sugaring season shapes many of the stories shared on this blog, where memories of Vermont sugarhouses and the steady work of gathering sap become a lens for understanding change. Writers reflect on the quiet patience required to boil down raw sap into something rich and golden, drawing parallels between that slow transformation and the craft of building a narrative. The season itself becomes a character in these posts, with its sharp cold mornings and warmer afternoons marking the passage of time in a way that feels both ancient and immediate.
Worldbuilding takes center stage in many author reflections, as contributors pull back the curtain on how fictional realms are constructed from the ground up. Whether exploring the logic behind a magic system or the intricate rules of an underwater city, these posts reveal the deliberate choices that make imagined places feel lived-in and real. Readers are invited to see the scaffolding beneath the story, understanding how chemistry, science, and folklore can intertwine to create something that resonates long after the final page is turned.
The blog also serves as a gathering place for readers who share a deep affection for books that blend the everyday with the extraordinary. From poetry collections that reexamine familiar fairy tales to novels that find wonder in the natural world, the works discussed here celebrate stories where ordinary life brushes against something magical. It is a space where the love of reading is taken seriously but never solemnly, and where the conversation between writers and their audience continues to grow with each new season of books.
About the Blog
Under the Green Willow launched as the official blog of Greenwillow Books, bringing readers closer to the authors and editors who shape each season's list. Staff contributors have included Tu Ahn Dinh, Katie Heit, and Virginia Duncan, alongside a rotating cast of authors sharing personal reflections on their work.
Posts range from Jessie Haas's recollections of sugaring with her neighbor Stephen Major and his team of Morgan/Percheron horses Henry and Nell, to Kent Davis's primer on the magic system of A Riddle in Ruby, to Alexandra Duncan's exploration of biomimetics in her novel Sound. The blog also features exclusive cover reveals and interviews that appear nowhere else.