Stefan Karlsson
Poet & kidlit writer. Marbling & book artist.
Based in Portland, OR 🌲
stefankarlssonwrites.wixsite.com/author
linktr.ee/nautiluspaperco
- I wrote a blog about #StoryStorm, picture books, poetry, and the benefits of creative challenges! Check it out here: stefankarlssonwrites.wixsite.com/author/post/... #KidLit #PictureBooks #PoetryCommunity
- This was my second year completing #StoryStorm, and it’s become my favorite annual tradition. Thank you to @taralazar.bsky.social and all of the guest contributors for offering inspiration and encouragement 💜 #KidLit
- Here are the picture books I read for this January’s #StoryStudy reading challenge that I started, inspired by @taralazar.bsky.social’s #StoryStorm writing challenge. Thank you for following along, & a BIG thank you @mlapointemalchik.bsky.social for joining me in sharing wonderful PBs! 💜 #KidLit
- Reposted by Stefan KarlssonIt's finally here!🎉 My new book CHASMS is now available. A special thank you to my editor Red & to the Alien Buddha Press. 'Chasms is a soul steeped in sunlight.' #booklaunch #Chasms #Poetry #NewRelease #CarmelladeKeyser #intersections @alienbuddhapress.bsky.social www.amazon.co.uk/CHASMS-Carme...
- For the month of February, I’ll be donating 50% of all proceeds from my Etsy shop to Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition, a non-profit org that fights for immigrant justice in Oregon. Order notebooks, zines, bookmarks, and/or wall art and support a good cause! Link in bio, thx! #Portland #craftsky
- For Day 31 of my PB reading challenge, I read THE LIBRARY IN THE WOODS by Calvin Alexander Ramsey & R. Gregory Christie. A poignant, award-winning book about family, libraries, & the Black community creating real-life magic. The best ending to my month-long reading challenge 💜 #StoryStudy #KidLit
- For Day 30 of my PB reading challenge I was deeply moved by MAMA’s NIGHTINGALE by Edwidge Danticat & Leslie Staub, a story of family separation that shows the harm of inhumane immigration practices & also the power of the imagination & collective action to overcome them. #StoryStudy #KidLit
- For Day 29 of my PB reading challenge I enjoyed BEAR by Natalia Shaloshvili, a funny & relatable #PictureBook about sharing & bottling up emotions. I was inspired to read it after seeing @mlapointemalchik.bsky.social share a different bear PB for today’s challenge! 🐻🧸😊 #StoryStudy #KidLit
- For Day 28 of my PB reading challenge I was moved by Angie Kang’s Caldecott Honor book OUR LAKE. A deep & poignant portrait of family & loss. Such a beautiful book 💙 #StoryStudy #KidLit
- For Day 27 of my PB reading challenge I took flight with BLUE and A FRIEND FOR GHOST by @suzannekaufmanart.bsky.social. I love these beautifully illustrated & magical stories of unlikely friendship 🪽💙👻🎈 #StoryStudy #KidLit #PictureBooks
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- For Days 25-26 of my PB reading challenge I read WHAT IS A REFUGEE? and KILLER UNDERWEAR INVASION! by @elisegravel.bsky.social. I love Gravel’s commitment to social justice & whimsy, and I wish more adults would read these powerful children’s books! #StoryStudy #KidLit
- I’m honored to have a poem for kids about a bookish superhero alongside poems by real-life poetry superheroes @attielime.bsky.social, @robwaltonwriter.bsky.social, Jacqueline Shirtliff, & @brianmosespoet.bsky.social on Brian Moses’ poetry blog page! 🦸📚 Check it out: brian-moses.blogspot.com?m=1
- For Day 24 of my PB reading challenge I was wowed by FIREWORKS by @matthewburgessj.bsky.social & Cátia Chien. I love the kid’s eyes view of the city’s everyday wonders & the glorious illustrations—& that jaw-dropping “finale” page, WOW. A memorable & mesmerizing PB! 🎆💜 #StoryStudy #KidLit
- For Day 23 of my PB reading challenge I was inspired by DREAMERS by Yuyi Morales. Lyrical & beautifully illustrated, this memoir PB about immigrating to the US from Mexico shares a powerful, much-needed message: “We are resilience. We are hope. We are dreamers.” 💜 #StoryStudy #KidLit
- For Day 22 of my PB reading challenge I was deeply moved by Allen Say’s classic Caldecott Medal-winning GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY. A poignant book that feels personal like a family album yet universal & epic in scope, spanning generations & two countries divided by an ocean & a war. #StoryStudy #KidLit
- For Day 21 of my PB reading challenge I was in awe of CAT NAP by @brianlies.bsky.social. This book is a monumental work of craftsmanship! Very inspiring to see the dedication to making the illustrations. Not to mention a fun story with a hungry cat 😸 So much to love here! 🎨🐈⬛ #StoryStudy #KidLit
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- All day crows have been gathered around my place so for Day 20 of my PB reading challenge I returned to I AM WE by @lesliebarnardbooth.bsky.social & Alexandra Finkeldey. This PB gem is lyrical, informative, & visually stunning—will change the way you look at these clever birds! #StoryStudy #KidLit
- For Day 19 of my PB reading challenge I was moved by SHARING THE DREAM by @sheliapmoses.bsky.social & Keith Mallett, which shows us the March on Washington from a child’s perspective, inspiring readers to keep standing up for a better future. A story we need for #MLKDay & beyond #KidLit #StoryStudy
- I received these lovely handmade notebooks from @handsewnbooks.bsky.social! Can’t wait to fill these journals with poems and random musings. Thank you Stephen for your beautifully crafted notebooks! #WritingCommunity #notebooks
- For Day 18 of my PB reading challenge I was moved & inspired by SNOW KID by @jessiesima.bsky.social! In this fun & uplifting story, a snow person goes on a journey of self-discovery & learns that it’s a beautiful thing to change, grow, & find new ways of becoming ourselves ❄️☃️💜 #StoryStudy #KidLit
- For Day 17 of my PB reading challenge I was delighted to read I’M FROM by @garyrgrayjr.bsky.social & one of my fav PB illustrators @ogemora.bsky.social! Poetic, inspiring, & fun, this book sings & soars off the page 💜 #StoryStudy #KidLit
- For Day 16 of my PB reading challenge I enjoyed BODY BEAUTIFUL by Susan Verde & @stephlittlebird.bsky.social! This empowering book celebrates the unique wonders that are each & every one of our bodies. A lyrical book of self-love & body positivity filled with wondrous artwork! #StoryStudy #KidLit
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- For Day 15 of my PB reading challenge I roared along with LENA THE CHICKEN (BUT REALLY A DINOSAUR!) by Linda Bailey & K-Fai Steele! What a hilarious spin on dinosaur PBs, with a fierce & lovable main character who never chickens out in the face of danger! 🐓🦖 #KidLit #StoryStudy
- What an incredible list of #kidlit books to look forward to this year! Thank you @carolinecarlson.bsky.social for sharing!
- For Day 14 of my PB reading challenge I was blown away by THE SNOW THEATER by Ryoji Arai. This wintry PB is brimming with childlike imagination and surreal magic. I always love seeing the books that @enchantedlion.bsky.social releases! ❄️🎭🦋📖 #StoryStudy #KidLit
- For Day 13 of my PB reading challenge I was moved by OUTSIDE IN by @underwoodwriter.bsky.social & Cindy Derby🌿 This thoughtful, meditative PB invites us to immerse ourselves in nature, even when we’re inside 💚 #KidLit #StoryStudy
- Purple marbled swirls ☂️🌀 with an unexpected light show lol ✨ Idk what was happening with the lighting but I liked this pattern. I’ll probably over-marble it later, so stay tuned to see how it gets transformed with a new layer! #marbling #craftsky #papercrafts #handmade
- For Day 12 of my PB reading challenge I cheered while reading EVERY MONDAY MABEL by @jashar.bsky.social! Reading a #picturebook like this that celebrates the small joys and community helpers is the best thing in the world (according to me)! #StoryStudy #KidLit
- I wrote a blog sharing my favorite reads of 2025, including adult fiction, poetry, children’s books, & more! Find it here: stefankarlssonwrites.wixsite.com/author/post/... #writingcommunity #readinggoals #kidlit
- Yesterday I got to write a little poem on Ursula K. Le Guin’s typewriter 💜 Thank you to @oregoncontemporary.bsky.social for the inspiring exhibit!
- For Days 10-11 of my PB reading challenge I read inspiring PB bios written by @lisaljrogers.bsky.social, illus. by Il Sung Na & @cgroenink.bsky.social, respectively. Loved how these books introduce kids to creative icons while showing how music & poetry is all around us! 💜 #StoryStudy #KidLit
- River meets river meets soil meets sky. May peace meet me at the delta. #haikusaturday #haiku #poetrycommunity
