​​​In 2023 I founded the Manzanita Children's Book Community. This is an online community platform to support community-based grassroots children's book creation


Aimed at people who want to create the children's stories that they want to create, for themselves and their communities, this platform includes:

  • Community conversations for children's book creators and small publishers
  • Classes to learn about creating and publishing children's books
  • Events such as members showcases and topic-based panels discussions
  • Resources so everyone can share knowledge and support each other's work


This is a membership-based community, and you can get a two-week free trial to try it out. Reach out to Laura Atkins - laura@lauraatkins.com - to learn more.


I also am offering a class on Creating Your Children's Book and Exploring Publishing Options. This will be a six-week class offered on a weekday evening, and include interviews and visits with published children's book authors. While we will mention traditional publishing, this class is geared towards people who are interested in self-publishing or finding small/micro publishers for their work. These are the best ways to support community-based grassroots children's book creation. 


I will offer this class starting in April 2023. Please email me to get or sign up to my mailing list to be sure you get further details. 

Manzanita Children's Book Community