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ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: One Step Forward
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.marcieatkins.com/
CITY: Washington
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Kentucky; married; has multiple children.
EDUCATION:Hollins University, M.A. and MFA.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Teacher-librarian and writer. Has been a classroom teacher and librarian for more than twenty-five years.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (nonfiction events coordinator, Mid-Atlantic chapter).
WRITINGS
Author’s poetry has appeared in anthologies and online publications.
SIDELIGHTS
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Marcie Flinchum Atkins is a teacher and librarian based outside of Washington, D.C., in Virginia. She has thought of herself as a writer since she was a child, and she has both an M.A. and MFA in children’s literature. Most of Atkins’s books have been nonfiction books for children, including multiple nonfiction science books and a series of books on computer skills, but she is a published poet, and her first fiction book for young adults, One Step Forward, was a novel-in-verse.
One Step Forward is a historical novel set in the 1910s when the suffragist movement was looking to reach its goal of gaining the right to vote for women. The story’s central character, Matilda Young, is based on a real person, the youngest American suffragist to be imprisoned. Matilda is almost fifteen years old at the story’s beginning, and her three older sisters are activists, but the men in her family are opposed. Matilda wants to help, but she is afraid of being arrested, so initially she volunteers for a local suffragist organization. As the movement gains strength, its opponents fight back, and some suffragists even go on hunger strikes in prison. The novel chronicles the obstacles that the activists faced as well as Matilda’s growing bravery.
Reviewers were enthusiastic about Atkins’s YA fiction debut. A writer in Kirkus Reviews described it as “powerful, necessary reading.” They wrote that Atkins “successfully conveys the grit, trauma, and violence of the times” as well as the “doubt, pride, persistence, and exhaustion” that the protestors felt. The reveiewer also appreciated Atkins’s use of poetry, writing that it “greatly enhances the work.” In School Library Journal, Tamara Saarinen called the book a “forceful story” that highlights aspects of the suffragist movement that are “often ignored.” Saarinen wrote that “the poetry reflects the events and emotions” the suffragists experienced, and that “women finding and employing their voices is a theme throughout.” A reviewer in Publishers Weekly called the novel an “inspiring historical tale of perseverance.”
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2019, review of Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature; January 1, 2025, review of One Step Forward.
Publishers Weekly, January 6, 2025, review of One Step Forward, pp. 68+.
School Library Journal, March, 2025, Tamara Saarinen, review of One Step Forward, p. 85.
ONLINE
KidLit 411, https://www.kidlit411.com/ (September 6, 2019), author interview.
Lucinda Literary, https://lucindaliterary.com/ (July 8, 2025), author bio.
Marcie Atkins website, https://www.marcieatkins.com/ (July 8, 2025).
About Me
“Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” –Oliver Wendell Holmes
I grew up between worlds. Each place contains a part of me and I am a blend of all of these places.
Kentucky
I was born in Kentucky and spent my most of my elementary school years there. While I didn’t write down many of my stories at this age, I was always verbalizing stories from the made up role-playing games in my backyard (always extending new storylines to Star Wars) to my imaginary friend named Wilma Spearmint, I was always talking in story language. I also remember open-ended afternoons exploring the creek in our backyard and dancing to the high school marching band as they practiced on the other side of the wooded area behind my house.
Thailand
Overlooking ChiangMai from Doi Suthep
When I was nine, my family moved to ChiangMai, Thailand. I learned how to speak Thai, rode on tuk-tuks, and ate more than my fair share of Khao Soy, a curried noodle soup. It was here I first declared that I would become a writer. I developed my skills writing observations (aka spy notes a la Harriet the Spy) and rewriting the words to familiar songs. I read through the entire children’s section of the library at my school reading a book a night (we had to come in from playing at dark and there was no TV in English at the time). After reading through the children’s books, I started on Gone With the Wind and The Thorn Birds and any other book that was gigantic (these were pre-Harry Potter days).
My family saying goodbye to me at the ChiangMai train station. I was on my way to boarding school for high school.
Malaysia
The view from my boarding school in Penang, Malaysia
There was no American system high school in ChiangMai when I lived there, so I went to boarding school in Penang, Malaysia. The idyllic setting on the beach is still one of my favorite places on the planet. I spent many evenings visiting the stalls (food vendors) scarfing down roti canai, Milo ice, and the occasional egg-topped burger from “The Hamburger Man.” In Penang, I also mastered my public bus riding skills which made me fearless when faced with public transportation of any kind. I also spent long hours writing for the school yearbook. In fact, I dodged some of the higher math and science classes in favor of journalism declaring that I was going to be a writer (though I have regrets about this).
Graduation Weekend in Penang
My family with the ocean in the background
Virginia
After spending my entire childhood in Asia, I have planted my roots in Virginia, near where my dad grew up. I fell in love with the mountains and the seasons. I studied psychology and education at Roanoke College. I began teaching elementary school, but my hunger for writing, especially children’s literature wouldn’t leave me alone. In 2001, I started the Master of Arts program in Children’s Literature at Hollins University. After getting my M.A. in children’s lit, I went on to get my M.F.A. in children’s lit. In Virginia, I decided once and for all that I AM a writer.
Bio for Educator Events
Marcie Flinchum Atkins has spent over 25 years in the elementary classroom and library. She is currently a public school elementary librarian in the outskirts of Washington, DC. Marcie holds an M.A. and M.F.A. in Children’s Literature from Hollins University. She is the author of Ancient China (ABDO, 2015), “Rookie Get Ready to Code” series (Scholastic Children’s Press, 2019), Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature (Millbrook Press, 2019), and is a contributor to multiple poetry anthologies for the classroom edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (Pomelo Books, 2022, 2023, 2024). Her YA historical fiction novel-in-verse, One Step Forward, debuted from Versify in 2025, and her next nonfiction picture book, When Twilight Comes, is coming in 2026 (Chronicle). You can find her online at: www.marcieatkins.com, Threads and Instagram: @MarcieFAtkins and Bluesky: @marciefatkins.bsky.social.
Bio for Student Events
Marcie Flinchum Atkins spends her days as a teacher-librarian at a public school. In the wee hours of the morning, she writes books for kids. She’s written about Ancient China, coding, science, and women in history.
Bio for Writing Events
Marcie Flinchum Atkins is a teacher-librarian by day and a children’s book writer in the wee hours of the morning. She holds an M.A. and M.F.A. in Children’s Literature from Hollins University. She is the author of Ancient China (ABDO, 2015), “Rookie Get Ready to Code” series (Scholastic Children’s Press, 2019), and Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature (Millbrook Press, 2019) which was one of Kirkus’ Best Picture Books of the Year. Marcie’s poetry has been featured in multiple anthologies edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (Pomelo Books, 2022, 2023, 2024) and “The Dirigible Balloon.” Her debut YA novel, One Step Forward, came out in 2025 with Versify. Her next nonfiction picture book, When Twilight Comes, is forthcoming from Chronicle in 2026. She also muses about mentor texts, making time to write, and poetry at www.marcieatkins.com. You can follow her on Threads and Instagram @marciefatkins and Bluesky: @marciefatkins.bsky.social.
Social Media Links
Blue Sky: @marciefatkins.bsky.social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marciefatkins/
Buy Links
Young Adult
One Step Forward (Versify/HarperCollins, 2025) ISBN: 978-0063339316 | For signed copies at my local indie One More Page Books | Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | Versify
Nonfiction Picture Books
Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature (Millbrook, 2019) ISBN: 978-1541561922 | Paperback ISBN: 9781728477718 |For signed copies visit my local indie One More Page Books | Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | Lerner Publishing
Nonfiction Books for the School Library Market
Ancient China (ABDO, 2015) ISBN: 978-1624035364 | Bookshop | Amazon
Be Smart Online (Scholastic Children’s Press, 2019) ISBN: 978-0531137031 | Scholastic | Bookshop | Amazon
Build a Website (Scholastic Children’s Press, 2019) ISBN: 978-0531137017 | Amazon | B&N
Design a Game (Scholastic Children’s Press, 2019) ISBN: 978-0531137024 | Bookshop | Amazon
Think Like a Computer (Scholastic Children’s Press, 2019) ISBN: 978-0531137000 | Amazon
Poetry Anthologies
Contributor
Things We Feel edited by Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell (Pomelo Books, 2022) ISBN: 9781937057039 | Pomelo Books | Bookshop | Amazon
What is a Friend? edited by Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell (Pomelo Books, 2022) ISBN: 9781937057169 | Pomelo Books | Amazon | QEP | Bookshop
What is Hope? edited by Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell (Pomelo Books, 2023) ISBN: 9781937057220 | Pomelo Books | Amazon | Bookshop
Clara’s Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz edited by Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell (Pomelo Books, 2024) | ISBN: 978-1937057848 | Pomelo Books | Amazon | QEP
Teacher Guides
Riddle-Ku: Haiku For Very Close Reading by Laura Purdie Salas, Teacher Guide by Marcie Flinchum Atkins (2014) ISBN: 978-1502581563 | Laura Purdie Salas’ Website | Amazon | B&N
Marcie Flinchum Atkins is a teacher-librarian by day and a children’s book writer in the wee hours of the morning. She holds an M.A. and M.F.A. in Children’s Literature from Hollins University. She is the author of Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature (Lerner, 2019), which was one of Kirkus’s Best Picture Books of the Year. Marcie’s poetry has been featured in Things We Feel and What is a Friend? edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (Pomelo Books, 2022) and “The Dirigible Balloon.” Her next nonfiction picture book, When Twilight Comes, will be published by Chronicle, and her YA debut, One Step Forward, is forthcoming from HarperCollins. Marcie is the nonfiction events coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic chapter of SCBWI. She lives in Virginia.
Author Spotlight: Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Sept. 6, 2019
Today we are excited to feature author Marcie Flinchum Atkins and her debut picture book, WAIT, REST, PAUSE: DORMANCY IN NATURE (Millbrook Press, Sept. 3, 2019). Enter to win a copy!
Tell us about yourself and how you came to write for children.
By day, I’m a teacher-librarian in a Title 1, International Baccalaureate (PYP) elementary school, and I’ve spent more than 20 years in education as a classroom teacher and librarian. I’m also a mom, a wife, and a writer!
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I loved writing as a kid, and I chose to be on the yearbook staff over taking trig and calculus in high school. I went to a very small high school and doing both wasn’t an option then. It was the right choice for me. I knew that the push I was given back then to write clear, concise, and accurate articles for my yearbook advisor would pay off for me down the road.
One summer, I took a class with the Southwest Virginia Writing Project. I got graduate credit for writing, and I remembered how much I loved writing. The following summer, I started graduate school at Hollins University studying children’s literature where we focused on criticism and creative writing.
Still, I wasn’t making a ton of time for my own writing outside of these classes. After my second child was born, I realized, I wasn’t going to have gobs of time for the next 18 years. If I wanted to write, I’d have to figure it out. I started writing for kids more diligently—in the small cracks of time I had.
Congrats on your debut picture book, WAIT, REST, PAUSE: DORMANCY IN NATURE! Tell us about it and what inspired you?
When I taught fourth graders, we talked about plants and plant dormancy. I loved using picture books as read-alouds in science when I could. I found NOTHING on dormancy for kids. I started researching, thinking I’d write a short nonfiction article that they could read in class. I wrote a draft of what became WAIT, REST, PAUSE: DORMANCY IN NATURE. It’s definitely a classic case of “write what you want to read.” I needed this book for my students, so I wrote it.
Was your road to publication long and winding, short and sweet, or something in between?
The road to publishing this book was something in between. I sent it out and got a few rejections. They liked the writing but weren’t sure about the market. I put it aside, thinking it might be a book someone would like to buy after I had a few more books under my belt.
When Carol Hinz at Lerner put out a call for submissions for STEM picture books that could be photo-illustrated, I felt like it would be a good fit. I love Millbrook Press/Lerner books. I use so many of them in my library. I had never thought about photo illustrations, but I greatly admire April Pulley Sayre’s photo illustrated books, and I thought mine had a similar feel. Within a few weeks, I had an offer from Millbrook. I was thrilled! That was in spring 2018. The process itself has felt fast, compared to what publishing is usually like. Sixteen months after acceptance, it’s out in the world!
Do you focus on writing nonfiction pictures books, or do you also write fiction? What are a few research tips you can share with other nonfiction PB writers?
I write a little bit of everything—poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Nonfiction is really fun for me. So far, it’s the only thing that I’ve published. I write work-for-hire books for publishing companies and also for educational companies. I write fiction picture books and novels as well.
These are research tips that help me. I hope they’ll help others:
I utilize Google Alerts a lot for research, especially in the “I’m-thinking-about-writing-about-this” stage of gathering researching. I explain that whole process here. http://www.marcieatkins.com/2019/07/08/research-tip-using-google-alerts-for-preliminary-research/
Whenever you find a great source that you know you’ll want to use across multiple projects, save it or bookmark it. I created a Google Site so that I could see the links from any computer. https://sites.google.com/view/marcieatkins-research/home
Type up your notes. For a historical fiction book I’m working on, I made hundreds of handwritten notecards. However, when I needed to go back to find something, it took me forever! I’ve started typing up my notes into Scrivener. Now, when I need to find something, I can use the search function! It has saved me tons of time.
What projects are you working on now?
I am currently in various stages of the writing process on a few nonfiction picture books. I am also revising a historical fiction novel. And, I’m tearing apart a middle grade novel I love and re-envisioning it from the ground up. I’m still in the brainstorming-in-a-notebook stage for that, but it’s been very freeing to let the old plot go and discover new possibilities.
What are the one or two best things you did for your writing career? Is this advice you'd give to aspiring authors?
I have built my writing habit into something that works for my schedule. I work full-time and have a family with two active kids. I make time for my writing. It’s that important to me. Sometimes that looks like writing 20 minutes in the car while I wait for practice to be over. Most days, that means I’m out of bed between 4:30-5:00am to write before going to work. It’s easy to get discouraged and think, I’ll never get anything done in 20 minutes a day. But writing consistently—even in small increments—really DOES add up over time. Figure out what works for you—maybe it’s getting up a half-hour earlier than your family. Maybe it’s packing a writing bag. Make sure you treat it like it matters.
I’d also recommend surrounding yourself with writing community. Long before I had anything published, I got involved in a critique group, volunteering with SCBWI, and going with friends to writing events. Those writer friends know how hard the path is. They are the ones I called when trying to navigate choosing an agent. They are the ones I text when I’m discouraged. And they are the ones who have celebrated with me when I’ve had good news! Writing friends are a vital part of my writing life.
What is one thing most people don't know about you?
I’m terrified of chickens. I was attacked by a rooster multiple times as a teenager. If I see a chicken—even a baby chick, I’m heading the other way. I once wrote a picture book with chickens as the main characters, and that’s about as close to chickens as I ever want to be.
Where can people find you online?
My website: www.marcieatkins.com
Twitter: @MarcieFAtkins
Instagram: @MarcieFAtkins
Marcie Flinchum Atkins is teacher-librarian by day and a children’s writer in the wee hours of the morning. She is the author of ANCIENT CHINA (ABDO, 2015), the “Rookie Get Ready to Code” series (Scholastic Children’s Press, 2019), and WAIT, REST, PAUSE: DORMANCY IN NATURE (Millbrook Press, 2019). She holds an M.A. and M.F.A. in Children's Literature from Hollins University. Marcie writes picture books, novels, poetry, and nonfiction. She lives with her family outside of Washington, DC.
Atkins, Marcie Flinchum WAIT, REST, PAUSE Millbrook/Lerner (Children's Informational) $27.99 9, 3 ISBN: 978-1-5415-6192-2
Plants and animals have many different ways to enter dormancy, using minimal energy when weather extremes or seasonal changes require a pause.
Many books for young children address the concept of hibernation, but Atkins develops the concept further, introducing the many different forms dormancy takes. Her simple, second-person text asks readers to imagine being a tree, ladybug, Arctic ground squirrel, chickadee, or alligator in cold weather or an earthworm in a drought. She describes the situation that leads to a timeout, repeating the line, "You would pause," then tells what happens next: Leaves unfurl, ladybugs "wiggle awake," ground squirrels' heartbeats "quicken," chickadees fly, alligators come out to sun themselves, and earthworms "moisten [their] skin…and squirm." She makes clear that this resting state may last anywhere from a few hours to a season. Large, close-up photographs from various sources show the trees and animals and the weather conditions that prompt these activities. Helpful backmatter explains the different forms of dormancy, including diapause, hibernation, torpor, brumation, and estivation, for older readers. Here, the author gives further detail about dormancy in volcanoes as well as seeds and deciduous trees, and she mentions that, contrary to popular knowledge, some scientists use the word "torpor" to describe bears in winter. The attractive design uses display type to highlight the action words.
A refreshingly original exploration of a physical process both common and important in the natural world. (further reading, photo acknowledgments) (Informational picture book. 4-9)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Atkins, Marcie Flinchum: WAIT, REST, PAUSE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A588726802/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ae4acef3. Accessed 6 June 2025.
Atkins, Marcie Flinchum ONE STEP FORWARD Versify/HarperCollins (Teen None) $19.99 3, 4 ISBN: 9780063339316
In this verse novel based on real people and events, four sisters support one another in the turbulent fight for women's right to vote in early-20th-century America.
Matilda Young, nearly 15, lives in Washington, D.C., with her parents, older brother, and three older sisters. She observes that there's a "fault line in our family-- / men vs. women," one exacerbated by the question of suffrage. Matilda is afraid to engage in public action that might lead to her arrest and initially agrees to sort mail at the headquarters of the Congressional Union, a group that's pushing for an amendment that would give women the vote. She also takes on a vital caregiving role within the movement. Matilda's mother encourages her: "The actions you take each day / add up / even if they seem small," and eventually Matilda starts picketing at the White House, even as her dad and brother criticize her and the cause she believes in. As World War I drags on, police action against suffragists escalates, resulting in some imprisoned women going on hunger strikes. The verse structure successfully conveys the grit, trauma, and violence of the times, adeptly emphasizing the activists' doubt, pride, persistence, and exhaustion. Atkins' skillful use of concrete poetry greatly enhances the work. Most characters are white; the book explores class conflicts as well as African American women's struggles for the vote.
Powerful, necessary reading. (dramatis personae, author's note, historical notes, timeline, quotes, places to visit, further reading, sources)(Verse historical fiction. 13-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Atkins, Marcie Flinchum: ONE STEP FORWARD." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A821608574/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d935427a. Accessed 6 June 2025.
* ATKINS, Marcie Flinchum. One Step Forward. 320p. HarperCollins/Versify. Mar. 2025. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780063339316.
Gr 7 Up-Historical fiction based on the real suffragist Matilda Young, who was imprisoned for protesting for the right to vote. Her narrative, in verse, covers the years of the Wilson presidency and the push to get the 19th Amendment through Congress and the states. Matilda, her sisters, and mother are suffragists, but her father and brother are not. These conflicts at home mirror the larger divide in society over suffrage. Two of her sisters' participation in the National Women's Association gives Matilda entrance into the suffrage movement. Her sister Sophia provides moral support with notes of encouragement. The poems have titles, dates, a count of days picketing, or an X as Matilda marks the days until her release from jail. The poetry reflects the events and emotions--a square concrete poem for her jail cell, text side by side as she and Sophia walk and talk, and shrinking text as Matilda feels silenced. Quotes from speeches and documents included are in italics. Women finding and employing their voices is a theme throughout. Matilda tells of her time in the workhouse, "I scream for hours calling out using my voice until it's hoarse." The violence historically dealt the suffragists from the public, police, and jailers is described in detail, bringing home with clarity the brutality they faced. Extensive notes are provided in the back matter. Additional information, a time line, and several bibliographies provide more details and facts. VERDICT This coming-of-age story intertwined with women's fight to vote creates a forceful story while chronicling parts of the suffrage movement often ignored. Strong general purchase.--Tamara Saarinen
KEY: * Excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre. BL Bilingual | S Streaming
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Saarinen, Tamara. "ATKINS, Marcie Flinchum. One Step Forward." School Library Journal, vol. 71, no. 3, Mar. 2025, p. 85. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A836878374/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4377f40a. Accessed 6 June 2025.
One Step Forward
Marcie Flinchum Atkins. Versify, $19.99 (320p)
ISBN 978-0-06-333931-6
The plight of 19-year-old Matilda Young, the youngest suffragist arrested after picketing at the White House in 1917, is brought to life in this fictionalized verse account by Atkins (Design a Game). As a child in Washington, D.C, Matilda watches her older sisters Lucy and Sophie march for women's right to vote. She soon follows in their footsteps, taking on a more active role in the movement by working with the National Woman's Party as a letter opener. But what she really wants is to be out picketing. Despite knowing that picketing is a dangerous job--protesters are often attacked and arrested--and her parents' disapproval of her choices, Matilda determines to stand for what she believes in, no matter the cost. This inspiring historical tale of perseverance experiments with formatting to connote mood; in poem "Do They Know?" Atkins uses clipped, one-word lines to highlight Matilda's stress about strangers learning she's a suffragist. Imagined versions of suffragists such as Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell feature alongside Matilda as their paths intertwine. Ages 13-up. Agent: Roseanne Wells, Luanda Literary. (Mar.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"One Step Forward." Publishers Weekly, vol. 272, no. 2, 6 Jan. 2025, pp. 68+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A828300427/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d48d1d28. Accessed 6 June 2025.