There’s an old Mafia saying: “The fish stinks from the head.” At ABRAMS this morning, our CEO Michael Jacob’s office was redolent of ramps. These pungent greens grow wild and wildly at his home in upstate New York. Last weekend he harvested two wheelbarrows full with the help of some colleagues; washed them four times, and brought them into the office to share with fans of the fragrant bulb. I was the lucky recipient of a bag full and made the following dish.

This past weekend, I attended the Turning the Page: New Stories for Newtown event in Connecticut. The tragedy that befell the people of Newtown at Sandy Hook Elementary School this past December left so many of us wishing we could reach out and help the community recover. This literary festival, cosponsored by the Children’s Book Council (CBC), the C.H. Booth Library’s Books Heal Hearts fund, and many children’s book publishers, including ABRAMS, had an important impact on the community.

Francisca Matteoli is author of the new book World Tour: Vintage Hotel Labels from the Collection of Gaston-Louis Vuitton as well as an internationally published and award-winning travel writer, contributing to Condé Nast Traveler and National Geographic, among others. Chilean, with a Scottish mother, she resides in Paris. Her books have been published in more than ten countries and translated in several languages worldwide. She is also the creator of the popular blog franciscamatteoli.com/blog.

Jeff Kinney was named Author of the Year for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by the Children’s Book Council at the annual Gala, held last night in New York City. This is Kinney’s second consecutive win!

Julia’s Cats: Julia Child’s Life in the Company of Cats [Patricia Barey & Therese Burson] explores the beloved Queen of Cuisine’s lifelong passion for pussycats, which she discovered along with the other great loves of her life – French food and her true vocation – when she and husband Paul moved to Paris in 1948. Minette came to help rid their kitchen of mice, but the “sly, gay, cream-and-mud-colored little thing” won their hearts and became an essential part of their household.

April is over and, with its end, so is this year’s National Poetry Month. Since I started sending a poem a day, more or less, to ALL HNA (including UK) almost six weeks ago (I actually began a week early while in Bologna) you’ve received 36 poems from more than 30 poets. Poems that I knew or discovered or came across by chance or association, poems that for some reason or another struck me or, that I had stashed in my drafts folder waiting to be sent (or not sent) and shared. I usually sent them early in my day, sometimes before full morning light had lifted, before I had my senses completely about me, before I overedited my choices, or gave in to my hesitations and before I thought hard about any audience for the poems other than my own.

Creativity isn’t 24/7. It doesn’t occur 9 to 5. It doesn’t have a schedule. Creativity rarely sticks around when I need it the most. Creativity loves to play games with my head. It keeps me awake at night when I would love to be sleeping. It lies dormant for days on end when I’m trying desperately to work on a project. Creativity likes to elude me. It hides and laughs at me from dark corners, it taunts me when I’m missing it so, it tells me I don’t deserve it in my life.

April is National Poetry Month and it’s been one big poem ambush here on 18th Street. We’ve had poems scattered throughout the office by four anonymous staffers and it’s been great fun to discover the new ones each week. View photos of poetry around the office after the break.

In celebration of 4/20 ABRAMS has asked Ryan Nerz, author of Marajuanamerica (out this month) to post about the demon weed. Alfred Ryan Nerz is a freelance journalist whose pieces have appeared in Esquire, the Village Voice, and Time Out New York. In addition, he has written for NPR and produced television shows on Spike TV and the Biography channel.

Today is national Poem in Your Pocket Day! According to the Academy of American Poets, today is a day to select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others throughout the day. Poem in Your Pocket is a big day at ABRAMS —including a trip to The Today Show with the children’s group to share some poetry and spread the word, as well as pocket-sized poems on the desk of every employee.