 In this interview, Cindy Jenson-Elliott lets us in on incredible interview tips. In addition to interview tips, Cindy talks about researching and writing simultaneously, nonfiction proposal dos and don’ts, and the importance of making connections. If you're looking for teaching tips, don't worry. Cindy talks about using comics in the classroom, inspiring students to interview community members, and how a field trip with her son's class to Scripps Institute of Oceanography, followed by a field trip with her students, planted the seed for her book The Doomsday Detectives. Do you have any field trips planned for the spring? If so, the trip may well just be the spark you need for your next manuscript. I personally haven't had a field trip inspire a manuscript, but participating on the interview committee for a math specialist planted the seed for 100 Bugs! The truth is in teaching you never know what interaction will spark an idea that sets your writing career on fire. In the meantime, check out these books that Cindy recommends: Adventures in Cartooning by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost Making Comics by Scott McCloud Making Comics by Lynda Barry Cindy uses these books in her classroom to teach students how to represent information visually. Listen for yourself to learn how she does it.
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 Spring has sprung and there's no better way to celebrate then to place a preorder for Ann McCallum Staats' fabulous Fantastic Flora: The World's Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants. The lyrical writing will raise your spirits and the lush illustrations make you want to reach out and touch them. While you wait for the book, be sure to listen to this podcast episode because Ann McCallum exposes the root of nonfiction. It's a true nonfiction tutorial. Ann has tons of tips for you including how to find a nonfiction structure that highlights your passions, how to craft enticing sidebars, and how to write a nonfiction book proposal. Another way you can pass time until your copy of Fantastic Flora arrives in the mail is to read the books that Ann recommends: A Stone Is a Story by Leslie Barnard Booth takes something benign and makes it exciting. Anyone who likes math should check out books by Ann Marie Stevens. Race to the Bottom of the Earth by Rebecca Barone is told in multiple points of view from various Antarctica explorers. With any luck, Chalk + Ink will feature Leslie and Ann Marie later this season. For now, enjoy all the nonfiction tidbits Ann has to offer us. Happy listening.  Amanda Jones definitely gives writing tips in this episode such as listen to music that reflects the mood that you're trying to convey in your manuscript, start with a bang to hook the reader, and seek feedback from a trusted reader. But most importantly, she talks about striving to make the world a better place. And the truth is that's what each one of us is trying to do when we put pen to paper or walk into a classroom or give a school presentation. Our hope is that our words and ideas bring joy, wonder, and acceptance to each reader that happens upon our work. Some days the work feels overwhelming, and we may feel defeated before we step foot inside the door or sit down at the desk, but Amanda discusses the importance of persevering to help others. Amanda also quotes Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop and reminds us that books are mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors. Some books Amanda recommends that provide those opportunities for reflections and invitations are: Undefeated by Kwame Alexander Big by Vashti Harrison Hair Love ABCs by Matthew Cherry A Walk in the Woods by Nikki Grimes The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorham In addition to teaching and writing, we can make the world a better place by advocating for our libraries and supporting our librarians. Here are three steps you can take to make a difference. During the podcast, Amanda talks about dropping off kind notes and baked goods to your local library to let your librarians know you're grateful for all that they do. In her book, That Librarian, Amanda lets people know about We the Librarians, which is an organization that helps school librarians support other school librarians. Finally, we can make a difference by fighting against book bans. Please read about the Mahmoud vs. Taylor Supreme Court Case. You can help support Sarah Brannen, the creator of Chalk + Ink's artwork. Her picture book, Uncle Bobby's Wedding, is one of nine books that parents are trying to ban. Sign a petition and speak up against book banning. In the meantime, happy listening!  Take PRIDE in your passion. It can lead to opportunities that you never dreamed of like a book deal with Harper Collins. That's what happened to Sarah Prager after she created Quist, a queer history app. But once she had the deal to write a young adult anthology about queer people who changed the world, she had to figure out how to write in a YA voice, which structure would hook readers, and which 23 out of 200 historical figures she had researched for Quist to include in Queer There and Everywhere. And she had nine months to do it. Was it easy? No. But if you listen to the episode she'll explain how she did it and how that one book deal led to three more. Sarah recommends that schools have the following books: Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine by Hannah Moushabeck What Are Your Words? by Katherine Locke I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed creating it.  Podcasting has been a true gift for me and today’s episode encapsulates why. Too often in life, I don’t show up as my authentic self. I’m too tired or too afraid or too occupied about what happened in the past or what’s happening in the future to be totally present with those around me. But I showed up today totally vulnerable and in tears as we recorded this chat, literally wiping them off my face as we recorded, and I received much more than I gave. It is my hope that like me April Jones Prince, Jody Little, Josh Galarza, Katrina Moore and Zetta Elliott give you whatever it is that you need to hear today. Maybe it’s the courage to be emotionally vulnerable on the page, maybe it’s the belief to write about subjects for kids that people have told you kids shouldn’t read about, or maybe it’s the fact that even though publishing has a long way to go before it’s truly equitable that in 2014 only 8.4% of creators of children’s books were people of color and by 2023 that number had risen to 45.6%. Whether or not any of those comments speak to you, I feel confident that something in this episode will grab hold of your heartstrings and not let go. Snow is falling outside my window as I record this. I hope you’re cozied up somewhere safe and you’re ready for a hug. Let’s listen and lean in. We have so much to offer one another. Please note that I didn't link a transcript here because I use a different platform to record chats than the one I use to record one-on-one interviews. But the next time I do an individual interview, I'll be sure to link to the transcript.  At this time of year Green Promises keep me going. It's cold and dark but soon the snow will turn to mud and the mud will turn to seed and the seed will turn to grass. In the meantime, kindness goes a long way and you'll find it in this interview with Jeannine Atkins and in every one of her books. In this episode Jeannine talks about the power of compression, repetition, and representation. Jeannine recommends novels in verse by Jacqueline Woodson, Nikki Grimes, and Katherine Applegate. Recently, she read and enjoyed Ann E. Burg's A Force of Nature, which is about Rachel Carson. She also recommends books by Marilyn Nelson including her biography about sculptor, Augusta Savage, and scientist, George Washington Carver. Listen to Jeannine's interview below or click here for the episode's transcript. Join us for our next live Chalk + Ink Chat about author’s craft on Sunday, January 19th at noon EST. I can’t wait to talk about writing moves with April Jones Prince, Jody Little, Josh Galarza, Katrina Moore and Zetta Elliott. Sign up by clicking on the link above. Bring your notebooks, favorite pens, and your questions too and join us for what’s sure to be an enlightening discussion.  If you're a regular podcast listener, you may have already read Josh Galarza's, The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky, or A.S. King's, Pick the Lock, which both rocked my world for different reasons. But if you haven't read those novels because you skew toward middle grade, then be sure to pick up one of Jen Ferguson's three YA novels, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, or Those Pink Mountain Nights, or A Constellation of Minor Bears. Better yet, read all three. Not only is each novel engaging, but you can learn something different from a craft standpoint from each book. In this episode, Jen Ferguson talks about opportunities to sharpen our work, why characters mirror one another in dialogue, and why we need different books for different readers. She recommends the following YA books: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, which is an Asian inspired fantasy which has a Studio Ghibli feel. All of Edward Underhill's YA novels. During the episode, Jen talks about Always the Almost which is a ROM drama with a musician, trans boy in it, who wants to squish his rival in the piano competition. She's a big fan of all his novels because they're caring, funny, and feature snarky, trans boys. Jen has a writer crush on Leah Johnson, who writes middle grade and young adult novels. Plus, she owns Loudmouth Books, an independent bookstore in Indianapolis. Darcie Little Badger writes queer Native fantasy that's a ton of fun. To read the interview, click here. To listen to the interview, click below. No matter which you choose, grab your drink of choice along with your favorite notebook and writing implement and get ready for a delightful hour of discussing writer's craft.  "I have a new relationship with failure because of play."-Sarah Aronson Sarah's statement really struck this morning as I was editing this episode's transcript. One of the ways Sarah plays while writing is to side-write. In fact, she starts her writing process each morning with side-writing. After I finished editing the transcript, cooking breakfast and cleaning up, a voice came to me and I began to side-write. It was so much fun, and I for one, need more fun in my life. Besides playing and side-writing, Sarah also talks about the importance of embracing conversations, challenges, and community. Sarah recommends the following books: Young Adult: For Lamb by Lesa-Cline Ransome Sarah said she doesn't know why this book didn't win every award out there because it's one of the best books she's ever read and it made her cry so many times. Middle Grade: Erin Entrada Kelly's The First State of Being is a book about a girl, a young boy, and time travel. Sarah wouldn't say anymore because she hates spoilers. Picture Books: Joyful Song: A Naming Story written by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Susan Gal because the writing and artwork are gorgeous. Touch the Sky written by Stephanie Lucianovic and illustrated by Chris Park because this statement glimmers, "It feels hard until you get it, and then it's not." The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken because mistakes happen. What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Ekua Holmes because it's fabulous and it was the mentor text for Sarah's latest biography, Abzuglutely! Battling, Bellowing Bella Abzug. Have fun listening to the episode!  In this episode, Jen Malia and I talk about the importance of celebrating neurodiversity, identifying your audience, and writing on location. Jen's three-dimensional characters made me feel as if I was interacting with them in person, and the fact that she writes on location made me feel as though I was at the natural history museum, too. The Infinity Rainbow Club chapter books should be in every classroom because they feature neurodiverse characters excelling in engaging activities. Jen also recommends the following books that are either written by neurodiverse authors and/or feature neurodiverse characters: Picture books: Steve Asbell's Flap Your Hands and Kaz Windness's Bitsy Bat series. Middle grade: Elana K. Arnold's BAT series, Alyson Gerber's Focused, and Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos. Young adult: Halli Gomez's List of 10. For developing the craft of writing, Jen recommends the following books: Cheryl Klein's The Magic Words and Ann Whitford Paul's Writing Picture Books. Click here to read the transcript or click below to listen to the episode. Happy reading, writing, and listening!  When I committed to publishing a transcript for each one-on-one interview, I had no idea how much I would learn in the process. For me, seeing information in print, in addition to hearing it, is extremely helpful. Amy Sarig King and I talk a lot about ACEs, adverse childhood experiences. One of the traumas we discuss is counter-parenting, which is when one parent deliberately undermines the other parent's rules, discipline methods, or parenting choices. Amy's fabulous new novel, Pick the Lock, is a surreal exploration of counter-parenting and other types of abuse, which happen frequently in a patriarchy. If you have experienced counter-parenting, I hope this episode and Amy's newest novel are as validating and healing for you as they were for me. It's incredible how freeing it is when someone names your trauma. In addition to talking about ACEs, we talk about the importance of honesty and expression. Amy recommends the following books: Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri. This book won the Printz Award in 2021, and it has been named twice in a row on the show now. I admit that I started this book and never finished it. But after two interviewees calling it out back-to-back, I'll have to add it to my commuting queue. Amy also recommends Nayeri's, The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams. She says Nayeri can do no wrong. Now, that's a recommendation. Man o' War by Cory McCarthy because it talks beautifully about the journey of trans kids. All three of Michael Leali's realistic fiction middle grade novels: The Civil War of Amos Abernathy, Matteo, and The Truth About Triangles. Skylar Shremp's Three Strike Summer. It's a historical fiction novel set in the 1930's, and Amy says it's "Told in a voice so real that it reeks of filched peaches, this book is a home run." Lastly, Amy and I talked about M.T. Anderson's Elf Dog and Owl Head, which was an absolute magical read for me and possibly my favorite book of 2023. Without further ado, let's Pick the Lock on this interview. |
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February 2025
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