Chalk + Ink: Episode 64; Wildflowers, Night Owls, and Trailblazers with Ha Dinh.

Hà Dinh talks about wildflowers, night owls and trailblazers in this episode. 

Hà and I had a delightful discussion about why she chose to include wildflowers in her powerful picture book debut, Where Wildflowers Grow. I shared a memory of picking a peony off a neighbor's bush for my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Young, and the joy I felt giving it to her followed by the shame of admitting I shouldn't have picked a flower off of someone else's bush.  She shared memories of all the sweet bouquets she received as a first-grade teacher.

Unlike me who is a card-carrying member of the early bird group, Ha is a night owl. As soon as her children go to bed, she gets busy creating or researching about writing. She doesn't set a schedule for herself, because that stifles her flow. Instead, she works on whatever calls to her, for however long she's able.

When Ha grew up, she didn't see herself represented in books. She thanks authors Minh Lê and Joanna Ho for blazing the trail for her to tell her story.

During the episode, we talk about Eve Bunting's Fly Away Home, a book we've both used with our students to facilitate discussion about challenges that unhoused people face.

If you'd like to register to be eligible to win a free picture book critique from her, fill in this form by Saturday, October 21st, 2023.

​Happy listening!