Devin Scillian is an award-winning author, accomplished country artist, and Emmy-award-winning broadcast journalist. His books with Sleeping Bear Press include the national bestseller A IS FOR AMERICA: AN AMERICAN ALPHABET. His next title, MEMOIRS OF A HAMSTER, will be released in May. Devin lives in Michigan and anchors the news for WDIV-TV in Detroit.

MEMOIRS OF A HAMSTER, your sequel to MEMOIRS OF A GOLDFISH, is set to be released in May. What made you decide to write about a hamster next, instead of the story of, say, a bird or an iguana?

Mostly due to true life experiences. MEMOIRS OF A GOLDFISH was drawn from family conversations about a fish we once had (named Steve, by the way). And when it came time to do another MEMOIR, I found myself thinking back to another family pet, a hamster named Seymour (just as in the book) who startled us one midnight when he sauntered across the kitchen floor. I don’t think we ever figured out his escape route.

Your book is written in journal form—a personal account from a hamster describing the trials of his everyday life. What made you decide to write from the hamster’s point of view?

I think the format dictated the point of view, and to be completely honest, the format was dictated by the title. Oddly enough, most of my books have started not with a story idea but with a title. (I think a really good title just seems to jumpstart my imagination.)

And in this case, my then 14-year old daughter Christian came home one day and said she had an idea for a book called MEMOIRS OF A GOLDFISH. I thought it was one of the greatest titles I’d ever heard. Next thing I know I’m trying to channel my inner fish, and then my inner hamster.

I should add that I also think the memoir format is a great idea incubator for kids. It’s a great way to put on someone else’s glasses and see the world as they see it.

You seem to be quite the Renaissance man; you’re a best-selling author, country music sensation, and a celebrated nightly news anchor. What were the challenges in bringing your children’s books to life with such a busy schedule?

Funny enough, I don’t seem to have trouble finding the time to do the writing. It’s the PROMOTION that proves to be difficult. (I thought all of the work went into writing the books; little did I know that your work is just starting when the book comes out.)

I like to write really late at night (after getting home from doing the late news) which is a lot easier to fit into a family life (when everyone else is asleep). But I also have come to understand that you find time for things that are passions, whether it’s golf, travel, art or writing. And I know it sounds like I’m all over the place with journalism and music and books—but when you think about it, they all boil down to storytelling. And telling a story is just something that I love to do.

You’re speaking on a panel at IRA’s 58th Annual Convention—“The Serious Business of Writing Humor: The Importance of Funny Fiction in the Classroom.” Can you give us a preview of your thoughts on this topic?

It’s a pretty daunting topic. Can I help someone else be funny? Can someone learn to be funny? I’m not sure, to be honest. But I think humor is such a terribly important concept to young people (and young readers) that it’s worth some drilling down into.

I think one of the things that I’m eager to talk about is setting up your humor with the right kind of writing. Sometimes a very funny idea just falls flat in the execution. It has a lot to do with timing, and rhythm, and choosing the right words. Two comedians can tell the exact joke and elicit very different responses.

In other words, it’s not enough to be funny; your humor has to be expressed in an effective way for it to land with the desired impact.

The theme of the conference is “Celebrating Teachers Making a Difference.” Can you tell us about a teacher who made a difference in your life?

Oh, heavens, quite a few. But two in particular really lit the runway on the writing life for me.

Deanna Tressin was my English teacher when I was a senior in high school, and she seemed to know that she should place high demands on me. She was just difficult enough to impress, and thoroughly encouraging when I delivered.

Second was my creative writing professor at the University of Kansas, Alan Lichter. He gave us a choice for one assignment and one option was writing a children’s story. I wrote a piece called “The Journey to the City” that he had the entire class read and then pronounced that I “could get this published tomorrow.” I didn’t find a way to get it published, but truly I didn’t need to; by then he had ignited the thought in me that I might be able to do this thing that I truly loved to do.

Come see Devin Scillian at IRA 2013, where he’ll be participating in “The Serious Business of Writing Humor: The Importance of Funny Fiction in the Classroom” on Saturday, April 20, 2013. The panel includes authors Michael Buckley, Andy Griffiths, and Laurie Keller. It will be moderated by Colby Sharp.



5 Questions With… Chris Soentpiet (AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL)

5 Questions With... Salina Yoon (PENGUIN AND PINECONE)

Jonah Winter is the award-winning author of 25 nonfiction picture books, including the NEW YORK TIMES best illustrated books DIEGO and HERE COMES THE GARBAGE BARGE!, and the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller, BARACK. He has written books on Sandy Koufax, Gertrude Stein, Muhammad Ali, Hildegard von Bingen, Josephine Baker, and Gilbert & Sullivan. Of his many books on baseball, his most recent is YOU NEVER HEARD OF WILLIE MAYS?! He currently teaches llama repair at George Mason University.

Baseball season starts Sunday. What would you say are the primary differences between baseball as depicted in YOU NEVER HEARD OF WILLIE MAYS?! and the culture of the sport today?

Well, first of all, baseball was definitely still the “national pastime” back in the 1950s, which is the era on which my book focuses. In New York, especially, baseball had never been more popular, what with the three World-Series-winning teams: the Giants, the Yankees, and the Dodgers.

But throughout America, there was an innocence to baseball. Fans were not jaded. Unless a player was traded, he played for the same team throughout his career. Pennant races were not the long drawn-out affairs they are today in this era of three-division leagues and “expansion teams.” This made for more good old-fashioned drama towards the end of each season. Of course, it also meant that for most of the country, the season was over once the powerful New York teams won the pennant, which they often did.

Now, as we know, baseball has sunk to the third most popular sport in America. Many fans these days, in this free agent era, complain of the “billionaires” squabbling over salaries, and the lack of loyalty shown by players to their teams and fans. They complain of the steroids players used, and how that has muddied the all-time stats. They complain that games last too long, and that not enough happens. As concerns this last complaint, I would say: We live in the Era of Distraction, wherein unless an experience can happen in “tweet”-sized time and space, and unless there’s action/action/action, people get impatient.

The whole point of baseball, at least for this lifelong fan, is a more leisurely, “pastoral” pace. The drama is in the contrast between the moments of stasis and moments of excitement. But I’m old-fashioned in this way, and I like that kind of pace.

I also like the fact that baseball is obviously far more integrated now than it was in the 1950s. We have made progress in this way, which is undeniably a good thing. The Latin-American presence in Major League baseball is perhaps the most distinguishing feature of this modern era.

As concerns the steroid controversy: Give me a break! How can we take any of the pre-Jackie-Robinson statistics seriously? Babe Ruth did not have to hit against Satchel Paige. Of course, if I were Willie Mays, never having used steroids to amass my impressive statistics, I’m not so sure what I would think of the impressive statistics amassed by my godson, Barry Bonds. But: I’m not Willie Mays!

This book is a follow-up of sorts to YOU NEVER HEARD OF SANDY KOUFAX?! Both men were discriminated against because of their heritages. What enabled them to overcome prejudice and achieve baseball immortality?

First of all, neither Koufax nor Mays have ever spent much time complaining about prejudice they’ve experienced as a Jewish or African American. We all know, as citizens of America, that racism and anti-Semitism do exist here.

But to say that Koufax, for instance, was “discriminated against” is not quite correct. Signed by the Dodgers at a young age, he had a brilliant (if quirky and short-lived) career, and by the end of it he was a cultural icon, a fact cemented by his famous decision to sit out that World Series game on Yom Kippur—which, at that point, was the most public declaration of Jewish American pride that had ever been made. The fact that he has undoubtedly experienced prejudice makes him no different from any other Jewish American. The fact that he had one of the world’s most terrifying fastballs is why we still talk about him. And that’s why it mattered that he sat out that game.

Willie Mays is a different story, for obvious reasons. But he doesn’t quite fit the template of the poor black child who experiences prejudice and overcomes it to do great things. Yes, he grew up in Alabama during the Jim Crow era. But he also grew up in a middle-class neighborhood of mixed ethnicity. He grew up playing baseball with white and black kids. He was popular. He was happy. His family was supportive, harmonious, and stable in its own way.

The fact that he was not invited to play in the Major Leagues initially— in part because of his skin color (he was also very young)—is unfortunate and reminds us of the stupidity and tragedy of baseball’s “color barrier.” Certainly, he endured all sorts of racist garbage during his brief time playing in the Negro Leagues. But this is not a topic Mays himself has discussed very much.

What defines Willie Mays is his positive, action-oriented, bursting-with-positive-energy, take-no-prisoners approach to baseball and life. He was not interested then, nor is he now, in looking backwards or in being perceived as a recipient of discrimination. He did not take part in the protests of the Civil Rights movement—a fact which has earned him a certain degree of criticism.

I would argue, though, that just as Malcolm X and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. both served important functions in the Civil Rights era, Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays also served two different but equally important functions in baseball’s unique and groundbreaking move towards integration and societal progress.

Willie Mays’ career spanned a volatile moment in professional baseball, as the major leagues were integrated racially. How did you approach this important moment so that young readers could grasp its importance?

I originally did not want to include any references to Mays’ two years in the Negro Leagues, as I felt that this wasted precious space (in my 32-page picture book!) that should have been devoted entirely to his brilliant career in the Major Leagues—a career I only begin to re-create in my book. I wanted, as did Willie Mays himself as a player, for him to be presented simply as a “baseball player,” and not as a “black baseball player.” I’ve always thought that that is kind of the point of Willie Mays’s story: Not to be judged for the color of his skin, but instead for the content of his baseball-playing abilities.

But, of course, what he accomplished as a player did not happen in a cultural vacuum. And aside from Mays’s athletic brilliance and indomitable spirit, what makes his story special is the effect his performance had on America, and specifically on 1950s white America, in all its segregated and racist infamy. Willie Mays opened eyes, opened hearts, opened minds.

And THAT is why I chose to tell the story from the point of view of a white fan from that era: a white person seeing, with his own eyes, for the first time, just how great a black person could be—on and off the field—and ultimately not seeing or even caring about this person’s skin color…but instead seeing only the dynamic verb of his being. This is about the “progress” that can happen inside a person’s heart and mind.

Another seminal moment in Mays’ career was “The Catch.” How difficult was it to portray the tension and excitement of this incredible play by the “Say Hey Kid”?

I just had to close my eyes and put myself in that moment, as a fan, trying to narrate this crazy scene as it was happening. I definitely channeled the way baseball announcers narrate the play-by-play in a live game. And then there’s the actual baseball announcer quote that I use—can’t get much more verisimilitude than verbatim history.

Suffice it to say, though, that this scene got edited and re-edited multiple times. As a picture book author, you want to be accurate, but with a scene like this, you don’t want to include so many accurate details that it slows down the narrative and kills the moment. With a little help from my editor, Anne Schwartz, and my copyediting pal and baseball fan, Artie Bennett, I finally got this scene to be both accurate and fast-moving. But hey—what I did here is nothing compared to what Willie Mays did! Guess that’s why he’s more famous than I am! (Or one reason.)

You’ve described your role as a picture book author as being “to take the basic story of someone's life, and then see how much information I can eliminate.” What’s your process for determining the information that made the cut when dealing with dynamic subjects like Koufax and Mays?

It is a fact universally acknowledged that you can’t tell the entire story of someone’s life in a 32-page picture book format (with only two or three sentences per page). It’s not possible. And why would you want to? Your intended audience consists of 7-year-olds. With a few exceptions, their attention spans and comprehension levels are simply not capable of taking in the entirety of a complex adult life.

So, as a picture book biographer, you always have to figure out what story from your subject’s life will be a) appropriate for a child; b) engaging on an emotional and intellectual level to a child; and c) the most essential story—that which helps explain your subject’s relevance.

To quote the poet, Robert Graves (whom my old buddy and baseball fan, John Hayes, used to quote a lot, at least this quote), “There is one story and one story only/ That will prove worth your telling.” With Willie Mays, that story, for my money, has to do with the purely emotional effect he had on so many people with his breathtaking style of play, and how that effect advanced perceptions of race in America.

The seminal moment in that story is “The Catch” in the 1954 World Series, which was viewed by millions of Americans on TV. With that in mind, I cut out as much of Mays’s story as I could that didn’t have to do with this one thing. Everything had to serve that very particular story (chosen out of so many stories from Mays’s life), and all else had to be cut. It started out a much longer story! (Thank you, Anne Schwartz!)

With Koufax, the challenge was telling a story about a guy who didn’t (and still doesn’t) want to have his story told…or even want to be “understood” at all. He was and is a very private man—the “J.D. Salinger of baseball.”

But, in a way, that aspect of Koufax is perfect for approaching the strange-but-true story of his odd path to glory. My goal was to eliminate everything that did not specifically relate to a) how inscrutable this crazy cat was; and b) how much pressure was on him from the very beginning, external and internal (I think), to live up to the sometimes oppressive expectations of him as athletic prodigy, the Dodgers’ “bonus baby,” and rare Jewish baseball player.

Pressure and expectations (for success or failure) are things any child can relate to. “Trying too hard,” which is what Koufax did for his first few years, is something any child can relate to. Not wanting or being able to express or explain yourself is something many children can relate to, especially boys. The trick in telling this story was to weave these specific concerns together into a compelling narrative. So, again, anything that did not serve this thread got cut—important things, too, such as Koufax’s “perfect game.”

I also didn’t say a thing about his curve ball, which was arguably just as important (or more so) than his fast ball. That’s because the story of how “Koufax became Koufax” has to do with how he stopped throwing wild pitches due to “overthrowing”… and simply let his body do what it was made to do, thereby throwing even faster.

There’s no room for a curve ball in that 32-page story.

5 Questions With... Glennette Tilley Turner (FORT MOSE; AN APPLE FOR HARRIET TUBMAN)

In Other Words: Brian Lies (BATS AT THE BALLGAME) on the Spirit of Halloween

Chris Soentpiet (pronounced: soon-peet) is the recipient of a gold medal awarded by the Society of Illustrators; has received accolades from the International Reading Association, PARENTS magazine, the American Library Association, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, the Chicago TRIBUNE, the San Francisco CHRONICLE, and THE SMITHSONIAN; and has been recognized by the American Society of Portrait Artists Foundation. When not painting, Chris enjoys visiting schools across the country promoting the love of children’s literature and the arts. An honor graduate from the Pratt Institute of Art, he lives in New York City with his wife and kids. To learn more about Chris, visit his Web site at www.soentpiet.com.

Your most recent work is AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL: TOGETHER WE STAND. Can you tell us a little about the project and your involvement in it?

Ken Geist, an editor from Scholastic, approached me with a great concept. He wanted ten diverse and distinguished groups of children's book artists from different ethnic backgrounds and different art style to interpret the famous song "America the Beautiful." He believed using inspiring presidential quotes paired with the artwork deepens our experience of this beloved patriotic song.

I was delighted when he asked me to be a part of this project because I firmly believe America is truly a melting pot. I also knew a group of diverse artists would be able to capture the spirit of the song in our own unique artistic ways.

When you were eight, you and your sister were adopted by an American family, and the two of you relocated from your birthplace (South Korea) to your new home in Hawaii. Did growing up in such gorgeous, lush landscapes influence your art?

Seoul, Korea was basically a large city. However, when I was adopted to live in Hawaii, I was amazed at the luscious Hawaiian tropical landscape, especially the ocean with its vibrant colors. It must have subliminally stayed in the back of my mind because I try to replicate those crisp bright colors in my illustrations, even when painting people.

Your style pays homage to that of your idol, Norman Rockwell, and you describe your artistic process as being similar to his. What exactly is that process?

My idol Norman Rockwell and I have many similarities in our artwork:

ONE: We both love to paint people, especially faces of all races, genders, and ages.

TWO: To capture the realism, we both photograph real people to use as reference for our illustrations. We also use many different props, which we often make ourselves.

Also in many occasions, we paint our close friends, family, neighbors and even ourselves in the illustrations. I often dress them up in period costumes. This can be lots of fun.

THREE: Whenever possible, we both love going to the location where the actual story in the illustration takes place. For example, for my book MY BROTHER MARTIN I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia where the author Christine King-Farris, the older sister of Dr. Martin Luther King, showed me her childhood home where they grew up.

For SILVER PACKAGES I traveled to Malden West Virginia where the author Cynthia Rylant grew up. I sketched and took plenty of photographs of the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. I also interviewed and photographed many of the local town’s people. They even graciously invited me in to their homes (some I even used them as models in the book.)

By traveling to the locations, I get a real sense of the place, through sight, smell and even sound. In the end, the painting becomes that much more authentic.

FOUR: We both use colors and luminous lighting to create a believable atmosphere and mood. We want our viewers to be transported right into the illustrations and to feel the emotion of each character.

The only difference would be our actual medium. Norman Rockwell used oil paints, while I prefer using watercolor.

Nevertheless, our goal in end is the same. We both want to create a beautiful realistic work of art.

We’re honored that you’ll be presenting at this year’s Book and Author Luncheon, at IRA’s 58th Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas. What can attendees expect from this event?

I am honored to be this year’s luncheon speaker! I hope to present an exciting and informative as well as entertaining presentation on my approach to creating picture books from concept to completion. I will also touch upon my personal stories, such as being adopted, and how it influenced me to become a children’s books artist. And I will also talk about the wonderful people especially teachers , who have guided me along the way to becoming an artist.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Celebrating Teachers Making a Difference.” Can you tell us about a teacher who made a difference in your life?

Many wonderful teachers along the way guided my path to becoming an artist. One is Mr. Ron Jansen, my high school teacher who I will talk about in my luncheon program.

The other teacher/mentor/friend is Ted Lewin. During my senior year at Pratt Institute, he and his wife Betsy Lewin gave a wonderful presentation about their artwork as guest lecturers. I was amazed at his illustrations. He did something unique with watercolors that I loved. Most realistic artists use only watercolors to paint landscapes, but he was able to paint people beautifully using watercolors and it fascinated me.

After his presentation, I nervously showed him my paintings. Upon reviewing my portfolio, he said, “Chris, through your pictures, you have a natural story telling ability—it conveys your skill as a children’s book illustrator.”

His words encouraged me to pursue a career as a full-time children’s books artist. He invited me to his home (ironically he lived across the street from me for years and I never knew that), and during my senior year he worked very closely with me to develop a solid portfolio of paintings which I presented to the publishers. He always told me I had “a fire in my belly”—a strong motivation. I will never forget his generosity and all that I have learned from him

Join Chris Soentpiet at IRA 2013 for this year’s Book and Author Luncheon on Monday, April 22, 2013, from 12 PM to 1:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased here.



5 Questions With... Salina Yoon (PENGUIN AND PINECONE)

In Other Words: Paneling with Susan Beth Pfeffer