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John Parra is asked what he thinks makes a good picture book:
"When I feel like I get to a magical sweet spot in the [sketch] work that I can translate into the [final art] work... when I can feel like something magical is happening... that's what I'm looking for personally and professionally, even before an audience sees it.
Not everything you do will work or be interpreted by an audience they way you wished it would, but when you do get positive responses, you know it's good."
Susan Rich is asked the same question, and she says she asks herself three questions (which she says are stolen from The Horn Book) when reading the picture book:
"The picture book presents a
what if..."
A
then what that follows well from that
what if...
And then you can step back and say
so what.""We expect picture books to be read a gazillion times, it has to stand up to weary parents and antsy toddlers over and over..."
Susan also addresses what makes a commercially successful book to her:
"... I hope they are paving the way for me to publish more books by those creators, I'm looking for sales and critical acclaim, that it connects with some demographic in an important way and that we can build on that with more books from those creators.
Curricular or seasonal hooks can make your books easier to
get BUT I would never recommend starting from there. You can think about that at the query or later at the marketing level."
John says to follow your own voice, and don't worry about commercial vs. personal work, make it personal. Make it unique to your voice, and that's what's going to define you in your career. Be the first-rate you and not a third-rate Jon Klassen.
Susan says the best picture book texts have room for an illustrator to bring it to life, but also are manuscripts meaty enough to provide pacing and carry through with a full, narrative story, which is why poetry is not always a natural fit for picture books even if it's a completely beautiful and lyrical poem.
Laurent asks them about books they loved as kids:
John mentions
Virginia Lee Burton's LIFE STORY.
Susan Rich loved
C D B! by William Steig (link only goes to the colorized version :( )
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By: Lee Wind, M.Ed.,
on 7/30/2016
Blog:
The Official SCBWI 10th Annual New York Conference Blog
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Moderated by Laurent Linn (standing), the panelists, left to right, are: author/illustrator Jessixa Bagley, illustrator John Parra, editor Susan Rich, author/illustrator Barney Saltzberg, and author/illustrator Don Tate.
I just did a fun interview about my eBook, HOW TO HAVE SEX IF YOU'RE NOT HUMAN, on the Radio Show, SUSAN RICH TALKS: Love and Lifestyle. Susan Rich and Annemarie Schuetz were great interviewers and we had a fun time talking about mating behavior across the animal kingdom, including humans. Also had a chance to plug my book SEXUAL STRATEGIES: HOW FEMALES CHOOSE THEIR MATES. The show is archived, so you can listen by clicking on the show link.
#11 in the Poetry Potluck Series, celebrating National Poetry Month 2010
Sometimes the nicest things happen by accident.
Not too long ago, in one of my relentless searches for good food poems, I stumbled upon Susan Rich's "A Poem for Will, Baking." It brought me to my knees, as I remembered losing my aunt and my cousin's grief. The poem also resonated with many of you, and later I was pleasantly surprised to hear from Susan herself.
When she asked whether we could combine forces for National Poetry Month, I knew she would be a perfect surprise guest. She's written other food poems, some of which are included in her new book, The Alchemist's Kitchen (White Pine Press, 2010). What I didn't know was how succinctly her chosen "potluck poem" would define the provocative relationship between food and poetry.
Sometimes you're hungry for something, but don't know what. You search for words to feed your soul. Beyond the sheer musicality of food names is their inherent sensuality, the way they instantly trigger fond memories, their uncanny ability to tap into yearning and unearth deep-seated emotions. The chanterelle mushroom is shaped like a trumpet; the term, "chanterelle" is derived from the Latin cantharellus, which means, "little cup." I love how Susan's poem, like a lovingly prepared, well orchestrated meal, fills me to the brim with its nourishing song of pure bliss.
photo by KarmenRose.
CHANTERELLE
Perhaps consider poetry
a gourmet grocery shop,
endless pyramids of
shape-shifting fruit:
persimmon, star flower, pomegranate --
and across the aisle
in hand-woven oval baskets:
Vietnamese coriander,
Thai basil, Chinese leaves.
Experiment without knowing
the exact region where
the pomegranate is grown
the pronunciation of the Chinese leaf.
But don't set out to deceive
the check-out girl;
you can't pretend that you're
a kumquat or a chanterelle.
And get away with it.
Instead, practice rapture --
and inquisitiveness, pose
a question to the golden
beet, the artichoke heart;
engage with a yellow fin.
The page relies
on the clean attempt
to move beyond the safe way.
Where is the ineffable?
Bring home a mango
polish it with Kosher salt.
~ from The Alchemist's Kitchen (White Pine Press).
© 2010 Susan Rich. All rights reserved.
Here is what Susan had to say about her new book and "Chanterelle":
Jama, thank you so much for featuring my book, The Alchemist's Kitchen, and for asking me about my collection which is just out this month. As is implied by the title, there are several poems here concerning food, mixed drinks, and even a grocery store. For over a year, every time I wrote a poem, an almond cake or a pomegranate, a dreamsicle or perhaps dark chocolate, would wind up making its way into a stanz
Someone once said most people are either cooks or bakers.
Cooks like the free flow of experimentation -- changing ingredients at whim, improvising with whatever's on hand, measuring by eye and sense rather than cups and spoons. They dance around the kitchen in their bare feet, taking great pride in the fact that their spaghetti sauce might turn out differently each time. Oh, the thrill of uncharted territory!
photo by dyogi.
Bakers, on the other hand, love precision -- ingredients must be measured with care (pack down that brown sugar, level off those measuring spoons and cups). When dealing with yeast and leaveners, one must follow protocol and tip toe around the kitchen, lest the soufflé fall, the bread refuse to rise, or the cookies turn out hard as rock. Baking is beautifully scientific -- kitchen chemistry.
Which leads me to today's poem, which makes me sad, because it reminds me of my cousin who lost his mother just before Thanksgiving last year. You may remember my post about Auntie Ella, who was a great baker and suffered from dementia. My cousin quit his job and devoted four years of his life to her constant care.
After her death, he said the house felt too empty, and he suddenly had too much spare time on his hands -- so he decided he would try his hand at baking. He started with a New York cheesecake (which he served after the memorial service), and intends to try some of Auntie Ella's other recipes, namely her famous rhubarb pie, even though apple is his favorite.
If you were to ask me, I'd tell you my cousin has always had a cook's temperament and personality -- laid back, easy going, fun-loving. But now, it seems, he's also a baker, measuring the moments of his life, sifting through memories.
A POEM FOR WILL, BAKING
by Susan Rich
Honey Madeleines by Marcelo Monser.
Each night he stands before
the kitchen island, begins again
from scratch: chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg,
he beats, he folds;
keeps faith in what happens
when you combine known quantities,
bake twelve minutes at a certain heat.
The other rabbis, the scholars,
teenagers idling by the beach,
they receive his offerings,
in the early hours, share his grief.
It’s enough now, they say.
Each day more baked goods to friends,
and friends of friends, even
the neighborhood cops. He can’t stop,
holds on to the rhythmic opening
and closing of the oven,
the timer’s expectant ring.
I was just baking, he says if
someone comes by. Again and again,
evenings winter into spring,
he creates the most fragile
of confections: madelines
and pinwheels, pomegranate crisps
and blue florentines;
each crumb to reincarnate
a woman – a savoring
of what the living once could bring.
Florentine Cookies by Piccolo Takes All.
Today's Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted by Danika at
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Right On Mary, "Brainless as Beetles" too right, just look at the Wisconsin Governor's legislation against equal pay! "Money is more important to men than women," he said. Now there's someone who needs to listen to "how to have sex if you're not human!" He gives some of those male animals who have strategies for controlling females, a a run for their money...so to speak.