Episode 48: Have you ever had another job?-With Christopher Myers
Welcome to another great episode of Kids Ask Authors! Authors Grace Lin and Christopher Myers answer this kid question: Have you ever had another job?”
TRANSCRIPTS:
Grace Lin: Hello. I'm Grace Lin, children's book author and illustrator of many books, including the middle grade novel, When The Sea Turned To Silver, and the picture book, A Big Mooncake For Little Star. Today, I'm here with Christopher Myers, the author and illustrator of Wings and My Pen, as well as the creative director of the imprint, Make Me A World with Random House. Hi, Christopher.
Christopher Myers: Hey, Grace.
Grace Lin: All right. Are you ready for today's question?
Christopher Myers: I'm ready.
Grace Lin: Okay. Today's question is from a boy named Cappy. He asks-
Have you ever had another job?
Grace Lin: Have you ever had another job?
Christopher Myers: I'm really lucky I think in that I've kind of only been doing one thing for so many years. I'm a storyteller. I like to make things. I like to tell stories with pictures. I like to tell stories with words. That being said, I do it in lots of different kinds of ways. Right now, I'm designing an opera with an Inuit singer named Tanya Tagaq, which I'm really excited for. What else am I doing? I'm making big tapestries for art galleries and museums. Then one of the most exciting jobs that I have right now is that I'm the creative director of an imprint at Random House, which means that I get to go out and find other people to make books and tell stories. That's so much fun, because it's all of the best part of storytelling without having to do the hard work of figuring out the story. You get to meet people and say, "Hey, I really believe in your stories. I really want to hear what stories you have to tell," and encourage them to make things happen.
Grace Lin: Wow. That sounds so exciting. Did you ever have any boring jobs before you got to do be a storyteller full time?
Christopher Myers: Never. When I was in college, I needed money desperately, and I illustrated my first book at the tail end of college. Having grown up with my dad, Walter Dean Myers, as a writer, I got to see that that's a way to make money. I saw how to do that and some of the ways of how to work within the industry. I've always been a storyteller, and I've always thought of that as the best job I could possibly have. I'm really lucky to have been doing that for quite some time.
Grace Lin: Yes. I agree. It is the best job I think as well, because I've had some really terrible jobs before I got to be a storyteller. I had terrible jobs where I worked at fast food restaurants. At one point I was typing up beer menus. Listeners, when your parents go to bars or restaurants, there's these little menus that tell them what kind of alcoholic drinks they can have, and somebody has to type up all those menus. For a little while that was my job. At one point I also had this job where I was a giftware designer, where I designed t-shirts, t-shirts that said like, "World's Best Dad. Did anyone ever tell you your terrific?" I had a lot of jobs that weren't so much fun as being a storyteller. I'm so glad that that's what I get to do now. Thanks so much, Cappy, for your great question, and thank you, Christopher, for answering,
Christopher Myers: Looking forward to hearing this on the air.
Today’s BOOK REVIEW comes from Max! He’s reviewing “The Word Collector," written and illustrated by Peter H Reynolds.
Hi, my name is Max. The book I would like to talk about is "The Word Collector," written and illustrated by Peter H Reynolds. This book is about a boy who collects words, because he loves words to make clothes, books, and songs. One breezy afternoon, the boy decides he wants to give the words to other children. Read it to find out more. I like this book because the boy collected words and I like words too.
Thank you Max!
More about today’s authors:
Christopher Myers is an award-winning author, illustrator, and fine artist. Myers is the acclaimed illustrator of Love: Selected Poems by E. E. Cummings; Harlem: A Poem, a Caldecott Honor Book; Jazz, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book; and Blues Journey, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book. He is also the author-illustrator of Black Cat and H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination, both Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books; We Are America: A Tribute from the Heart; A Time to Love: Stories from the Old Testament; Looking Like Me; Wings; and Fly! While he is widely acclaimed for his work with literature for young people, he is also an accomplished fine artist who has lectured and exhibited internationally.
Grace Lin, a NY Times bestselling author/ illustrator, won the Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and her picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, was awarded the Caldecott Honor. Grace is an occasional commentator for New England Public Radio , a video essayist for PBS NewsHour (here & here), and the speaker of the popular TEDx talk, The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf. She is the co-host of the podcast Book Friends Forever, a kidlit podcast about friendship and publishing (geared for adults). Find her facebook, instagram , twitter ( @pacylin) or sign up for her author newsletter HERE.
Special thanks to the High Five Books & Art Always Bookstore, Ms. Carleton’s 2nd grade class at Jackson Street School for their help with our kid questions and reviews.
