Episode 6: What one thing would you give up to be a better writer or artist? with Christopher Myers.
*Please note that these episodes were all all recorded pre-pandemic!
Welcome to episode 6! What one thing would you give up to be a better writer or artist? Join us with author Christopher Myers.
TRANSCRIPT:
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. How are you?
Grace Lin: Good. Are you ready for today's question?
Christopher Myers: I'm ready. As ready as I can be.
Grace Lin: Okay. Today's question is from a person named Madeline and she asks," What one thing would you give up to become a better writer or artist?"
Christopher Myers: That's a hard question, Madeline. Well, part of why I am a writer and an artist is because I don't have to give up anything. I think that what makes you a better writer, a better artists, is that you take in as many things as you can and you see as much as you can and you read as much as you can. And all of that goes into making you a better writer and making you a better artist. Because, let's say if you were a basketball player and you'd never seen a basketball before, you wouldn't be a very good basketball player. Similarly seeing as much as you can and taking in as much information as you can is what makes you a better writer and a better artist.
Christopher Myers: If I had to give up something, I think I'd give up sleep. Because sleep is just time that I could've been using to see more and to do more and to take in more, to be a better writer and a better artist. I'm not the biggest fan of sleep. I'm always a little bit disappointed at the end of my day, when I'm at my drawing table and my eyes start to droop. And I think to myself," Oh it's almost over." Because I really like being awake. I really like my life and I'm excited to see every day anew. So when I get up in the morning, then I'm fully energized and ready to go for another day. So if I could give up something, I'd probably give up sleep.
Grace Lin: That's a great answer. Wow. And I think you're right. The idea being that everything that you experience in your life, it's really what makes you a better writer and illustrator. Though, when I heard this question, I was like," Hmm, the things that I should give up are probably things I could already give up." Like online shopping or Twitter. I was like," I should just give that up now. And that would make me a better author and illustrator anyway."
Christopher Myers: If I could spend more time doing it, if I could have an extra life. One life as a writer, one life as an artist, one life as a fine artist, one life as a... If I could separate myself into several smaller selves, that would be exciting. Because then at least we could all meet up and collaborate from time to time. As it is, I just have to collaborate with myself inside myself, which is awkward.
Grace Lin: Yeah, and it's so hard because sometimes you're so focused on the art and sometimes just so focused on the writing and sometimes you're so focused other things too.
Christopher Myers: Right.
Grace Lin: So it's hard to find enough time in the day.
Christopher Myers: If I could get days with 42 hours in them, that would be wonderful.
Grace Lin: Me too. Well, thanks so much, Madeline, for your great question. And thank you, Chris for answering it.
Today’s book review comes from Alison Morris and she is reviewing Green Pants, by Kenneth Kraegel.
Do you have a favorite article of clothing, something you love to wear because you feel like it expresses your personality and says something meaningful about who you are? Well, the book I'm going to talk about today features a kid who has exactly that thing. The book is called Green Pants by Kenneth Kragle. And guess what? Jameson wears green pants. That's his thing. He wears them every single day. And life is good. He's loving his green pants until his cousin announces that he's getting married and Jameson finds out that in order to be in the wedding, he's going to have to give up his green pants. He can't wear them in the wedding. What is he going to do? It's his thing. Will he go without his green pants? You will have to read this very funny book to find his creative solution to the problem. Once again, the book is Green Pants by Kenneth Kragle, and I hope you love it as much as I do.
Alison Morris is a nationally recognized children's book buyer with an infectious enthusiasm for reading and 20 years' experience matching books to readers. As the Senior Director of Title Selection for nonprofit First Book, she oversees the curation of children’s and young adult books on the First Book Marketplace, hand-selecting a diverse range of titles that speak to and address the needs of kids in underserved communities, with a keen eye to inclusion, authenticity, and kid-appeal. She previously served as Senior Editor at Scholastic Book Clubs, Children's Book Buyer for Wellesley Booksmith and The Dartmouth Bookstore, and was the founding blogger of the ShelfTalker children’s book blog for Publishers Weekly. She'll be joining us from her home near Washington, DC where she spends LOTS of time discussing books with her husband, illustrator and graphic novelist Gareth Hinds.
More about today’s author:
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.
Thanks to the High Five Books & Art Always Bookstore and Ms. Carleton’s 2nd grade class at Jackson Street School for their help with our kid questions and reviews. Also, special thanks to The Eric Carle Museum of Picturebook Art for helping to facilitate today's interview.
