Rectangles of Light...and a Question!

Beautiful breakfast
prepared by Dudly!

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Linda at TeacherDance for Roundup. (Next week Roundup is HERE. Yay!)

Last week I was in Camden, Alabama doing some research. I met new friends (Hi Betty and Tony!) and hung out with some long-dear ones: Kristin Law and Sulynn Cresswell at Blackbelt Treasures, which is my favorite place to shop in the universe! I spent some time perusing the art, and yes, I found some new subjects for my ArtSpeak: FOLK ART project! Yay! (See below.) 

I stayed with other long-dear ones at my favorite B&B in the universe, Liberty Hall, which is owned and operated by Julia Ann and Dudly Handly and some very friendly hummingbirds. Good times!

Y'all, I have Ludelphia to thank for these relationships. In the nearly fifteen (!) years since Leaving Gee's Bend (which is set in 1932 Gee's Bend and Camden) was released, I have had the opportunity to visit many times. And now I have a new Alabama Black Belt story brewing!!

Speaking of story-brewing...I wanted to share a few take-aways from the 2024 SCBWI summer (virtual) conference. I watched almost every video, starting at the end: Kate DiCamillo's closing keynote. This was not Kate's first time to give this particular talk, and goodness, I hope she gives it a thousand times, because it is THAT good.

 Among other things she said we can use our own heartbreak to create a rectangle of light (a book!) for someone else. She talked about all the wonderful things that have happened to her as an author and asked herself the question: "What if I'd stopped?"

What if I'd stopped writing Leaving Gee's Bend? Oh, I wanted to! I DID stop. And restarted. Again and again...what if I'd stopped? I wouldn't be writing this post, that's for sure. And SO MANY other things. All this to say to all of you out their writing and stopping and sometimes feeling hopeless: KEEP GOING.

Erin Lee talked about creating Instagram reels (which I will likely never do myself) asked this question: Who are you, IN ONE WORD? Now that's a question to ponder! I know what my word is....(see the end of this post!)  Do you know what your word is? How can this word inform your writing, your days, your lifetime?

Felicita Sala, illustrator, reminded us that the word "wonder" means "to leave space."

Eddie Gammara talked about how picture books become TV/film. Basically, scouts are looking at the cover and title of a picture book, at what emotional response is generated, what images come to mind. That's it! Only the cover and title to convey something irresistible! The example he shared was Boss Baby by Marla Frazee.

Torrey Sharp, who is a book cover and book designer reminded us that branding=identity + reputation. (What is reputation? What people remember and SHARE about you.)

Tameka Fryer Brown talked about lyrical picture books, about refrains and codas. And about punctuation! (I would love to teach about punctuation as a tool in poetry!)  She will often use STET (which means "leave it the way I have it") to maintain the "flow" of text when dealing with copyeditors who insist on grammatical correctness.

The panel on Early Readers made me (again) want to write for this audience! I have since read all their books. Check out Valerie Bolling's Rainbow Days; Melissa Iwai's Gigi and Ojiji; Kelly Starling Lyons' Ty's Travels; and Emma Otheguy's Reina Ramos in Queens.

Alison Weiss talked about graphic novels, and I learned about the "blushing shoujo moment." The way I understand it, this is the moment when the (blushing) hero reveals her feelings. So, a pretty big emotional moment! And something for all of us to be thinking about, whether we are writing manga or whatever other genre.

Alyza Liu talked about picture book biographies. She reminded us to ask ourselves: what would KIDS be interested in? Not what they should know, but what they WANT to know. And go for emotion, not an encyclopedia entry.

Andrea Wang (author of the lovely Watercress) talked about memoirs in picture books. She said instead of write what you know...write what you REMEMBER. I love that!

And I will close with the talk I have thought about the most since hearing it: Martha Brockenbrough on raising the stakes in our writing. She gave some great examples, even in picture books! Check out The Yellow Áo Dài by Minnie Phan and Hanh Bui.

And now for this week's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem. I selected a clothesline painted by Carol Bandy Carson (found at Blackbelt Treasures)!

 I've actually written another poem about a clothesline (in 2015!), called "Clothesline Season," which features a city clothesline. 

And earlier this year I wrote one called "Airing the Quilts." 

Thanks so much for reading!

Clothesline

What is a clothesline

but a bedsheet's beach?

A place to loosen

and laze,

to sunbathe

and dive into sky's tides—

rustling leaves,

chirring birds,

the occasional mooooo—

A chance to snap

and flutter about

those new bloomers

hung out for the first time,

how they flap and flirt

with the wind,

pretending to be

flamboyant,

unruffled—

which everyone knows

they're not.

- Irene Latham

Finally: Back to that question posed by Erin Lee: Who am I in one word? 

POET. 

What about you? Please share in comments!

Another question, if you've read this far: What's your favorite Kate DiCamillo book?? (MIne is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.)

If I Could Choose a Best Day (it would be a night spent roasting marshmallows)

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Heidi at my juicy little universe for Roundup.

Today I've got book news! And not one, but TWO poems!

1. The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets edited by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illus. by Mercè López (Carolrhoda/ Lerner Publishing) will release Oct. 1. Publisher's Weekly gave it a STARRED review. Woohoo!

2. Earlier this week, we shared the cover of our March 2025 anthology If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility, poems selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illus. by Olivia Sua (Candlewick). So many Poetry Friday friends have poems in this book! YAY! So much gratitude to these poets. Something cool about this collection is that all the poems in the book start with the word "if."

  Here's the list of contributors:

Lacresha Berry, Robyn Hood Black, JaNay Brown-Wood, Joseph Bruchac, Sy Cedering, Emily Dickinson, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Nikki Grimes, Jolene Gutiérrez, Georgia Heard, Anna Grossnickle Hines, Irene Latham,  Renée M. LaTulippe, Nancy Tupper Ling, Sylvia Liu, Rebekah Lowell, Vikram Madan, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Lilian Moore, Eric Ode, Bob Raczka, Lisa Rogers, Sydell Rosenberg, Laura Purdie Salas, Janice Scully, Teresa Owens Smith, Gabi Snyder, Sarah Grace Tuttle, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, Charles Waters, Janet Wong

3. Today's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poemS (it's a 2-fer Friday the 13th!) feature a Harvest Moon (coming September 17!) and children roasting marshmallows. The artist is Jessie LaVon. Thanks so much for reading!

harvest moon

children dip sticks into flame

marshmallows sing

- Irene Latham

How to Roast a Marshmallow

build a fire

a cozy, crackly fire

find a stick

a long, tapered stick

skewer a marshmallow

a plump, pillowy marshmallow

turn it slowly—

like a rotisserie—slowly

till the outside is crispy

golden and crispy

and the inside is gooey

fingertip sticky and ooey-gooey

pop it in your mouth

your wide-awake mouth

mmm

mmm

- Irene Latham

UP, UP, EVER UP! by Anita Yasuda and Yuko Shimizu

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Buffy Silverman for Roundup.

It is my pleasure today to welcome Anita Yasuda and Yuko Shimizu, the creators behind a new beautiful picture book biography about Junko Tabei entitled  UP, UP, EVER UP! (Clarion, Sept. 24, 2024)

Here's the publisher's description: 

"Junko Tabei dreamed of a life climbing mountains. But men refused to climb with her. Sponsors told her to stay home. And gloves were not made to fit her hands. Junko, eager and unstoppable, wouldn’t let these obstacles get in her way.

Instead, she planned an expedition to summit Mount Everest with an all-women team. Battling icy peaks, deep crevasses, and even an avalanche, Junko refused to give up. She climbed step by step . . . up, up, ever up!

After summiting the world’s tallest peak, Junko took on a new challenge: protecting the wild spaces she loved for future generations.

This gorgeously illustrated celebration of a trailblazing climber who shattered gender stereotypes invites us to dare to reach our dreams—no matter how big."

Readers, I've known Yuko since we worked together on THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO, which was awarded a Caldecott Honor! And it was Yuko who introduced me to Anita. I'm so grateful! And I LOVE this book. It's for dreamers and do-ers. So inspiring!

Before I share their lovely interview with you, I invite you to visit Smack Dab in the Middle where I talk about going deeper in our writing...and offer a worksheet for creating an Artist's Declaration, or mission statement. Enjoy!

 Also, you'll find my latest ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem at the end of the post. In honor of Junko (and Yuko and Anita!), I've selected a piece by Japanese folk art, also called "mingei." The piece in particular is Childbirth by Shiko Munakata, Woodcut Reworked with Brush and Black Sumi Ink, 1959, Cincinnati Art Museum.

Now, please welcome Anita and Yuko!

FRESH

Anita Yasuda

Anita: I had the idea to work on a picture book about Junko Tabei while discussing hiking with one of my closest friends, whom I walked with daily when my family lived in California. My friend was planning a climbing trek in Nepal and training hard. While I was not going to be training for such an endeavor, the wheels in my mind had already started planning a fresh picture book, which became Up, up. The picture book then took shape during these walks and a year later when I returned to Canada.

I am lucky to live in southern Ontario, where I can access miles of looping trails, boardwalks around beaver ponds, and rugged lookouts. I write best in the early mornings. As I walk, I inhale the fresh air. With that air comes fresh ideas and ways to work through story problems step by step, like the subject of this picture book biography, Junko Tabei.

DELICIOUS

Anita: During the research process, I found ideas that were sweeter than Nepalese fried dough dipped in sugar syrup. The joy of investigating new projects is like the thrill of discovering a new trail. It's a journey of curiosity and excitement.

Both journeys begin with curiosity. What will I discover? What is waiting for me along the route? When I dove into stacks of books, newspaper articles, and online interviews of Junko Tabei, I was thrilled when I came across a list of team members from the 1975 Everest climb. It felt like I was holding a day pass for a hike.

I then set out to contact each person on that list. I assumed correctly that some would still be involved in climbing clubs. Though there were many tough dead ends and moments when I questioned my approach, it also became easier. As publication day approaches, the most rewarding part of this journey is the joy of meeting many new people and hearing their stories, all because of this picture book, Up, up.

DIFFICULT

Yuko Shimizu,
photo by Matt Dutile

Yuko: The most difficult part of each book illustration process is the beginning. I usually don’t know anything about the subject I will be illustrating. So, before going into the initial idea stages, I have to learn. I was never an athletic child, and my knowledge of mountaineering was very minimal. 

I usually start my process by reading many books and learning the subject, initially more of just reading, then moving onto books with photos. (followed by watching some films, and then finally photo research.) I bought and read 10+ books, many were by Junko, some are about Junko, and others about Himalayas, Mt. Everest, and the Sherpa people. I honestly have no idea how illustrators worked before the internet. But thanks to internet, and mainly Abe Books, I was able to find a lot of obscure vintage books about Mt. Everest, and I visited Japanese bookstore sites to get books by and about Junko (lucky Japanese is my first language). 

Illustrators need to accurately draw and paint, especially when it’s a historical and bio book. But photos of Junko's 1970's Mt. Everest trip were mostly missing from internet. This created a huge headache in my early stage of reference research. Eventually I found online a photo book released in the 1970s in Japan. I searched and searched until I found a copy of a used copy on a Japanese marketplace. That was like hitting a jackpot. I don’t know what I would have done without it. I used it so much the book fell apart by the time I finished illustrating all the pages. 

ANYTHING ELSE

Yuko: Because I am a research nerd, by the time I was starting to actually draw the final art, I was fully equipped to “climb Mt. Everest.” (in a metaphorical way, of course). 

When you look at the the spread of the the tent in the night,  those mountains and nature you see (and what the readers encounter) are not some random gibberish of the mountain drawings.  They are pretty accurate to what they must have seen. I know these are the details probably almost nobody would notice, but it makes me feel good to try to be as accurate as possible. It's my job as a picture book illustrator to take kids there with me, to the mountains, through the pictures. And as a mountain guide, a pictorial-sherpa, I think these small details are what make the world believable, regardless if anyone notices or not. 

----

So many thanks to Anita and Yuko!

And now, here's my latest ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem. It's a haiku for childbirth. What a miraculous time (she says, as her eldest turns 30 this month!!). Thanks so much for reading.

all the water in

the world cannot stop you

welcome, little one

- Irene Latham