Oh,
how my teacher’s and Writing Coach’s heart kvells* today, August 20, as I share
my former student and writer Lisa Sukenic’s Success Story with TeachingAuthors
readers.
Tomorrow
Saturday, Lisa’s middle grade novel in verse Miles from Motown (Fitzroy Books)
officially enters the World!
Participate
in our Book Giveaway at the end of this post and you can win a copy.
Register
HERE and you can attend via Crowdcast this Sunday’s 6 pm (CDT) Book Launch
sponsored by Women and Children First of Chicago’s Andersonville.
*rejoices
Lisa
has traveled an indeterminate number of miles on her Children’s Book Writer’s
Journey. What I do know is that when she
and I – and her character Georgia Johnson - first connected in my Novel
Workshop at the University of Chicago’s Graham School’s Writer’s Studio in 2015,
she’d already traveled far. I knew in my teacher’s heart: even though Lisa had quite the
distance to go in readying Georgia’s story for Readers, she’d keep keepin’
on.
Georgia's story is quite the story.
About
to move in June, 1967, from her beloved Detroit neighborhood to an unfamiliar
suburb on the outskirts of the city, she decides to lie. She uses her Aunt
Birdie’s Detroit address as her own to qualify for the Essay Contest for
Detroit sixth graders only. With her older brother deployed to Vietnam, and her
family worried about when - or if - he’ll make it home, Georgia tries to settle
into her new life. But she misses the old: her friend Ceci, the cracks in the
sidewalk that used to catch her skates, the hide-and-seek tree, and the deli on
the corner. She wonders if she’ll ever make new friends or feel like she belongs.
To make matters worse, she must also find a way to intercept the Contest finalist
announcement that will be mailed to Aunt Birdie’s mailbox before her family
uncovers her deception. By the end of summer, Georgia discovers her own
resiliency in the face of upheaval and the power of truth when lies ring
hollow.
Gwendolyn
Brooks, the judge for the story’s Essay Contest whom Georgia adoringly admires,
would surely approve. So will middle grade
readers familiar with
moving, overwhelmed by New Everything while
seeking agency in their own lives. So will readers who
know the guilt that comes with lying.
As
you read Lisa’s answers to my questions, you’ll learn: Lisa designed her very
own DoItYourself MFA in Writing for Children Program! Lucky me to have been included. We
began working one-on-one once my workshop ended in 2015 – re-visioning, reshaping,
refining, ’til Miles to Motown was ready to win Regal Publishing’s and Fitzroy
Books’ The Kraken Book Prize in 2019 and its offer of publication.
Booklist’s
review in the current August issue has only increased my heart’s rejoicing.
"Sukenic’s
verse is compact and lively, telling Georgia’s first-person story with sparkle
and verve. She evokes detailed images
with her carefully chosen words and captures Georgia’s story perfectly.”
Thank
you, Lisa, for sharing both your inspirational Success Story, the story behind Miles
from Motown and your DIY MFA Program with our Readers!
And
thank you, Carol, for hosting today’s Poetry Friday at The Apples in my Orchard.
Happy Keep’ Keepin’ On, no matter the miles!
Esther Hershenhorn
.
. . . .
Miles from
Motown was always
your title…and although the point of view character, camera focus, subplots
and telling (poetry vs. prose) changed through the years and numerous
revisions, the heart of this story remained the same. I think of Katherine
Paterson’s definition of character: “One heart in hiding reaching out to
another.” How did you remain true to the story’s heart and wherein lies your
heart?
The seeds of
the story came from my memories and experiences growing up in the suburbs of
Detroit. My grandparents lived and worked in Detroit. Going back and forth
between Detroit and Southfield set a map in my mind for the setting and
situations of the story. Even though the physical distance was small, the
divisions between the communities and cultures were large. I used the reference
of miles to dive into distance being vast in her heart when leaving her Detroit
to an unfamiliar neighborhood. I grew up during this time period and wanted to
paint a picture of this era with the internal and external conflicts that
weighed on Georgia and her family when they relocated to the suburbs. Although
this is a work of fiction, my childhood friendships and relationships
played a role in the creation of the foundation for Miles from Motown.
Your very
own Do It Yourself (DIY) MFA in Writing for Children Program serves as an
excellent model for children’s book creators, or any writer, for that matter.
You grabbed opportunities and saw possibilities everywhere to learn your craft,
revise and ready your novel and connect with the children’s book community and
fellow writers. How did this approach best serve you and Miles from
Motown and which elements were absolutely necessary?
These
experiences were vital to my development as a published author:
·
The
University of Chicago Graham School Certificate in Poetry program is where I
began formalizing my poetry skills, studying with Alice George and Dina
Elenbogen. They taught me form and to be a more objective poet, to read and
model from famous poets. This also prepared me for prepublication and critique.
·
The A Room
of Her Own Foundation Retreat held at the Georgia O’Keefe Ranch in Abiquiu, New
Mexico gave me too many gifts to list by being around so many talented
women writers who helped me create my writing community. I was fortunate to be selected to attend in
2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015. In 2015, I had the privilege of working with
Cynthia Leitich-Smith.
·
Being part
of the virtual Haiku Room helped me work on my daily writing practice and led
to my first publishing contract for 13 Haikus in Everyday Haiku
published in 2014.
·
Juliet
Bond’s 2014 Story Studio program “Writing Children’s Literature in a Year” is
where the roots of Miles from Motown began in prose and later that year
turned into poetry.
·
Esther
Hershenhorn’s 2015 “Writing the Middle Grade and Young Adult Novel: through the
University of Chicago Graham School helped me learn the elements of
writing a novel as did her subsequent classes at Chicago’s Newberry Library.
·
I worked
with Esther as my Writing Coach for 4 years, from 2015-2019, to complete Miles
from Motown. Her mentorship and belief in Georgia, me and the story led
to the eventual offer to publish my novel in verse.
·
SCBWI-Illinois’
free Networks offered support, programming and continued learning - especially Jane
Hertenstein’s Chicago Network, Kate Hannigan’s Hyde Park Network and Anny
Rusk’s North Suburban Network.
·
SCBWI-Illinois’
Prairie Writer’s and Illustrator’s Day, Many Voices Competition, Spring Thaw
event and the SCBWI Midwest Conference offered submission opportunities along
with the learning. I eventually was named a finalist in the Many Voices
Competition and also the winner of the 2016 Prairie Writer’s and Illustrator’s
Day Manuscript Event.
·
I attended
orientation events through Hamline’s admission for their MFA for Children and
Young Adults. I was able to participate in Sarah Aronson’s March retreat at Vermont
College of Fine Arts for Children and Highlights workshops. At every turn, I
was soaking in as much as possible regarding craft, and really listening to
authors as well.
·
I read,
read, read, and still do! I am the Co-Chairperson of the Global Reading
Challenge for 4th grade at the University of Chicago Laboratory
School which requires me to review diverse middle grade fiction every summer
for our book selection. I typically read
20-30 books each summer to share with the selection committee.
When we
worked together, I often began by reciting E.B. White’s wise, wise words:
“Writers are revisers.” How did the revision process help you find your way
into Georgia’s heart and winnow out her story for a middle grade
novel-in-verse?
Being a poet
was a blessing and a curse. The danger of being a poet who has never written a
novel is the high probability that you will spend a lot of time micromanaging
at the word and stanza level. As a poet, the novel in verse format
immediately goes close to the emotional arc and a lot can be conveyed with very
few words. The very first draft was in prose and the subsequent revisions in
verse, prose, and then finally verse. Having written it over again in prose
allowed me to identify the plot points. I had created a gigantic timeline on
mural paper in my bedroom. This continual visual reminder allowed me to see if
a character was not showing up a lot. It
helped with the pacing, too, but honestly, some of the best changes were made
through discussion with Esther and having that AHA! moment during
brainstorming. On several occasions after our meetings, I found myself pulling
off of Lakeshore Drive at a park to jot something down when a connection had
finally clicked or an amazing line had to be written immediately before I would
forget.
Many of the
poems seemed to pour out of me and I often felt that I was channeling Georgia
when writing. I also played a bit with form, creating list poems about how to
lose a friend, which allowed me to discover a different voice than Georgia’s
typically more lyrical poetry. The deeper the problems became, the more that
Georgia grew as a person. I began to really know how she would respond and how
deeply she felt her sadness about her brother Ty being in Vietnam, her
confusion about why they moved, and her loss of her best friend and changing
friendships and the guilt that she places on herself with the poetry entry
deception.
Past and
present University of Chicago Laboratory School students and parents treasure
you as a dedicated and creative teacher, so now you truly can declare yourself
a dyed-in-the-wool true-blue TEACHINGAuthor. 😊 How would you like middle grade teachers to share Georgia and Miles
from Motown with their students?
Thank you
very much for this immense compliment and for having faith in me. I am
currently working on my Teachers Guide and it will soon be available for
download HERE. Miles from
Motown lends
itself to a broad curriculum, such as:
Poetry study
and Novels in Verse study
History/Timelines
(Gwendolyn Brooks, Dudley Randall, Muhammad Ali, the Vietnam War)
Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion Curriculum
Social
Emotional Issues (identity, bullying, loss, transitions, and self-advocacy)
Pop culture
and Music of the 1960’s
Like all
creatives, we work hard at visualizing our Success. As you and Georgia
ready for the world and your Readers, what are you most looking forward
to? Which visualizations do you hope come true?
I am most
looking forward to reading this book with my fourth-grade students in book
groups, during our novel in verse study in spring and having in-depth discussions
about the time period and all of the themes that the book lends itself to. We
use a lot of historical novels in verse in this category and I think mine will
be a perfect addition to Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai and Becoming
Muhammad Ali by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander. I am excited and
shocked to have mine be on the list next to these legendary authors. The best
thing and what I am looking forward to the most is seeing my students read my
book as a “real” book and seeing it in our library at school.
Miles from
Motown is but your
first published children’s book, the first of many. What
work-in-progress now claims your heart?
My work in
progress Mississippi Flyway tells the story of 14-year old Zoey from
Chicago who wants to forget about her parents’ divorce and have things go back
to normal. Zoey had planned to spend her winter break with her best friend,
Sage in Florida, sketching birds and preparing her portfolio to get
accepted to the high school art school with Sage. With the divorce agreement
finalized, Zoey and her eleven-year old brother Eli have to spend all of their
vacation time up in Honor, Michigan, population 300, at the Loon Lake Inn Bed
and Breakfast with their dad and his new husband. Zoey’s feelings about Honor begin to change when she meets Dakota who
lives at the Deadstream General Store. Will Zoey be forced to choose between
her best friend and her new friend? When Zoey finds the mysterious sketches
with the initials GF, she becomes obsessed with finding the artist. Maybe
living in Northern Michigan might not be as bad as she thought. As the summer
ends, she may have to choose between her best friend and the opportunity of a
lifetime?
# # #
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