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AT THE KID TABLE

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by Rachel Michelle Wilson

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Let's explore the world like we're sitting at the kid table -- the lives, work, and creative processes of children's book makers <a href="https://rachelmichellewilson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">rachelmichellewilson.substack.com</a>

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Recent Episodes

August 7, 2024

13 things I learned from the great Wanda Gág

Oh hi there!Yes, it is true; we are in August already. How is your summer going? If you find yourself feeling a strange combination of exhaustion and anxious energy, you aren’t alone. But I hope you are feeling like one of the strong blackberries growing on the bush I pass on my daily walk, or the happy, swimming seal I saw the other day, or like that first taste of a popsicle when it is a million degrees outside. Enough of me comparing you to random things, let’s get to the kid table vibes!Kid table vibes of the weekNaming things Ever since moving to Washington (can you believe it has been over 6 months now?!), Aaron and I have been trying to name our house. When people asked us to describe it, we kept saying it is a blend of old vintage and modern cozy. And then we were like, “Oh yeah. That could work.” So we made it official. We named our house: Ol’ Cozy.I know, I know. We’re basically geniuses (genius-i?). I’ve come so far from those days-gone-by when I named my stuffed animals “Sealy” and “Dog.” Like I named the subscribe button “the big green button” for goodness sake.Oh by the way, did I tell you the main character of my debut picture book is named Bertie? So yeah, super good at names — like really creative. Like how’d-you-think-of-that-my-mind-is-blown creative. Anyway, the point is that naming things is hard, but I’ve discovered it connects me to my child self. So if you are feeling disconnected or isolated lately, try naming your toothbrush. You never know. A few more kid table vibes* Enthusiasm: <a target="_blank" href="https://bradmontague.substack.com/">The Enthusiast by Brad Montague</a> — everything <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/profile/16121600-brad-montague">Brad Montague</a> makes is infused with care and imagination and meaning; his newsletter always inspires me.* Playfulness: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSuSyZ92Cjg">Fredrik Backman speech</a> on creative anxiety and procrastination* Celebrating the weirdos: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY-7C1BjZJM">Waltz For Sweatpants dance</a> (I am obsessed with any choreography by Tessandra Chavez)* Sibling rivalries: Okay, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuLnKZe5O98">one more Tessandra Chavez</a> dance (it made me cry)* Book recs: <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/between-words-a-friendship-tale-saki-tanaka/20314923">Between Words by Saki Tanaka</a> to live in gorgeous worlds, <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-museum-of-very-bad-smells-a-dare-to-scratch-n-sniff-mystery-monica-arnaldo/20706103?ean=9780063271449">The Museum of Very Bad Smells</a> by <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/profile/89954709-mon">Mon</a>ica Arnaldo to stink up your nose with delightful scratch and sniff nostalgia, and <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/still-there-was-bread-lisl-h-detlefsen/21105635?ean=9780063216556">Still There was Bread by Lisl Detlefsen</a> and David Soman for a warm hug. And last but not least, the vibe of KNOWLEDGE.I’ve spent the last few months learning from the great Wanda Gág. You may know her as the author and illustrator of the book MILLIONS OF CATS which is the oldest picture book that has never gone out of print (published in 1928). But you might not know that, after her father died when she was 15, she used her art to pay for all six of her siblings to complete high school (That would be hard NOW let alone as a female artist in the 1920s). Or that she kept extensive and very personal journals her entire life — like this gal was DEVOTED — which included her unconventional views on marriage, motherhood, relationships, and creativity. If you are kinda curious (cough cough nosy) like me, these are fun. You’ll probably enjoy this study if you: * Need a reminder to trust your own creative voice. * Are seeking inspiration or the permission to experiment. * Have struggled honoring your creative voice while also making money, balancing learning from others and going your own way, or prioritizing your work while also cultivating relationships. My aim is limitless. That I will never reach it I know, but I'm going to get as near there as I can. That will keep me running all the rest of my life, believe me. Read <a target="_blank" href="https://www.rachelmichellewilson.com/blog/wanda-gag">13 things I learned from the great Wanda Gág on my website here. </a>Or listen on Substack, <a target="_blank" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-the-kid-table/id1680603398">Apple podcasts</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7kJWxRPmMHyoHPgml0p1ZU?si=31692162cf824458">Spotify</a>, or basically wherever you get your podcasts.Trade-sies!Now it’s your turn. It’s that special kid table moment when you trade your dad’s famous chocolate chip cookies for your favorite fruit snacks.Wanna trade? Choose one or more kid table vibes to share in the comments!* What would you name the toothbrush? * What is the worst or best name you’ve ever given something? * What helps you feel enthusiastic on the hard days? * What is one way that Wanda Gág inspired you?A big thank you to the sponsors of this postThanks to <a target="_blank" href="https://soundcloud.com/user-963154267">Whiskey Geraldine</a> for our podcast music and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.writerrowland.com/">Joanna Rowland</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mariettaapollonio.com/">Marietta Apollonio</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://sakitales.com/">Saki Tanaka</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.angelakrans.com/">Angela Pham Krans</a>,<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nyashawilliams.online/"> Nyasha Williams</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/profile/87455624-pamela-a-mathy">Pamela A Mathy</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://martha-brockenbrough.squarespace.com/">Martha Brockenbrough</a> for sponsoring this newsletter. Definitely check out their amazing websites and books!(Paid subscriptions are on pause at the moment while I catch up for the time I was away. Keeping things fair over here. I would never give you the smaller brownie. Never.) Alright, thanks for sitting with me AT THE KID TABLE today. I hope it filled you with inspiration and reconnected you with your child self in some way. And I also hope that, like Wanda Gág, you keep reaching. Until next time! As always I’ll save you a seat right next to me. Your learning-to-take-a-limitless-aim friend,Rachel This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://rachelmichellewilson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">rachelmichellewilson.substack.com</a>

April 3, 2024

Arnold Lobel and overenthusiastic handshakes

Oh hi there!I hope you’ve had a lovely week. I’m happy to tell you that <a target="_blank" href="https://rachelmichellewilson.substack.com/p/waking-up-to-a-bat-in-my-bedroom">after our bat encounter</a>, we’ve officially finished the full rabies treatment plan (a series of four different vaccine sessions). All that’s left is the bill (dun dun dun). But I don’t want to think about that right now, so let’s get to the kid table vibe of the week and learn some things from the great Arnold Lobel instead. Note: You can listen to this newsletter as a podcast above or read it below. The kid table vibe of the week: OverenthusiasmI’ve always been a little…overenthusiastic. Like I genuinely get so excited about so many things that sometimes I overwhelm myself. (I say this knowing just how ridiculous it sounds haha).For example, in middle school, I received an assignment to write an advertisement that we would eventually record for a real radio show. It was a group project, and my brain came alive with the unlimited creative possibilities. We even had the space to be FUNNY which is my favorite place to play. Well, let’s just say my classmates had no idea what to do with someone who actually cared and even (gasp!) enjoyed doing the assignment. If the definition of cool is apathetic (which it usually is), I was a hot potato in a sea of ice cubes. Now that I’ve given you just a glimpse into my own weirdness, you can probably imagine what I’m like at a couch store. Yeah? Okay, so picture my overenthusiastic self at a couch store. Sitting on everything. Touching all the fabric samples. Saying “ooh,” “aww,” and “I love it,” every few minutes. And after many couch store visits, Aaron and I had finally found the one. The salesperson who helped us was very nice (like we were having so much fun that she offered us Mexican food in the back room where the employees hang out because they were celebrating something that day haha). And BONUS: we knew it wasn’t gross salesman nice because we had already decided on the couch before talking with her. As we were finalizing everything and signing paperwork and all that, she shared how she was also a writer — a screenwriter actually — and had done some stuff in LA before she settled in Washington with her family. We chatted about her background and geeked out over writer stuff and, before I knew it, I felt so excited about her writer dreams that when she reached out to shake hands in congratulations for our new couch, I grabbed her entire arm. YES, I OVER-ENTHUSIASTICALLY GRABBED HER ENTIRE ARM, YOU GUYS. We both looked down in shock. Me at the strangest handshake I have ever given. And her for obvious reasons. I had no idea what to say, so what I said was, “Oh sorry, this kinda felt like a hug moment, and so I guess my handshake turned into an arm hug?” Thank goodness she laughed and was cool about it, but my face still turns bright red when I think about the moment my enthusiasm took over my body and gave a complete stranger an arm hug. So yeah, that’s how I am at a couch store. The big green button would never do something so embarrassing.This week at my desk…I’m working on my second picture book. Somehow I painted the most perfect pile of leaves, and I’m afraid I will never make anything else look this good! I’ve also been visiting bookstores to plan <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-pee-your-pants-the-right-way-rachel-michelle-wilson/20776400">my debut book</a> shenanigans (more on that as things get finalized). This week AT THE KID TABLE, we’re sitting with Arnold Lobel!You probably know him because of the award-winning Frog and Toad series — some of the greatest stories of all time. What I love about Lobel is that within an atmosphere of gentleness, he explores the complicated — and sometimes downright terrifying — and he even leaves you there sometimes. But always with a sense of safety. Like in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOUyOFcQeEw">“Alone,”</a> Frog takes alone time and Toad is terrified he did something wrong; the resolution of that story feels satisfying without diminishing the experiences or emotions of either character which is SO HARD TO DO. Or in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7xDo--PvEk">“The Dream,”</a> Lobel perfectly captures all of my greatest fears about success. It is daring and genius and speaks to my soul. Anyway, here are just a few things I learned from the great Arnold Lobel.(Even if you don’t read any more of this post, I hope that you’ll <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/frog-and-toad-a-complete-reading-collection-frog-and-toad-are-friends-frog-and-toad-together-days-with-frog-and-toad-frog-and-toad-all-year-arnold-lob/12997652?ean=9780062983428">take a moment with </a>Frog and Toad<a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/frog-and-toad-a-complete-reading-collection-frog-and-toad-are-friends-frog-and-toad-together-days-with-frog-and-toad-frog-and-toad-all-year-arnold-lob/12997652?ean=9780062983428"> today</a>!) Note: I found these nuggets in a written interview excerpt here and the only video interview I could find so far here. In this video, I found Arnold Lobel’s presence a fascinating combination of very serious and very playful. (He gave a sneak peek of a book he was working on at the time which eventually became the famous <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUZkNNyKm7Y&t=19s">OWL AT HOME</a>.) No matter how talented you are, you have to work hard. Arnold Lobel went to art school and started working in advertising agencies but hated it. So in the mid-1950s when “there really was not a children’s book market,” he went to employment agencies and said he wanted to illustrate. They told him there was no money in it. But he just couldn’t “get on the subway every morning and face the workaday world” anymore so he made a portfolio and “pound[ed] the pavements.” He said, “Unless your mother happens to be an editor at Harper and Row, there is simply no other way to do it.” Sometimes you have to do things you don’t like for financial reasons, but overall he wouldn’t recommend it.He had no luck, even with small publishers, and in about 1960, as a last resort and without much hope, he went to the “prestigious publisher” Harper and Row (known for the famous editor Ursula Nordstrom). They gave him a manuscript that entailed 64 pages of salmon drawings. Lobel said, “They wouldn't have dreamed of giving it to an artist who had any kind of reputation. But I did it and once I had my foot in the door and knew a few people, I was able to continue.” He talked about how he knew he needed quite a few books behind him before he could really support his family, so he would take illustration jobs he didn’t like. About that time, he said, “I had some very painful months because I've learned [that]…it's very bad to illustrate a manuscript that you do not really like and have faith in. It's a long process it can last as long as a year…To get up in the morning and crawl to the drawing table, illustrating this awful thing that you can't stand anymore, it's really very painful. That is why you have to be so careful in picking manuscripts that some other people have written. Of course, your own manuscripts you have no excuse for. You've got to like them.” Your relationship with your own work will change throughout your career.Insecurity: Because he started writing for financial reasons (double the royalties), he called himself “a trained illustrator and a lucky amateur in terms of writing.” He felt insecure as a writer which is why he always wrote his stories first. He said, “Pictures for me are the dessert, and I like to get the spinach over with first.” The conflicted impact of success: After he won a Newbery for Frog and Toad Together, he said: “I hope it doesn't make me self-conscious because up until now I felt very free about my writing because I've only used my writing as a kind of support for my pictures now that's all turned around in my mind I'm sort of in a state of confusion about it.” The rollercoaster of feelings: About his relationship with his work, Arnold Lobel said, “You always enjoy the book that you're going to be doing next. For a while after finishing a book you don't like it and then when it gets old enough you start liking it again. It acquires the charm of antiquity….we just live long enough and I’ll get to enjoy all my books again.” Feeling stuck: He talked about finding himself writing the same story over and over again — two characters in a frog and toad relationship. So he decided to try writing a story about one character all alone which led him to OWL AT HOME. You don’t have to work like everyone else. Your process is valid.He considered himself his own editor first and felt like representing the words and pictures together was the only way to see “how that book is working dramatically.” He said, “Everybody tells me nobody makes as finished dummies as I do. It's partly insecurity. I feel I want to do it right away and get it over with and it's half the work and it's kind of laziness really…I've done all my work ahead of time. Something I always like to do.”He also described how he doesn’t get new ideas for books while in the middle of making other books. He said, “Books do come easily to me when I'm working on them…but I let them sit in my brain for years before I work on them. I truly believe the theory that they're working in my subconscious and it's very odd. I'm rather like Mother Hubbard about books. If the cupboard is bare, I can work well. I can create new books.” Use your experience to come up with ideas for your particular medium. When asked where his ideas came from, he said: “Well, how does an adult author come upon an idea for a story? It's lifetime experience. It's just that I transmogrify everything to children because that's my particular medium. You know, if an adult has an unhappy love affair, he writes about it. He exorcises it out of himself, perhaps, by writing a novel about it. Well, if I have an unhappy love affair, I have to somehow use all that pain and suffering but turn it into a work for children.”Inspiration comes from keeping your eyes open. He said, “You have to keep your eyes open and your mind open while you're working—particularly in the beginning of a book—for any kind of inspiration any kind of something that can help you out.” Like when making the art for The Clay Pot Boy, all his sketches turned out horribly. He tried and tried and nothing would work. Until one day he saw a clay pot in his kitchen and suddenly realized it was the perfect model for his character and the book came together. Clearly define for yourself what your role is as a creator.When asked about his role as a children’s book creator, he described how he naturally reacted to children through humor — making a fool of himself to make them laugh. He said making books was sort of the same: “I consider myself an entertainer primarily—although I'm fully aware that…everything educates a child…But it's rather like I feel myself just the opposite of a teacher. A teacher in a classroom is there to educate. She can be amusing but her primary purpose is to educate, and she's going to be amusing just to keep the attention of the class. My purpose is to entertain and peripherally I can also educate…I think it's very bad if a creator of children's books starts getting terribly pedagogical.”Just keep working on it bit by bit until you like everything. I loved this description of his creative process, because I feel like it really captures what making books is all about: “More or less the nice thing about tracing paper is you can take away on the next drawing what you don't like about the drawing you did before and you can retain the things that you do like and you just keep working and working until you like everything.” What a perfectly Arnold Lobel way to describe the creative process! He distills it into something simple yet profound. He transforms something terrifying like the blank page into something bitesize — without diminishing it’s importance. And that amazing talent is one of the reasons why Arnold Lobel is one of the greats.A big thank you to the sponsors of this post!Thanks to <a target="_blank" href="https://soundcloud.com/user-963154267">Whiskey Geraldine</a> for our podcast music and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.writerrowland.com/">Joanna Rowland</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mariettaapollonio.com/">Marietta Apollonio</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://sakitales.com/">Saki Tanaka</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.angelakrans.com/">Angela Pham Krans</a>,<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nyashawilliams.online/"> Nyasha Williams</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/profile/87455624-pamela-a-mathy">Pamela A Mathy</a> for sponsoring this episode. Definitely check out their amazing websites and books!To become a sponsor, you can upgrade to a paid newsletter subscription.Thanks for sitting with me AT THE KID TABLE today.Until next time! As always I’ll save you a seat right next to me. Your friend,Rachel Get full access to AT THE KID TABLE at <a href="https://rachelmichellewilson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4">rachelmichellewilson.substack.com/subscribe</a>

March 27, 2024

Waking up to a bat in my bedroom

Oh hi there!How are you? I hope your week was a little more normal than mine because have I got a doozy of a kid table vibe for you. Let’s just get right into it (and follow it with the amazing things I learned from the great Judy Blume).The kid table vibe of the week is…Note: You can listen to this entire newsletter as a podcast above or read it below. A bat in the cave (a.k.a. my bedroom)When sitting at the kid table, this phrase is either a joke you play on a friend or a seriously embarrassing realization or, for that one kid, a fully embraced situation. But for Aaron and me last weekend, this phrase took on new meaning. The discoveryIn the middle of the night on Saturday, we awoke to a fluttering sound. We thought, “Maybe it is something on our roof. Nah, it sounds closer. Maybe the attic.” But as my eyes adjusted, I could see the culprit of the noise: an erratic shadow darting above my head. Oh no. We had a bat in the cave (A.K.A. our bedroom). The reactionSo I did what anyone would do in that situation…hid myself way down deep under the covers. (Is there anything more kid table than that?)Half-asleep Aaron stumbled out of bed barely registering me saying “bat” until he turned on the lights and yelped, “BAT!” With only a pillow in his hand to protect him, he dodged into the bathroom so he could better assess the situation. I didn’t see any of this because I was too scared to peek my head out. All I could get myself to do was call my dog to hide with me under the covers. Eventually the bat found a good resting spot on our curtains, and I found the courage somewhere deep within me to sneak past him and escape. The team (or lack of one)We read that if you wake up to a bat in your room, you are supposed to get someone to check for rabies. So we called animal control who told us they’d call us back soon. As we waited, we drifted in and out of sleep to bat nightmares until, six hours later—yes six—they finally called us back. We told the guy the situation and he said, “Why didn’t you let him out the window? Because it is light outside now, that’s going to be really hard for you.” I was speechless. He continued, “We could come take care of it for you. Our weekend rates are double, so $600.” I replied, “I’ll call you back” and hung up. The extractionCovered in raincoats and hoodies and armed with a large plastic container, we snuck the window open behind the bat, gave him a gentle nudge, and with a terrifying last attempt to fly at our faces behind the plastic container, he flew outside. And then…I never called the guy back. Because revenge. The aftermathIt turns out when you wake up to a bat in the room, you don’t REALLY know if you’ve been bitten or scratched which means you don’t REALLY know if you have rabies which has a 100% death rate if not treated. So…you have to get an intense series of rabies shots. When we got to the emergency room to receive them, they said, “It’s too bad you didn’t have animal control come by to catch and test the bat for rabies. Would have saved you a lot of time.” …All I can say is, I am in awe of the nonsense that is life sometimes. I don’t have any wisdom to depart after this experience, but I feel like a changed person. I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman. This week at my desk…I outlined a marketing plan to take over the world with <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-pee-your-pants-the-right-way-rachel-michelle-wilson/20776400">my debut book</a> (suddenly evil laughs have become the theme of this newsletter) and finished a color study dummy for my second picture book (I’m so excited about it!). Speaking of <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-pee-your-pants-the-right-way-rachel-michelle-wilson/20776400">the debut</a>, I just realized there is a batman reference in there! (Gotta keep the newsletter theme going, right?) Wanna see?This week AT THE KID TABLE, we’re sitting with children’s book author Judy Blume!You probably know her for the famous Are You There GOD, It’s Me Margaret which was made into <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9185206/">an excellent movie</a> (seriously, I watched it twice and Blume herself said it is better than the book) or her many other New York Times bestselling books for kids (and adults). But you may not know that she has no sense of direction (something I share) OR that she is a bookstore owner OR that she has consistently been on the most frequent banned list throughout her career —which inspired her to become a highly-honored advocate for intellectual freedom. Judy Blume is a courageous kidlit legend whose books have offered a space for readers, especially women, to feel seen and respected. Here are just a few things I’ve learned from the great Judy Blume. 1. Having a creative outlet is essential to happiness and health.She grew up in what Blume called “a 50s family” — her father was a dentist and her mother was at home and she had one older brother. She describes how she identified most with her father because he was a creative person and a wonderful storyteller in every way. “He encouraged me that I could reach for the stars. Sadly he died when I was 21 and never saw any of this.” Her mother was anxious, shy, and private but gave Blume a love of reading. Their house was full of books and nothing was off limits.Blume on her love of reading:Judy Blume was painfully shy as a child (like her mother), then at age 10, she became more theatrical and dramatic. She said, “I never felt alone because I had everything going on in my head…I had a rich inner life that I never shared with anyone. I think that is how I became a writer and how I think many people become writers. It’s not so much the books; it’s the imagination.” For a while Blume was into acting, but she also felt pressure to go to college, study teaching, meet a man, get married, and become the president of the PTA. At age 21, she married a lawyer six years older than her whom she saw as “a grown-up” and they had two kids by 25. Suddenly she was living without the creative outlet that school provided her and it had a major impact on her physical health. Throughout her 20s, she battled “exotic illnesses” that nobody could figure out. But as soon as her book was accepted for publication, “that was the end of it.” She said, “It is so interesting for me to look back and see how writing changed my life, cured me physically, allowed me to soar emotionally and intellectually, gave me everything, really made me who I am today. And I don’t know what would happen to me if I hadn’t found that creative outlet.”2. Take a chance on yourself with determination.As a young mom in the 60s, Blume made felt pictures, travelled to New York, and pitched them to Bloomingdale’s. She got $9 a pop, saved up $350, and bought herself an electric typewriter. At first, she wanted to be the next Dr. Seuss, so she wrote rhyming books, illustrated them, and mailed them to publishers. The mailman would share her sadness when she received rejections. But still determined, she signed up for a class at NYU on writing for tweens. She looked forward to every Monday night where she connected with others who shared her interests and received professional encouragement. About her teacher, Blume said, “She gave me so many rules for writing children’s books — rules that I broke right away — but she encouraged me.” Eventually Blume started submitting to publishers again and met her dream editor who asked her the perfect questions to open the floodgates of ideas. She left without a contract but with a request to revise and resubmit. He loved the revision and offered her $800. She responded, “I read somewhere that I’m supposed to get $1000.” He said, “Well, we want some place to go with the next book, don't we.” She still teases him about that. I love her gumption!3. Telling the truth is more important than following the rules. As Blume began writing stories, she said, “I know all the rules, but I don’t care about the rules. I’m just going to go back and write what I remember to be true.”She felt more comfortable with her 12 year old self than her 30 year old self, and so that’s where a lot of her stories lived. She discovered she had so many stories inside her that she “went from book to book to book,” sending one off and immediately starting the next one.When Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret was published. It received some great reviews that encouraged her to believe she could really do this. She also received some negative reactions — like the male principal in her children’s school refused to keep her books on the shelves because they talked about menstruation. This was one of the first times she learned that, “If somebody in power didn't think your books were appropriate, they could be taken away.” Though her books sparked controversy, she didn’t set out to write controversial books. She said, “I didn't set out to do anything except tell stories as well as I could.” She would come home from the library with loads of books and sort them into piles of those she loved and those that bored her. Other fierce truth-tellers like her hero Beverly Cleary or Louise Fitzhugh or E.L. Konigsburg inspired her, and she wanted to write books that engaged readers like those engaged her.She wanted to write about puberty because she was obsessed with it as a pre-teen. She said, “I did all those exercises. I pricked my finger and put blood on a sanitary napkin to see what it would be like. I wore it to school to prove to my friends that I had my period. I lied about getting my period which I didn't get till I was 14.” So she wrote about her real experiences. Exploring true experiences that didn’t bore her was Blume’s guiding light throughout her career. For example, in a time “when women were not supposed to write about men” or write “from a boy’s point of view,” she did because she loved learning about being a boy. Or when after reading books for older teens that portrayed a lot of harsh sexual consequences, her daughter asked her, “Couldn't there ever be a story about two nice kids who do it (meaning have sex) and nobody has to die?” Blume wrote a story to show “sexuality with responsibility” that honored the girl’s pleasure as well. Though these stories pushed the boundaries, that was never really Blume’s goal. She just wanted to tell the truth and prioritized that more than following anyone else’s rules. 4. Protect the playful space of NOT knowing something.About her craft, Blume says, “I think it's a bad idea to think about your audience when you're writing and it's a bad idea to think about your critics. I think I was really lucky when I started out that I didn't know anybody who wrote, and I didn't know anything about publishing or anything about the world of writing and writers and so I just did it spontaneously. It's much harder now because I know so much more. But I do find when I'm in that room…I have no idea what age group I'm writing for. I don't know who's going to read this book. I just know that I have to tell this story.” 5. Your happiness may threaten other people, but go for it anyway. Blume faced a lot of rejection, often because of the success of her stories. She felt isolated from other women in her community. They often mocked her and didn’t support her. About her career, she said, “It separated me from them in a way that wasn’t really acceptable in those days.” But even though the local ladies rejected her and her books for challenging “their own life choices,” Blume found the “courage to make changes in [her] own life that [she] might never have made” from the women’s movement. “It was my own little feminist movement inside me,” she said.As her books were banned for talking about puberty or menstruation or other subjects, it made her feel scared and sad and rejected. But then she learned about organizations she could join that empowered her. She became a passionate and award-winning advocate for the freedom to read.And to end this lovely time we’ve had sitting with Blume, I’d like to share her advice with you. She doesn’t actually like to give advice, but in the following interview, she shared this.“The only advice I feel comfortable giving is to anybody really. Don't let anybody discourage you. If you feel it, if you need to do it, then you have to go out there even though they tell you you can't do it.”I felt so inspired by Judy Blume <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/contributors/judy-blume">and her books</a>, and recently I decided to join the group <a target="_blank" href="https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com/">Authors Against Book Bans</a>. I love how they are helping others feel less alone — especially the librarians and teachers whose jobs are on the line as they advocate for the freedom to read. If you are an author or illustrator interested in joining, feel free to email me with questions or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com/">check out their website</a>.Also if you want a deeper dive into Judy Blume and her life, this was a great interview!A big thank you to the sponsors of this post!Thanks to <a target="_blank" href="https://soundcloud.com/user-963154267">Whiskey Geraldine</a> for our podcast music and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.writerrowland.com/">Joanna Rowland</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mariettaapollonio.com/">Marietta Apollonio</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://sakitales.com/">Saki Tanaka</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.angelakrans.com/">Angela Pham Krans</a>,<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nyashawilliams.online/"> Nyasha Williams</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/profile/87455624-pamela-a-mathy">Pamela A Mathy</a> for sponsoring this episode. Definitely check out their amazing websites and books!To become a sponsor, you can upgrade to a paid newsletter subscription.Thanks for sitting with me AT THE KID TABLE today.Until next time! As always I’ll save you a seat right next to me. Your grateful-for-the-honest-books-that-helped-her-as-a-kid friend,Rachel Get full access to AT THE KID TABLE at <a href="https://rachelmichellewilson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4">rachelmichellewilson.substack.com/subscribe</a>

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What is AT THE KID TABLE?: Let's explore the world like we're sitting at the kid table -- the lives, work, and creative processes of children's book makers <a href="https://rachelmichellewilson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">rachelmichellewilson.substack.com</a>
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