by Bethany | Aug 30, 2019 | Courage to Create, Podcast
In this episode of Courage to Create, Bethany ruminates on what it means to refill our personal wells of energy, calling on quotes from previous guests on the Courage to Create podcast as well as her own experiences as an author and creative. How can we listen to others? How can we listen to ourselves? What does it mean to pay attention to our own process?
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by Bethany | Aug 30, 2019 | Courage to Create, Podcast
Sarah Aronson first appeared on episode 15 of Courage to Create, and she joins Bethany again in this episode to discuss her new picture book biography, Just Like Rube Goldberg. Sarah has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has published three stand alone novels: Head Case, Beyond Lucky, and Believe. Her most recent books are part of a new young MG series, The Wish List.
Writing about inventor and cartoonist Rube Goldberg allowed Sarah to learn about research and explore her own curiosity, one of her favorite endeavors. Sarah teaches other writers and does frequent school visits, and she loves to teach people to never say no to an idea but to let their curiosity run free. She discusses how ideas feel life gifts, so she feels grateful and obligated to use them and see what becomes of them. Rube Goldberg seems to her to be screaming at us to use our imaginations more and more, and that’s what Sarah strives to do in her own life as she explores themes about finding your place in the world, overcoming injustice, and finding ways to overcome the obstacles all people face. She and Bethany discuss making the most of failures and how to do that as well as how to stand up and be proud of what you write and create. For more about Sarah, visit her website at http://www.saraharonson.com/
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by Bethany | Aug 30, 2019 | Courage to Create, Podcast
In this episode of Courage to Create, author Jess Rinker and illustrator Daria Peoples-Riley join host Bethany Hegedus to discuss their picture book biography GLORIA TAKES A STAND: HOW GLORIA STEINEM LISTENED, WROTE, AND CHANGED THE WORLD. Jess is also the author of the forthcoming SEND A GIRL: THE BRENDA BERKMAN STORY and a middle grade duology, THE DARE SISTERS. She has a BA in Social Welfare and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Daria Peoples-Reily is a former teacher with a BA in English and a Masters in Education, and now she is a full-time author and illustrator. THIS IS IT is her first picture book and a companion book, I GOT NEXT, comes out in July 2019.
During their discussion, the three women delve into the desire to be heard and how that desire fuels their own work just as it fuels Gloria Steinem’s work. Daria talks personally about the frustration of wanting to be heard but not being listened to and how she took a stand against it in college by becoming the president of the university’s NAACP chapter. Jess explains how she was already reading Gloria Steinem’s work when her agent suggested she write about Gloria Steinem, a perfect subject for Jess because of her interest in social welfare. Daria was hooked by the project after reading Jess’s manuscript and realizing she wanted to know more about Gloria Steinem, so the project felt ideal to her. Find out more about Daria at https://www.dariapeoples.com/ and more about Jess at https://www.jessicarinker.com/.
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by Bethany | Aug 30, 2019 | Courage to Create, Podcast
In this episode of Courage to Create, Bethany Hegedus welcomes both debut author Kathleen Cornell Berman and debut illustrator Keith Henry Brown. Their picture book biography, BIRTH OF THE COOL: HOW JAZZ GREAT MILES DAVIS FOUND HIS SOUND, tells the story of Miles Davis and how his hard work and determination turned him into the “scientist of sound.” Kathy’s idea to write about Davis was born from her participation in Tara Lazar’s picture book month, and Keith is a longtime fan of Miles Davis and wanted to share his own love of jazz music with children to help them learn about it and appreciate it for themselves.
During this episode, they discuss creating the book and how Keith wanted his illustrations to match the mood of Kathy‘s writing, which started off in prose but then evolved into the more musical form of free verse poetry. The book was published by Page Street Kids, which is a new and eager company. This exciting biography has already received a starred review from Kirkus plus had a celebrated lunch at the Jazz Gallery in New York City. For more info on Kathy, go to www.kathleencornellberman.com/and for more info on Keith, go to www.keithhbrown.com/
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by Bethany | Aug 30, 2019 | Courage to Create, Podcast
On this episode of Courage to Create, Bethany tackles the sticky subject of self-promotion through Jennifer Weiner’s recent Publisher’s Weekly article, “Deconstructing ‘I Wrote A Thing.’”
Writers, especially women, struggle to promote our own work without falling into the familiar trap of self-deprecating “humble-brags.” How can we reframe self-promotion to remove shame and prioritize connection? How can women writers stop letting male writers be the confident ones? Listen as Bethany works through these questions by reflecting on both Weiner’s article and her own personal life.
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