October, 2009

Old Friends, Good Friends

For fourteen years, I taught kindergarten and second grade at St. Charles Borromeo School. Today I stopped in for lunch and the chance to see my teaching colleagues. Of course, in the process, I saw children, parents, custodial help, secretarial staff and my principal–all dear friends.

As I looked around, I was reminded of the hard work of so many people, all of them determined to give children the best chance for success. These teachers deserve credit for my success as a writer, too. Their encouragement, their editing, their willingness to read my early work, their pats on the back and their smiles and hugs over many years show me that I matter to them. And it’s circular. Because of them, it matters to me to do my best for children.

Interview at Kidlit Central

Many thanks to Sue Uhlig Ford for doing this interview on October 12, 2009.

Meet and Greet Ann Ingalls

Ann Ingalls co-authored LITTLE PIANO GIRL (Houghton Mifflin, January 2010) with her sister, Maryann Macdonald. Ann lives in Kansas City and Maryann lives in New York. Ann also writes for children’s magazines. Read more about her at her new website: http://anningallswrites.com/

Q. Tell us how LITTLE PIANO GIRL came about. What inspired it?

I had written a nonfiction alphabet picture book called J is for Jive. When looking for endorsements for that work, a member of the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors suggested that I change the W in the alphabet book from Work Songs to Williams. The more I read about her, the more intrigued I became. I shared the idea with my dear sister and she wanted to partner for this project. We have co-authored lots of things, some of which have sold to magazines and one that won a third place in Missouri Writers’ Guild’s poetry contest several years back.

Q. What brought you and Maryann together to work on this project? (Besides the fact that you are related…)

Maryann and I share a love of music, storytelling, and the same ideas about what makes a good picture book. We edit each other’s work and enjoy good music, singing together badly and a serious love of oatmeal raisin cookies.

Q. What can you tell us about collaborating on a project?

This requires respect for the other’s ideas and flexibility. We split up the research and shared what we each learned. We each interviewed prominent individuals in the jazz community, read the same liner notes, Mary Lou’s hand-written notes, interviews in Melodymaker Magazine and Downbeat. I sought out the endorsements. We each looked for agents and we passed the manuscript back and forth or read it aloud to each other about 100 times. No kidding.

Q. Where did you and your sister grow up?

We grew up in the Detroit metropolitan area where Polish food is good and Motown Music is grand. We taught each other lots of silly dance moves and cheers. We were both cheerleaders in high school and can still remember some of them. No more splits or cartwheels for us.

Q. How long have you been writing for children? What got you interested in writing for children?

I have been writing for children since the first day I entered a classroom. When I started teaching special education in Michigan in the Dark Ages, interesting text was not available for older readers with lower reading ability. That was great practice for keeping it simple but using some high interest words.

Q. Now that you’ve sold a book do you still plan to write for magazines?

Yes, ma’am. I love to write anything that pleases others. I’ve worked with some of the greatest editors at High Five and Primary Treasure (Kathleen Hayes and Aileen Andres Sox.)

Q. Can you tell us about your current work in process?

I am working on about 30 or more projects and crossing my fingers on a couple that publishers are holding. Each of those manuscript has had 3 or more readings by the editorial board but I never count my chickens even after they’ve hatched.

Q. What would you like to tell others about writing a historical picture book?

It took two years to do the research, one year to write it, six months to find an agent (I need a new one!), six months to get a contract, one year to find an illustrator, one year for her to do the illustrations and one year for Houghton Mifflin to print and market the book.

Q. Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

I love to read other people’s work. I love it when they read mine and offer suggestions to make it better.

I can’t eat chocolate because it gives me migraines but take pleasure in seeing others enjoy that. Eat some chocolate for me.

Meeting the Master

Many years ago when I was a kindergarten teacher, I had the good fortune to meet Tomie de Paola, one of my all time favorite authors. He did a book signing at the Reading Reptile in Kansas City. He was warm and witty, his eyes sparkled and when he laughed, I swear his tummy jiggled like a bowl full of jelly. He looked just like Santa and is a gift-giver in the very best way. He gives the gift of stories to people of all ages.

Now I’m a storyteller. I take it very seriously because I believe as Tomie does–”Only the best for children.”

Mary Lou Williams’ Centennial

Serendipity. Who could have known that in 2002 when Maryann and I began to research and write LITTLE PIANO GIRL that Mary Lou Williams’ story would be published 100 years after her birth? Because of this, the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the American Jazz Museum and the Smithsonian will all be hosting special events in her honor.

http://jazztimes.com/articles/25058-jazz-at-lincoln-center-celebrates-mary-lou-williams-centennial

http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=218129

http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/jazz/womeninjazz/competition.html

Check out these celebrations. If you can’t be there in person, pick up one of her CD’s and move to the groove or come to see me on Saturday, January 23rd at 2PM at the American Jazz Museum. You’ll get a warm welcome from everyone there.

One Step at a Time

Every Saturday morning, three good friends and I take a long walk. We talk and solve the problems of the world, we share each other’s hopes and dreams and we laugh ourselves silly. But most of all, we’re there for one another–in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad. We listen as we put one foot in front of the other.

Art in Arms

I wandered through an art fair in Bethesda, Maryland today. After purchasing a pair of shimmering glass earrings, I spied a mesmerizing, mischievious bit of art in his father’s arms.

He slipped a smile past his father’s shoulders and charmed me to my core. Man-made, God-made art!

Marble Mania

I’ve been a marble maniac as long as I can remember–puries, steelies, cat’s eyes, shooters, those with print on the outside and figures on the inside. Some are as big as paperweights and others are as small as fresh green peas.

I keep them in jars, bowls, purses, pockets, in games like Chinese Checkers, in drawers and under tables. Most have been given to me by friends and family which makes them even more special.

Some are over one hundred years old and made of clay or glass. It’s fun to think about the children who used those so many years ago.

Oh, and one other thing. If I’m feeling stressed out or cranky, just rolling one around in the palm of my hand will calm me down. See if that works for you.