One week ago I attended the Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrators Conference. When I attended one year ago, I was about half way through my pregnancy.
I attended several writing workshops that really focussed on technical skills. I feel like I have come away with a lot of valuable tools in crafting and editing picture book stories. But what I found most inspiring was the keynote address by poet and author Joseph Coelho.
It was a long and very fun talk (the audience even helped Joseph write poems while he was on stage - our results below) but by far the main takeaway was the idea that there is no magic person out there that will make you a success, the answer lies with you. Put more directly by Joseph:
“There are no gatekeepers, except those people that you give chains and keys to” -Joseph Coelho
Joseph’s audience participation was the first time I’ve really attempted to write poetry since Mrs. Burnham’s 9th grade English class, where we did a whole unit on poetry. We studied many different forms of poetry and had to create an entire poetry book with something like 10 - 20 poems (I can’t really remember, it was a long time ago).
But I do remember (secretly of course, it was high school) really enjoying this unit.
I remember Mrs. Burnham giving me my back book after grading and saying it was very good. She gave me an A. She made a point of saying it, “very good”.
I was really pleased with myself.
I was a “good student” but I didn’t do much to go above and beyond, especially if I didn’t think I was naturally gifted at something - and writing was definitely that something. This poetry assignment was the exception.
This past summer, one month after giving birth, we went to my family home in Maine for a month. On one of those very loooong days of early parenthood, I found a folder with my name on it in my parent’s desk. It was a complete hodgepodge of things from my academic life - report cards from random years, class phone trees, PSAT scores, newspaper clippings from the honor roll listing. Shifting through the files was like my academic record had been put through a blender - each page transported back and forth through time - 5th grade, 10th grade, 2nd grade, 11th grade.
A 4th grade report card revealed I was a very good student (check plusses all around, thank you very much) with the exception of “completes work neatly” (check minus). Something I still struggle with, sorry Mrs. Williams**.
But what really made me stop cold was a note from Mrs. Burnham in my 10th grade report card.
I love having Alison in class again this year. Alison is wonderful, but she is constantly concerned that she is doing things right. She is, but I have trouble convincing her.
I’ve never seen this note before, and it really shook me. I really revered this woman as one of my favorite teachers. Now, at a time of feeling exceptionally vulnerable and very sleep deprived, I found this note from the past that seemed to be yelling at my present self. It might as well have said:
“Stop doubting yourself” - Elaine Burnham
Back to my more recent poetry lesson - here is the audience written poem about the sun - employing metaphor, onomatopoeia, rhyme, repetition, alliteration, personification, simile. (I live illustrated while others contributed words).
**sorry again Mrs. Williams
Thanks for sharing the stories during your school years, I think we all have our doubts if we are doing the 'right' thing, haven't we? Lessons I have learnt so far is, if you don't start doing it consistently, you will never get it 'right' - whatever right means.
As for having neat work, I was never a neat person when it comes to sketching or drawing, you should see my sketchbook.... and sometimes I think in pursuit of neatness, we are limiting our creativity.