Trey Hays is the author of the new children’s chapter book Totally Possum. He also has written the picture book Little Loksi. An educator and arts advocate, he is based in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.
Q: What inspired you to write Totally Possum, and how did you create your character Possum?
A: The spark came in the ER while I was waiting on doctors. I was scrolling Facebook when I sawva list of possum facts, and something clicked. Possums are misunderstood, and I knew that feeling well. I sent the list to Wiley at Chickasaw Press, and he suggested I write about a possum. From there, the idea stuck and I could not let it go.
Chakwihili’ grew out of that moment. She is told she is too little or too clumsy, but she carries a big heart and a dream to dance. She is part of my students and part of me growing up in Oklahoma. Writing her was like stepping on stage again and saying, “This is who I am.”
Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: I thought I did. At first, I pictured a neat finish where everything worked out just right. But the story kept shifting. One day in the shower, the line “There’s no escape from reality” came to me from “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and it fit. A possum cannot escape freezing when scared. Neither could I when I was young.
The ending became less about a perfect performance and more about courage. Chakwihili’ finds her place not by changing who she is, but by stepping forward anyway. That felt true to life, and it gave the story its heart.
Q: What do you think Eli Corbin’s illustrations add to the book?
A: Eli was born an artist. I met him when he was 3, already telling stories in detail and sketching constantly. By middle school, he was drawing for me, and years later he used Little Loksi as his final project at Kiamichi Votech. I have seen his creativity grow for decades.
In Totally Possum, that gift shines. He gave the turkey vulture his own glasses, dressed Chakwihili’ in a moon child shirt, and filled the pages with details that children love to find. Eli’s art does not just illustrate the story; it completes it with the spirit he has carried all his life. The pictures below show a story he did for me when I was in college and he was in 6th grade.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: I hope readers see that difference is strength. Chakwihili’ plays dead when she is afraid, which seems like weakness, but it is part of what makes her special.
If a possum in a tutu can stand tall, so can any of us. I want children to feel braver about being themselves, in school, on stage, and wherever life takes them.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am preparing for Totally Possum’s book birthday in October 2025 with interactive school visits where kids can sing, drum, and dance along. My classroom has become the place where these ideas are tested, and my students push me to keep creating.
I am also writing grants to bring Perpetual Motion Dance Company into my school for a residency. With support from the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Carolyn Watson Foundation, and Apple Education at Oklahoma City University, students will create instrumental dances for each chapter of the book. Monty Harper, a children’s songwriter, is also helping bring the music to life.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I grew up in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, where community and storytelling shaped me. Little Loksi was about survival after my car wreck and kidney loss. Totally Possum is about transformation
and the courage to keep creating.
Everything I do points back to the arts and to kids. I want every child, no matter where they live, to discover their gifts and share them. That is why I always sign my books with the same line: May you use your talents to help others along your journey.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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