Q&A with Lisa K. Friedman

  

 

 

 

Lisa K. Friedman is the author of the novel Hello Wife. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including The New York Times, and she teaches creative writing at American University. She lives in Washington, D.C. 

 

 Q: In your book’s acknowledgments, you write that you lost your sister to drugs in 2015. First of all, I'm so sorry for your loss. How did that experience inspire you to write Hello Wife?  

 

A: After she died, I stumbled around for about five years, wondering what had happened. How could this possibly have happened - to us? To me? I simply could not get my mind around it.  

 

One day, staring at the quote taped to the wall above my desk: “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?” by E.M. Forster, I realized what I needed. I needed to write about what happened, so I could understand what happened.  

 

One of the hardest realities was hearing the knee-jerk reactions from friends and family members. People seem to think that addiction is connected to weakness, neglect, or plain stupidity. Assigning a flaw or a personality trait to something as terrifying as addiction helps people feel safe. Exempt. As if, as long as their loved ones did not exhibit any of those preconceived traits, addiction would not touch them.  

 

My very first exposure to this mindset came from my closest family member: a cousin who, on the day after my sister’s death, blurted: “Well, she never did take care of herself.”  

 

I was shocked by her reaction, but not for long. The shame of addiction, the stigma associated with drug use, is so widespread. And it is devastating. It furthers the erroneous and very dangerous notion that drug use does not happen to good people. Like us. Like me.  

 

Q: How did you create your character Charlotte?  

 

A: I heard her voice. A low smoker’s rasp with a surprising vein of authority. She sounded like a tour guide. I was happy to follow her around, noting the scenery and the sights.  

 

Charlotte was in complete command of the story from the beginning, peppering her thoughts with sideways connotations and quirky humor. Whenever I got tangled in the story, when the scenes or moments seemed unclear, I closed my eyes and waited for her voice to reemerge.  

 

I like the concept of being the reporter of a story, not the conductor. I used to pretend I was lying on a chaise lounge in her back yard, listening while she chattered on while pulling weeds and philosophizing. Those were my favorite times, when her personality flooded the space between us, unfiltered and without any noise from me.  

 

My input came later, when I directed attention to Charlotte’s other addictions, namely cigarettes and food. She did not challenge my judgments, nor did she fight to present herself in any glorified way. She was content with who she was, and that made it easy on me.  

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Charlotte and her family?  

 

A: Charlotte is a free spirit born to traditional parents, and I imagined plenty of tension in their earlier years. In the span of this story, however, they’ve established a seemingly respectful rapport despite their lifestyle differences.  

 

This is a good and devoted family with strong ties to one another. They stand behind Charlotte throughout her numerous missteps, ready to catch her from falling, supporting her even as she continually makes poor choices and suffers infinite damage to her sense of self.  

 

This sturdy, loving family is entirely helpless to prevent Charlotte’s fateful downfall. They are, ultimately, impotent against addiction.  

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?  

 

A: The title of the book is an homage to my sister. After she’d married, we were on the phone together when her husband came home and I heard him greet her with: “Hello wife.” I still remember the warmth that filled my body when I heard those words. It’s a reminder to me that she got what she wanted after all. Despite what came later.  

 

Q: What are you working on now?  

 

A: My next book is about dementia and it’s a hoot. Really, it’s hilarious. Based on a series of humor essays, like this one published in the New York Times Magazine, https://www.lisakfriedman.com/blog/fear-and-laughing  

 

The story follows a modest family of do-gooders and well-wishers who refuse to accept that their very own matriarch, the bossiest, most difficult member of the family, isn’t functioning on all cylinders. It’s presented as a series of increasingly serious, and increasingly hilarious catastrophes that catch everyone unaware. And yes, in case you were wondering, dementia can be funny.  

 

Q: Anything else we should know?  

 

A: I like to tackle serious things through the lens of humor. Humor, like a spoonful of sugar, helps everything go down easier. My humor essays were published in the Huffington Post for several years, and it’s still my favorite mode of communication. I hope people will read my work on the web and write to me. Lisakfriedman.com. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Rebecca Atanassova

  

 

 

Rebecca Atanassova is the author of the new children's picture book George the Mouse in a Log Pile House. Her many other books include Your Heart Can Hold the Whole Universe. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write George the Mouse in a Log Pile House, and how did you create your character George?

 

A: Actually, Simon Dell, a wildlife photographer in Sheffield, England, is the creator behind George The Mouse. He had a real-life encounter with a wild mouse after mowing his lawn one day in 2018. As Simon sat drinking lemonade, the little mouse curiously peeked through the grass at him.

 

Simon is very aware and caring of the world around him, and he noticed the mouse with a small notch in his ear. He offered the mouse a peanut. This happened every day for a few days, and Simon named him George. He realized George was there to stay.

 

Simon built George a house with a coconut shell door in a log pile in his backyard - or, as they say in England, his back garden.

 

Soon, word got out in the mouse community, and many mice arrived. The village grew and grew, and it is still growing and changing everyday thanks to Simon’s skilled handiwork and imagination. He has created little scenes that the mice interact with and it is so, so darling!

 

Simon shared his photographs and videos on social media, and George The Mouse now has fans around the world. The village has been featured in People magazine and in all sorts of media outlets.

 

Alissa Hansen, a fine artist, was drawn to the adorableness of mouse village life and began painting George for enjoyment. She shared her paintings with Simon, and they struck up a friendship of their own, collaborating on calendars and other projects.

 

Simon told Alissa that his dream was to have a children’s book about George The Mouse for his grandchildren one day, and he would love for her to illustrate it. Alissa and Simon had just discussed the book project when I happened to call Alissa about illustrating one of my books.

 

Alissa and I had met through a co-op group our children belonged to. We were friendly, but not close friends, and she wasn’t aware that I write. When I approached her about working together, she said, “You write books? Remember George The Mouse? I was just tasked with finding an author for a book about him.”

 

I said, “I’m happy to give it a go and see if I’m a good fit for the project.” And here we are, more than three years later. Years of fun and collaboration. Hard work, effort, and learning.

 

We had the opportunity to team up with wonderful editors and a fabulous book designer/art director, Christine Kettner. Christine designed a few of my kids’ favorite books like The Doll People and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. We didn’t dream it would become this big when it started.

 

The other day, we watched a video of Simon’s granddaughter seeing the book for the first time. It was a very fulfilling moment. Very full circle.

 

Q: How would you describe the relationship between George and Mr. Tographer?

 

A: The relationship in the story is a creative take on Simon’s role in real life.

 

In reality, Simon cares for and provides for George and his friends. Simon goes out into the forests and fields near his home, gathering seeds and berries the mice would like. He makes them peanut butter and works to keep their little homes snug and safe.

 

Simon is the basis for the character of Mr. Tographer, which is mouse-speak for “Mr. Photographer.” So, Mr. Tographer is a mouse-whisperer of sorts. He is in tune with nature and the small living things around him, and he treats them respectfully and with care.

 

Mr. Tographer is almost like a grandfatherly figure, a faithful friend, and someone George and the mice can always rely on. George is safe with this “hooman.” George recognizes this soon after meeting Mr. Tographer and knows this is the place where he belongs.

 

Q: What do you think Alissa Hansen’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: Alissa’s illustrations give the book a rich, classic look that you can only achieve with traditional watercolor technique. She has a heart for what is good and gentle, and that is reflected in her work. Other artists and readers have said it has a “Beatrix Potter-esque” look to it. I would agree with that assessment. It was what drew me to her artwork in the first place.

 

Alissa’s whimsical and detailed illustrations truly draw a reader into the world of George The Mouse and the Log Pile Village.

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the book?

 

A: We hope to reach readers on several levels with George The Mouse in a Log Pile House. First, it is exposure to beautiful art and language.

 

Beyond that, curious and brave little George shares the message, “Follow your whiskers. Your whiskers will lead you home.” We think following your intuition - your heart - is important. Caring for the humblest of creatures and their habitats, and noticing the world around you, are also valuable ideas for children.

 

Taking a step into a peaceful place of kindness? It’s a retreat for the mind and imagination. Kids can build onto the story in their own ways and in their own play.

 

Q: What are you working on now? Will there be more stories about George?

 

A: So far, I have written nine books for a George The Mouse in a Log Pile House series. The world Simon has created gives me a multitude of wonderful angles and ideas to draw from. There are so many new friends to meet and adventures yet to come!

 

I have also written over 100 treatments, or complete story ideas with heart, that, in the right hands, would make the most beautiful animated series focusing on kindness, creativity, and community. The Log Pile Village also has its own newspaper, which we will be sharing, among other surprises.

 

I have other books that are entering the educational market. That really makes my heart happy - to reach children through the written word.

 

Alissa is illustrating a truly lovely and sensitive picture book right now for families experiencing the NICU.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: We hope readers especially enjoy the village map. It was a joy working on the details - the street names, the homes. I had written several George books before we got to the map, so we planned the village map with the future in mind. The Log Pile Village is truly where kindness grows.

 

The world of George The Mouse welcomes everyone. (Unless you’re a cat, of course.)

 

We hope to see you all there!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with G.P. Gottlieb

  

 

 

 

 

G.P. Gottlieb is the author of the new novel Charred, the third in her Whipped and Sipped mystery series. She also hosts the podcast New Books in Literature on the New Books Network.

 

Q: Charred is the third in your Whipped and Sipped mystery series--do you think your character Alene has changed over the course of the series?

 

A: Yes, Alene has changed. The first time she’s confronted with a murder, in Battered (Book 1), Alene suspects everyone, including neighbors, employees, and her ex-husband.

 

Once she starts dating Frank Shaw, a Chicago homicide detective, she learns to focus more on evidence and less on gut feelings. The biggest change over the course of the first three books in the series is that she is happier being in a healthy relationship.

 

Q: What inspired the plot of this new novel?

 

A: I was familiar with the story of an apartment building that was under construction in a city I’m not at liberty to name. A close relative’s company was involved in the project, and after the building burned to the ground under suspicious circumstances, nobody ever determined the cause of the fire, and it took years for the insurance and lawsuits to be resolved.  

 

I couldn’t stop thinking how much worse it would have been had someone found a body in the ashes, as happens in Charred: A Whipped & Sipped Mystery. The pastry chef’s husband builds and manages affordable housing and understands the wrath of neighbors  who fear a decline in property values.

 

Q: Do you usually know how your novels will end before you start writing them, or do you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I write a vague outline that starts with a triggering event and ends with the unveiling of who committed the crime and why. When I’m about halfway through a first draft, I show it to my editor, and if she guesses who the villain is, I rework the story! I’ll do that several times, continuously rewriting so you’ll never guess who did it.

 

And I make tons of other changes along the way; just last week, a “beta reader” noticed that in Book #4, Pounded, which I thought was completely polished, the protagonist, Alene Baron, comes home to find her children’s shoes scattered in front of the door. But they only come home a few pages later.

 

I fixed it by having her father say that the kids ran across the hall for a snack with the neighbors. I like the challenge of making changes along the way.

 

Q: How do you choose the recipes to include in your books?

 

A: I’ve always loved inventing recipes, and I choose the ones that get the most positive feedback from family and friends. I took serious baking classes but must have skipped the one about how to write a recipe (A friend once called to ask if there was any chocolate in my chocolate cake.).

 

This morning I’m reworking a recipe for the peanut butter balls (PB, milk powder, and honey) my children loved when they were young. I’ve replaced the powder with almond flour and the honey with maple syrup, plus I’ve added a little vanilla extract. They’re easy to pull together with ingredients I always have on hand, and they don’t require baking. Plus, they’re fun to mold into shapes.

 

Not sure if the finished recipe will be included in Book #5.  I can always include it in a guest post or simply add it to the Recipes-To-Die-For Section of my website. Along with healthy desserts, I especially enjoy inventing dips and sauces.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m about 15,000 words into a first draft of Book #5 in the Series: Grilled. It involves the Whipped & Sipped pastry chef’s husband, who is seeking investment money for another affordable housing project. Everything changes when his main investor is suddenly murdered.

 

Because I always change the situation and characters from anything in real life,  you’d never connect my antagonist to the villain whose attempts to cheat my father led to a heart attack and the dissolution of my father’s company.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: My degrees are in music and I still sit at the piano most afternoons to play through a little Bach or Chopin.

 

Also, although I write murder mysteries, I dislike reading about violence, gratuitous pain, and suffering. My passion is for solving the puzzle of a crime and my goal is to give readers all the necessary clues while simultaneously distracting them with red herrings and a whole community of potential bad guys. I challenge you to figure out who did it!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

June 12

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

June 12, 1929: Anne Frank born. 

Q&A with Cathryn Rakich

  

 

 

Cathryn Rakich is the author of the new novel Thirty Days to Home. She is also an editor and columnist, as well as an animal rescue volunteer. She lives in Sacramento, California. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Thirty Days to Home, and how did you create your character Marli?

 

A: I’ve seen hundreds of stray street dogs in my worldwide travels. Homeless dogs and puppies abound on the streets of Central and South America. In India, I witnessed shopkeepers chase nursing moms away with brooms and mange-ridden puppies laying on the sides of roads. In Africa, canines with ribs protruding traveled alone or in packs searching for anything edible.

 

My husband and I were in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, where my book is set, when I came across a street dog with an injured back leg. Something snapped in me. This wayward mutt was one too many. I had to do something. But by the time I was able to act, the compromised canine had moved on, to who knows where, from where I first saw him.

 

I was frustrated. Heartbroken. Helpless. Angry. As a longtime animal-welfare advocate and activist in my hometown, I was distraught. As a writer, I was motivated. What could I do to help these creatures who no one owned, no one cared for, no one cared about?

 

“Thirty Days to Home” became my mission, my message, my way of bringing attention to the homeless street dogs and cats throughout the world who suffer through no fault of their own.

 

My main character, Marli, was created to demonstrate the strength and resilience of women who face and overcome the most daunting challenges. In “Thirty Days to Home,” I needed a protagonist who had endured life’s very worst but found the strength to rise up and live again, this time on her own terms.

 

Q: As you mentioned, the novel is set in Puerto Escondido, Mexico--how important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: My husband and I spent a week in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, experiencing the magnificence of its land, ocean, culture and people. Unfortunately, Mexico is also one of many countries where stray dogs are omnipresent. They are invisible creatures that live, suffer and die in the towns and countrysides, with no hope of a better existence.

 

The setting was an important way to bring my story to life through a magical town and all the experiences it has to offer, while weaving in the plight of street dogs and a woman’s mission to save herself and her new canine companion.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The title, “Thirty Days to Home,” has a dual meaning.

 

First, our protagonist, Marli, wants to take her newfound furry friend, Puerto, home to San Jose, California. But to bring a dog across the border of Mexico into the United States, there is a 30-day waiting period after a rabies vaccination. So Marli and Puerto are “thirty days to home.”

 

But in the end, California is no longer the “home” she once knew. Instead, Marli finds the meaning of home truly is “where the heart is.”

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: Thirty Days to Home is my first fiction novel and I probably went about writing my story all wrong. Every writing workshop I attended advised mapping out the scenes from beginning to end with post-it notes and storyboards.

 

I knew the main objective was to bring attention to the plight of street dogs through a woman overcoming tragedy and finding strength in loving and caring for a stray animal companion. But I did not know how I would get there until I started writing. The story unfolded as I went along, including the mystery behind the death of her son.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: My writing continues with a monthly column, “Animals & Their Allies,” published in a local magazine, Inside Sacramento, with a circulation of 80,000. I focus on news, events and people related to animals, domestic and wild, including local rescue groups and shelters, the animal overpopulation crisis, and low-cost spay/neuter, among other critical topics.

 

Ideas for my next fiction novel are in the planning stage, but will, of course, involve animals.

 

I am also a ceramic artist with a focus on animal sculptures. And I recently established a nonprofit foster-based rescue group, Misfit Mutts Dog Rescue, which pulls dogs at risk of euthanasia from Sacramento-area animal shelters.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: For the past 15 years, my husband and I have rescued, fostered and found devoted families for nearly 100 dogs and countless cats and kittens in our community. Our city, state and country have a long way to go before we stop killing companion animals because our shelters are overcrowded and there are not enough homes.

 

But the United States is a far cry from other countries where millions of stray dogs and cats fend for themselves, left on the streets to endure hunger, sickness, and injury until they die alone.

 

I wrote Thirty Days to Home as a tribute to those animals—and hope for the day when kindness and compassion extend to all creatures.

 

Please spay and neuter.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Kristine Rudolph

  

 

 

Kristine Rudolph is the author of the new middle grade novel The Twin Stars and the Soccer Superstar. She lives in Atlanta and in Austin, Texas. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Twin Stars and the Soccer Superstar, and how did you create your character Cassaty?

 

A: Before I wrote for kids, I took a stab at writing for adults. I have a law degree and also love true crime, so the natural path was for me to write domestic thrillers, right? Except. Gah! It turns out I am just not able to go as deep and dark as publishers and agents want. I realized I didn’t want to live in that space, mentally.

 

Writing a “light mystery” for younger readers was the perfect solution. The Twin Stars and the Soccer Superstar started with a “what if?’ question — “What if you are a superfan and your hero goes missing? — and evolved from there.

 

I have two daughters who play soccer. They are four years apart, about the difference between Cassaty and Katey in the novel. My oldest daughter is a high school senior and started playing when she was 4, so I have watched *a lot* of girls' soccer over the past fourteen years.

 

Watching my children develop on the field as players and witnessing how soccer has impacted their growth definitely informed my character development. 

 

Q: The author Zachary Steele called the book a “beautifully written story about the lengths to which we will go to process grief, and the weight it carries in all that we do.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Zach is a wonderful person who wrote a lovely novel called The Weight of Ashes. It’s got a real Stand By Me (the movie, not the song) feel to it. The main character is dealing with the loss of a sibling which, spoiler alert, is a big theme in my book. I love that Zach saw the parallels between our books even though they tell very different stories.

 

In addition to being an author and the founder of Broadleaf Writers Association, Zach is bookshop manager at the legendary Hub City. So to have him call my book "beautifully written” means the world to me. 

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I outline, but I always outline in a rough form leaving lots of room for me to get to know my characters better. With this book, I really kind of started with the ending and worked backward. So, yes, I knew how it would end when I started typing. The “soccer superstar,” Katey Korey, was very vivid in my mind’s eye, and I knew exactly how she would behave at the novel’s end. 

 

I usually have a solid sense of a book’s beginning and ending when I take pen to paper to outline. It’s that messy middle, though, that gets me every time!

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: In his book, Booktalk: Occasional Writing on Literature and Children, children’s author Aidan Chambers develops the idea of an author’s second self.

 

It’s a really interesting concept. He argues that many books for children feature a character who is there to say the things the author would say if he or she were in the story.

 

Because children’s literature features mischief, shenanigans or just plain immaturity, an author needs to insert a reasonable foil. Think about some of your favorite children’s books and I would wager you can come up with a few examples.

 

In this book, Cassaty’s sister Amelia is the author’s second self. She is the truth-teller. Throughout the novel she is encouraging the others to live authentically and to let themselves feel their feelings instead of trying to paper over them.

 

My great hope is that Amelia will resonate with my readers and they will feel slightly less bound to expectation, both real and perceived, when they finish the last page.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am trying to find a publishing home for a book I adore, called Myra & Birdie, which is historical and contemporary and brings the Orly airport tragedy to young readers.

 

The crash at Orly had profound implications for the city I live in, Atlanta, and left 33 children orphaned. But these kids’ grief was really papered over and there is precious little written about Orly. I really want to get this story out there.

 

As for writing, I am in the early stages of a political novel involving high school debate and First Amendment issues. Timely, right?

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: My aunt and uncle live in Fredericksburg, Texas, which is the real city on which my fictional town of Barons Creek is based. Fredericksburg is a magical place with loads of history. It was settled by Germans and still retains elements of that heritage.

 

The dance hall in the book, Russell Hall, is based on Luckenbach, Texas, the site of a very famous dance hall. My aunt’s father made Luckenbach famous and she’s kept his spirit alive in the town, so it’s really fun to honor that legacy in this way.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Alexander Kopelman

  

 

 

Alexander Kopelman is the author of the new book For Real: Helping Children Remain Their Authentic Selves in a Limiting World. He is the founding president and CEO of the nonprofit organization Children's Arts Guild. He lives in New York City. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write For Real?

 

A: I think the seeds of the book go all the way back to my growing up in what was then the Soviet Union. In an authoritarian system well-practiced at controlling not only the actions but the thoughts of its people, the very idea of understanding and growing an authentic self was not really an option.

 

When I arrived in the United States as a 13-year-old Jewish refugee, I had the opportunity--and the necessity--of shaping a whole new identity in a new language. (When we came to New York, I knew two words, “please” and “hello.”) The idea that I was free to choose who and what to be was honestly overwhelming.

 

The first 10 years of this new life were all about becoming as American as I could be. And then a few years after college, I realized that while I was busy learning how to become undetectable as an alien, I had not learned anything about who I actually was.

 

With no tools for self-reflection or emotional growth, I flailed about for a good chunk of my 20s, inflicting quite a bit of pain on myself and the people around me.

 

When I finally made my way into therapy, a key theme that emerged was that I didn’t know how to be a man in the world. As I later heard many men say, I was convinced that I hadn’t gotten the manual. That eventually led me to the Mankind Project and a life-changing weekly men’s group.

 

And that’s where the inspiration for For Real took shape. We met in one of the art rooms of a generous elementary school in New York City. Sitting on small wooden chairs, week in and week out, we supported each other in navigating through our lives and becoming the people we wanted to be.

 

What struck me was how difficult it was for accomplished, successful, strong men to feel, name, and express basic emotions like fear, anger, joy, and sadness (most of us didn’t seem to have as many problems with feeling shame). And I began to think that there must be a better way, that we should focus on prevention rather than intervention.

 

The idea was simple: Help children learn to understand themselves and feel comfortable with who they are as they grow. That led to my founding, with a group of dedicated people, the Children’s Arts Guild. For Real is the product of the work we have done in developing that simple idea over the past 15 years.

 

Q: The author Gary Shteyngart said of the book, “As someone still recovering from the bias I encountered during my debilitating attempts at socialization as a child, this book is a boon to anyone who wants to provide better childhoods for their children and students.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: At SXSW EDU earlier this month, I was talking about the book out in public for the first time. A man stopped by our booth in the Exhibition Hall, read the title on the advance reading copy on the table, and said, “Oh, this is a book about remembering.”

 

I think Gary’s description gets at the same idea. To do better by the children in our care, we must remember what childhood was like for us and endeavour to learn from what worked and what didn’t. For Real offers readers a structured, empathetic way to do the remembering and some tools for learning from our experiences.

 

Q: What impact do you think the pandemic had on the classroom, and what do you see looking ahead?

 

A: Back in 2021, I heard a guest on Krista Tippett’s On Being describe the pandemic as having created “species-level” stress. I think we are continuing to experience the effects of that stress in every single system, inside and out.

 

Educators and child-development experts continue to tell me that the children they work with tend to be about three years “behind” what we have previously considered the normative trajectory of development. That shows up differently depending on how old the kids were during the most difficult years of the pandemic.

 

What educators are reporting now are soaring rates of anxiety and depression among children, behavioral issues, difficulty socializing, and learning delays.

 

For a time, the focus of the education system turned almost exclusively to addressing learning loss. I am beginning to see signs that people are recognizing that if we do not address children’s ability to regulate their emotions, to feel safe, and to manage social interactions in healthy ways, we will not be able to help them learn.

 

I also think that we have an opportunity to ask whether our classrooms are designed to meet the real needs of children. In For Real, I explore the arguments made by thinkers like Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D., that our model of education, created to meet the demands of the labor market of our ever-more industrialized society, is poorly suited to supporting the ways children actually learn and develop.

 

The strain of the pandemic exposed even more starkly the ways in which the system is failing our children. Rather than patching back together, I hope we can find a way to reimagine and rebuild it.

 

Q: What do you see as the importance of authenticity for young people?

 

A: Parker Palmer, the noted author and founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal, describes authenticity as “living on the outside the truth you know on the inside.” What I love about this elegant statement is that for me it captures the freedom and ease that come from living authentically.

 

Obscuring parts of ourselves and constantly reading the rooms we are in to determine which versions of us might be acceptable and accepted takes enormous amounts of energy.

 

When we encourage young people to be comfortable with themselves and support them in developing the tools to live authentically, we help them free up huge stores of creativity, curiosity, and joy.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: The publication of For Real marks the launch of the Authenticity Works Initiative to spark a movement of caring adults dedicated to helping children thrive by helping them understand what is true for them on the inside and to living in harmony with that truth.

 

Authenticity Works aims to inspire a wide-ranging public discourse through a broad range of activities to

Educate - through the book, speaking engagements, workshops, online content, and future publications and programmatic products

Collaborate - by building a community of like-minded individuals, organizations, and institutions through convenings, conferences, and partnerships 

Advocate - by working together with our community to push for systemic changes in areas such as education, social services, healthcare, and childcare.

 

We will also be inviting people to join the Authenticity Works Alliance as a means to support grass-roots activism to address the needs of children in local communities.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: People often ask me whether this work and For Real is intended for a particular age group. I really hope that as many people as possible understand and embrace the idea that we need to support children from birth to early adulthood in being comfortable being themselves and that in order to do so we need to work on being comfortable in our own skins in order to model it for kids.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb