Matt Forrest Esenwine is the creator of the new anthology of children's poetry A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World. His many other books include Flashlight Night. He lives in New Hampshire.
Q: What inspired you to create A Universe of Rainbows, and how did you choose the poems to include?
A: As someone who writes a lot of children’s poetry, I'm always trying to think of new ideas for poetry collections.
It was near the end of January 2019 as Tara Lazar's idea-creating event Storystorm was winding down, and the concept of rainbows came to me. And not just normal “rainbows” that we think of - I mean, everything from prisms to rainbow scarabs to the Morning Glory Pool at Yellowstone!
So I spent a couple of weeks just researching all the rainbow-type things I could find and settled on 22 potential subjects. And the more I thought about how rainbows are symbolic of hope and diversity, the more I realized it might work better as a poetry anthology than simply a collection.
So I began reaching out to a number of poet friends like Charles Ghigna, David Harrison, Jane Yolen, Charles Waters, and others just to see if they'd be interested or willing to contribute a poem, should I manage to sell it - and if possible, if they'd be willing to write a poem in advance, that I could use in my proposal.
This way, when I approached a potential publisher, the editor would know (or at least assume, ha!) that I knew what I was doing and that I could assemble a substantial, esteemed contributor list. Sure enough, it worked!
Once I signed the contract and got the go-ahead from my editor Kathleen Merz at Eerdmans, I began contacting everyone to let them know the good news, and to ask if they would begin working on their poems.
Rather than use an open submission process with folks from all over submitting random poems, I organized it the way my friend and mentor, Lee Bennett Hopkins did: I offered each poet a specific subject, and if they agreed to it, they would write a poem about that specific subject.
That way, I knew who was writing about what, and honestly, with the level of talent I was working with, I never had to worry about the quality of a poem!
Q: What do you think Jamey Christoph’s illustrations add to the book?
A: Oh, they add SO MUCH! Rainbows are, by their very nature, utterly visual phenomena - so having someone like Jamey come in and bring color and life to each subject (and poem) was just a beautiful thing.
Some of his illustrations include human interaction; others do not, but each one places the emphasis on the beauty of the subject, and he did a simply fantastic job.
What's even cooler is that he recently moved to New Hampshire, so we're planning on doing some dual bookstore events, which should be a lot of fun!
Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, “Appealing poetry and cogent science writing combine for a unique take on the ever-captivating rainbow.” What do you think of that description?
A: Well, I think it's pretty darn accurate!
But there's really so much more to the book. For a first-ever poetry anthology, I am amazed at its scope: this is a 48-page collection of 22 poems with sidebars for each poem, brilliant illustrations, and back matter that includes a glossary and a list of places to find additional information on the subjects.
It is literally a one-stop shop about rainbows and the poetic language they deserve.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the book?
A: I hope they find something new about rainbows they didn't know before!
Perhaps a young child will read my poem about the Fly Geyser in Nevada, which is located on land owned by the Burning Man Foundation. Geothermal digging back in the '60s opened up a vent that began spewing water and minerals in the air and we now have an amazing tribute to Nature's ability to create beauty from of mankind's mistakes.
Or maybe someone fascinated with science will see the rainbows secretly hidden in the wings of fruit flies - which can only be seen with a microscope - and will want to learn more after having read Lee Wardlaw’s “The Fruit Fly’s Secret.” (They might even learn a new poem, if they investigate which famous poems Lee references in her own poem!)
With each and every page, there are so many things to learn - a scientific fact, a new poetry form, an unusual place, animal, or plant!
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I have another poetry anthology with Eerdmans that will likely not be out for another couple of years, and many other proposals I'm submitting (along with multiple picture book manuscripts). I'm also about two-thirds of the way through my first middle grade verse novel!
Working without an agent, it takes longer to sell my manuscripts because I'm submitting everything directly to publishers, but I love the relationships I've been able to develop with so many editors.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I want everyone to know how helpful Kathleen was in balancing art with text! We worked closely in making sure the poems were as perfect as could be, as well as revising all the sidebars and back matter. It was a tremendous amount of work, but so rewarding.
Beyond that, I think authors who are trying to get traditionally-published should know it can be done - and be done without an agent - but it requires a lot of time, work, and craft-honing. It also takes networking and being willing to make connections.
As for readers, I'd like them to know how much I appreciate them, whether they are the ones buying my books, reading the books, or both. Every book sold, reviewed, shared - or simply enjoyed - is another reason why I love what I do. And I couldn't do this without buyers and readers!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Matt Forrest Esenwine.
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