Q&A with Vivian Kirkfield

  

 

 

Vivian Kirkfield is the author of the children's picture book One Girl's Voice: How Lucy Stone Helped Change the Law of the Land. Her other books include Pedal, Balance, Steer. She lives in Bedford, New Hampshire. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write a picture book biography of abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone (1818-1893)?

 

A: One of the favorite questions at school visits is: Why did you write this story…and where did you get the idea for it.

 

My story ideas come from various places…sometimes a friend sends me a link to an interesting article and other times, an idea pops into my head when I watch a movie or a TV show. But many times, my inspiration is fueled as I am doing research for ANOTHER manuscript…and that’s what happened with One Girl’s Voice.

 

I was delving into the life of Annie Londonderry for the book, Pedal, Balance, Steer…and I came across information about Lucy, who was somewhat of a contemporary of Annie. My curiosity was sparked since I’d not heard of her…and I thought that kids needed to meet this courageous woman who played such an important role in fighting for abolition and women’s rights.

 

Q: How did you research her life, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: To research Lucy’s life, I checked out online sources first. Luckily, there are many documents, including letters, that are available online at the Library of Congress. There were also a few books that contained a chapter or two about her.

 

And I was able to connect with Judith Kalaora, who dons period dress and portrays several of America’s leading women activists as part of her History-At-Play. I was able to watch her Lucy Stone performance which made me even more determined to write the book…and Judith kindly shared some of her extensive research – and even served as an expert during the fact-checking stage on the book’s path to publication.

 

What surprised me as I learned more about Lucy Stone was to discover how exceedingly humble she was…she wanted to turn the spotlight on the causes she supported, not on herself.

 

And how, even though she advocated for girls and women to receive equal education and equal pay, she never strayed from her desire to be a good wife and mother. I was even able to find a recipe book that contains her receipt for homemade yeast!

 

Q: What do you think Rebecca Gibbon’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: I’m grateful to my editors who always seem to find the perfect person to illustrate my stories. Rebecca’s art brought the characters and the text to life. Her color palette is beautiful…and I love the way she displays the quotes in such clever and engaging ways.

 

Many times, Lucy’s words appear as samplers on the wall which helps capture the time period and allows the child reader to envision what life looked like back in the 19th century.

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book calls it a “passionate ode to a suffragist and abolitionist who should surely be a household name.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Oh yes! I’m excited that Kirkus recognized both the passion with which I wrote…as well as the need for Lucy Stone to become a “household word”…especially in these times, we want to inspire young readers to make their voices heard…and having a role model like Lucy can certainly help with that goal.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: My agent recently sent a new PB bio out on submission and, while we are waiting to hear back from the editors, I’m working on something very different from my usual writing. It’s a rhyming fiction Halloween/Christmas tale…sometimes it’s good to shake things up a bit.

 

When I first started writing back in 2012, I loved writing in rhyme and actually have two rhyming books launching this fall…Pippa’s Hanukkah Hunt (a sequel to the popular Pippa’s Passover Plate, also illustrated by Jill Weber and published by Holiday House)…and the second is a board book, Friends Count (illustrated by Savannah Allen and published by PJ Publishing for PJ Library).

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Every year I host the #50PreciousWords International Writing Contest. It happens on my blog on March 2 and March 3…last year there were 587 submissions and this year, we already have over 60 incredible prizes. Folks can find out more about it if they follow my blog, https://www.viviankirkfield.com.

There is no cost to enter…although I do ask participants if they would like to purchase a book for the #50PreciousWords Literacy Initiative that has already donated over 1,000 new children’s books to local schools in need.

 

And this year, I plan to request everyone involved to review at least one book on Amazon…whether it is one of my books or a book written by one of the prize donors or judges. Just like Lucy Stone, I hope to encourage folks to become advocates and activists.

 

I also host the #50PreciousWordsforKids…a writing challenge for anyone under the age of 18 during Children’s Book Week in May…and all of the entries are posted on my blog for Mother’s Day. We’ve had stories from kids in states all across the country as well as from Canada, Austria, England, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Switzerland, and France.

 

Early successes can empower kids to believe in themselves – and every child receives a Certificate of Participation that can be downloaded, printed out, and personalized. I invite parents and teachers to encourage their children to participate…because we all have a story to tell!

 

Thank you so much for having me, Deborah!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Vivian Kirkfield.