Caroline Brewer is the author and illustrator of the new children's picture book Harriet Tubman, Force of Nature: A Biography in Poems. Her other books include Say Their Names. Also a journalist and public relations professional, she lives in Washington, D.C.
Q: What inspired you to create Harriet Tubman, Force of Nature, and what do you see as Tubman's legacy today?
A: I was inspired to write Harriet Tubman, Force of Nature, A Biography in Poems, because of art created by a 5-year-old girl 20 years ago. Imagine! Her name was Tahirih Branch, and she was in an afterschool program at the Harlem School of the Arts.
I wrote a poetic vignette about Harriet and the Underground Railroad, and she responded with a collage art piece that centered Harriet in the forest. I thought that was such brilliant insight for a child so young. I've yearned ever since to tell a more complete story about Harriet’s extraordinary relationship with nature.
Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: In 2017, I began working for the Audubon Naturalist Society (now Nature Forward), located in Maryland, just outside D.C., and began investigating Harriet’s intimate connections to the environment.
I eventually met national historians, such as Alan Spears of the National Parks Conservation Association. Alan helped us award Harriet as an Environmental Champion through our Taking Nature Black Conference.
He also introduced me to staff of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitors Center who helped me take a deep dive into her life outdoors, in forests, with waterways, the skies, and animals.
As a result, I traveled to her birthplace, the Eastern Shore of Maryland, walked the land that she and her parents lived on, sat on rocks by a stream that was a rendezvous point for her and other freedom-seekers, drove and hiked through the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, which is teeming with the kinds of wildlife that she saw walking and boating on secret trips to see her father.
Along the way, I read more than 2,000 pages on her life and the history of the Eastern Shore, including Bound for the Promised Land, written by Kate Clifford Larson, considered the definitive biographer of Harriet. Because there is so much mythology surrounding Harriet, I asked Kate if she would be a consultant on the book. She graciously agreed to do so.
I also read portions of brand new works that focused more than others on Harriet’s experiences with the environment, Tiya Miles’ Wild Girls and Night Flyer, and Edda Fields-Black’s Combee.
What surprised me most was how much there was to learn about her life and her relationship with the natural world. It was a pleasure to discover the many ways that Harriet demonstrated formidable literacy when it came to nature.
Most of the Underground Railroad was pure wilderness. There were safe houses, wagon and boat rides, but the path to getting out of Maryland often was putting feet on the ground through the great, and potentially deadly, outdoors.
Harriet once survived a blizzard while waiting overnight behind a tree for a group of freedom-seekers to meet her on the Underground Railroad. For some reason, they never showed. But this story added significantly to understanding how deeply committed Harriet was to freedom, in spite of fatal threats from the environment.
I also was surprised by how much service, brilliant service, she gave to Union Army during the Civil War. She served for several years, working three additional jobs in addition to being a nurse and a spy for the military, to provide for herself and her family because the Army never paid her.
She was incredibly crafty leading the raid on Combahee River plantations that helped 739 people liberate themselves. This raid made her the first woman to lead an American military raid. She continued serving on other Army missions – all dangerous.
Q: Did you work on the text first or the illustrations first--or both simultaneously?
A: The text first. I can’t imagine illustrating a book without having the text, but with a good sense of the story, I suppose it could be done.
Q: The School Library Journal review of the book says, “Engaging and informative, these compassionate poems will resonate with readers, and together with the exquisitely crafted illustrations, will bring the important story of Harriet Tubman to life.” What do you think of that description?
A: Ah, it is such a beautiful review. It warmed my heart and made me feel that my desire to ensure that readers felt moved by her experiences was met.
And to refer to the illustrations as “exquisitely crafted,” let me tell you, I worked harder on the art than anything I’ve ever done in my life. So that compliment is priceless. I’m grateful to know that they expressed their admiration so kindly.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Haha. So much! And I’m excited by it all. I just completed a new children’s biography about a woman scientist, and several fiction manuscripts. I have to decide which ones I want to illustrate and which to pass on to another artist.
On the art side, I’m hoping to exhibit at a local gallery soon, so I devote time each week to work on new pieces.
Finally, my new fictional picture book, based on fact, Anansi and the Talking Cloth, debuts August 25. I will soon be working with the marketing and publicity teams to spread the word and set up events, so please stay tuned.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I want readers to know that Harriet Tubman, Force of Nature, is a story of how she lived, moved, and had her being among the wild things and in the realm of spirit. Water, air, soil, plants, animals, the sun, moon, and stars were abiding sources of inspiration, celebration, and sustenance. She connected with aspects of the environment as friends, partners, and guides.
Nature played a decisive role in how Harriet saw herself – born as free as the eagle. It’s where she demonstrated formidable literacy. Although at times hostile, hazardous, and capricious, the elements proved no match for Harriet’s dynamic and downright brilliant ability to conquer each threat and deliver herself and scores of African Americans out of the brutality that was slavery.
I also want readers to know that my approach to telling this story, and all of my stories, in schools, libraries, and other public forums, is interactive. Because the poetry rhymes, my presentations are rhythmic – we chant, sing, clap, toe-tap, and sometimes dance to bring the story to life in even more profound ways.
I’m always presenting with the idea of helping children and teens see the value and power and joy of books. I want them to leave inspired and more motivated to be lifelong readers.
I love speaking and presenting at venues for all ages. I have fans of the book who are as young as 3. I presented a special program on how Harriet was one with the flora, fauna, and constellations of the night at the Prince George’s County Schools Planetarium February 13. It’s a presentation I look forward to presenting all over the country.
You can find more information about what I’m up to by checking out www.carolinebrewerbooks.com, emailing caroline@carolinebrewerbooks.com, and following me on these platforms
instagram.com/carolinebrewerbooks
www.facebook.com/brewercaroline
www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-brewer-489b5515
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
No comments:
Post a Comment