Kidlit Happy Hour

Ep. 16: How to Build a Story: Erin Entrada Kelly on Writing Organically and Trapping Guinea Pigs in a Well

Here are a few highlights from our conversation with Erin Entrada Kelly:
 
Building stories grounded in a single character
The gift of writing in your head 
Why all roads lead back to one word: “organic”
The power of writing in longhand
Why novels should be like a blanket, not a quilt
Feeding your creative soul, and why it counts as writing time
Emotional tension vs. external tension
Remembering that characters are living, breathing people… not pieces on a chess board
Secrets hidden in her books… hint: Wuthering Heights fans and Trekkies will delight!
 
Erin Entrada Kelly is the award winning journalist turned NYTimes bestselling and award-winning author of a vast range of gorgeous children’s books. Among other honors, she won 2018 Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe, a 2021 Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, 2017 APALA Award for The Land of Forgotten Girls, and the 2016 Golden Kite Honor Award for Blackbird Fly. Erin is also the author and illustrator of the beloved Marisol Rainey chapter books series. Erin lives in Delaware and teaches in the MFA programs at Hamline University and Rosemont College, and also teaches fiction with Gotham Writers Workshop.

Ep. 15: How to Build a Story: Angel Barreto on Making Samgyetang and That One Scene From the Bear

Here are a few highlights from our conversation with Angel Barreto, one of the most creative and celebrated chefs in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond:
 
Staying true to the traditional values of a dish while adding your own voice
How working within constraints can bring out innovation and creativity
How his family history as sharecroppers influenced his passion for food
Why being the first person of color to have a #1 restaurant in DC is both remarkable and disheartening
Navigating the tension of appreciation and appropriation
Why the best chefs know the history of the food they cook, even when it makes us uncomfortable
The one scene from TV show The Bear that may have hit too close to home…
 
Angel Barreto is the executive chef and partner of Anju, a contemporary Korean restaurant in D.C. that received three stars from the Washington Post. Barreto has had a culinary career that spans over a decade, with experience in both French and Korean cuisine from institutions like Vermilion, Wolfgang Puck’s The Source and more. Angel studied Korean food and history in Korea after winning a competition sponsored by the Korean embassy and was eventually recruited to Anju. Baretto was a finalist for the RAMMY Award for "Rising Culinary Star of the Year" in 2019 and was named one of Food and Wine's “Best New Chefs” in 2021. He was a James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for "Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic" in both 2018 and 2019. He is also an advocate for mental health in the hospitality industry and works to eliminate the disparities and toxic work environments that often exist within the kitchen.

Ep. 14: How to Build A Story: Jerry Craft on Writing Authentic Feel-Goods and Characters with Body Odor

Highlights from this episode with Jerry Craft include:
 
Why building a story is like building a house
How eavesdropping enriches characterization… and body odor
Evolution of attending book conferences as a fan to becoming a headline author
Tricks to building a series that continues to feel fresh and relevant
Resistance to writing stories with horrific events, especially while centering Black characters
Exploring small, mesmerizing details that will crack open a kid’s world
 
Jerry Craft is the NYT bestselling author and illustrator of many books for kids including graphic novels New Kid and Class Act. New Kid was the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal, and the only book in history to win the Newbery, the Kirkus Prize, AND the Coretta Scott King Author Award. He has been a copywriter, a cartoonist and creator of the beloved comic strip, Mama's Boyz, and even an editorial director at Sports Illustrated. Jerry was born in Harlem and grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City and now travels the world telling kids and their families about the importance of reading.

Ep. 13: How to Build A Story: Nic Stone on Walking Barefoot in Her Yard and Personifying Emotions

Highlights from this episode with Nic Stone include:
 
Nic’s famous mnemonic for the writing process, including a behind the scenes sneak peek to her third book in the Dear Martin series
The two questions to ask when working on a new story
The experience of having FUN while writing and how each book is a form of self-exploration
Reading (rather than avoiding) comp titles during the drafting process
Living an emotionally honest life in order to achieve emotional resonance on the page
Neurodivergence as a gift and the power of centering mental health
The power (and hilarity) of personifying emotions
Putting people from your real life in books… so you can murder them.
 
Nic Stone is the brilliant, prolific #1 NY Times-bestselling author of young adult fiction, including Dear Martin, Dear Justyce, Odd One Out, Jackpot, her latest Chaos Theory, and her co-authored book with Ibram X. Kendi: How to Be A (Young) Antiracist. Dear Martin was one of Time magazine’s 100 best YA books of all times and won the William C. Morris Award in 2018. The books sequel, Dear Justyce, was an NPR Best Book of the Year. Her middle grade books include, Clean Getaway, Easy Pitch, and Marvel’s Shuri series based on the breakout character from Black Panther.

Ep. 12: Finding Ways into Story: Frankie Quiñones on Moving Past Fart Jokes to Sharing His Truth

Highlights from this episode with Frankie Quiñones include:
Deriving inspiration from witnessing others people’s art and vulnerability
How laughter leads to the emotional center
Developing confidence to share painful traumas on stage and bring the audience along with him
Process of developing hilarious, detailed and heartfelt characters inspired by his family
Two overshares that span opposite end of the spectrum, from mortification to celebration
Frankie Quiñones is a stand up comedian, actor, and creator best known for his characters like Creeper, Juanita Carmelita, and countless others. His online videos have millions of views and will have you rolling on the ground laughing. Frankie stars in the new ABC Studios Hulu show "This Fool" and has made appearances on Comedy Central, HBO, TBS, Nickelodeon and more.
 
IG: @frankiequinones https://www.instagram.com/frankiequinones/

Ep 11: Finding Ways into Story: Yuyi Morales on Getting Lost and Feeling Your Way Home

Highlights from this episode with Yuyi Morales include:
The impact of environment on storytelling
Reframing what it means to write and work
Toggling between anguish and joy in the writing process
Community as a necessary guide to story
How the rampant dehumanization during a certain presidential candidacy impacted her decision to write her own immigration story... and invite others to tell their own
Power plants and finding the story within
Yuyi Morales is the NYT bestselling, award-winning author and illustrator of beloved children's books, including Dreamers, Bright Star, Nino Wrestles the World, and so many more. She weaves artistic mediums with tenderness and heart, using everything from yarn to photography to ink drawings to animate her stories. Yuyi's groundbreaking work has received awards that include: the Jane Addams Book Award, the Christopher Award, and six prestigious Pura Belpre Medals. Yuyi was also the first Latina artist to ever receive the illustrious Caldecott honor in 2015 for Viva Frida. 
IG: @yuyimorales

Ep 10: Finding Ways into Story: Christina Soontornvat on Listening to Songs 500 Times and Earning Endings

Highlights from this episode with Christina Soontornvat include:
Crying on planes and the power of music to unlock stories
Giving ideas the time and space to gestate (like babies!)
Feeling a way through story with intuition
The tension between confidence, pressure, and a constant pull to make other people happy
Christina Soontornvat is the beloved author of over a dozen books for children of all ages. Among countless other awards, Christina has received three Newbery Honors. The first two were both in 2021 for her middle grade fantasy A Wish in the Dark as well as her non-fiction account of the cave rescue of the Thai boys' soccer team, All Thirteen. She earned her third Newbery honor just this past year for her dazzling fantasy adventure The Last Mapmaker. She is also a former mechanical engineer and educator, and an all-around brilliant human and activist.
IG: @csoontornvat

Ep 9: Writing Truth: Karla Souza on the Visceral Truths and an Asymmetry of Power

Highlights from this episode with award-winning actress Karla Souza, who you may recognize from her starring roles in hit shows How to Get Away with Murder, Home Economics, or film La Caida (Dive) include:
Feeling visceral alarm bells of truth in the body
Coping with the backlash of truth-telling; her #metoo realities
Finding courage to continue telling the truth in the face of asymmetrical power systems
An overshare that will have you spitting out your drink in laughter
Karla Souza is an award-winning writer and actress with starring roles in How to Get Away with Murder, Home Economics, and Instructions Not Included, the highest grossing Spanish film to open in North America, and Nostros Los Nobles, one of the highest grossing Mexican films of all time! Her latest film, La Caida (Dive) is one of tthe msot watched movies on Amazon Prime and has been nominated for numerous Ariel Awards - the Mexican equivalent of the Oscars - including Best Picture and Best Actress. 
IG: @karlasouza

Ep 8: Writing Truth: Carlos Andrés Gómez on Saying Things Everyone Else is Too Terrified to Say

Highlights from this episode with award-winning poet, speaker, actor, and equity and inclusion strategist, Carlos Andrés Gómez include:
Being briefly broken and breaking through creative walls
Uncovering truth through writing
Wrestling constantly with self-deception and truth
Learning to get vulnerable
Carlos Andrés Gómez is a Colombian American poet, speaker, actor, and equity and inclusion strategist from New York City. He is the author of Fractures, winner of the Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry, Hijito, winner of the Broken River Prize and a #1 SPD bestseller, and the memoir Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood, released by Penguin Random House. A star of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, TV One’s Verses and Flow, and Spike Lee’s #1 box office movie Inside Man with Denzel Washington, Carlos’ honors include the Sandy Crimmins National Prize for Poetry, Atlanta Review International Poetry Prize, Foreword INDIES Gold Medal, and the International Book Award. A genre-transcending multi-hyphenate, he partnered with John Legend on Senior Orientation, a program to counteract bullying and champion inclusive masculinity among high school students. 
IG: @carlosaglive
Website: https://carloslive.com/

Ep 7: Writing Truth: Liz Kleinrock on Representation as Low-Hanging Fruit and Finding Our North Star

Highlights from this episode with acclaimed educator, consultant, author, and antibias antiracist facilitator Liz Kleinrock include:
Distinguishing truth and fact, holding multiple truths, intersectionality, and nuance
Representation is the low-hanging fruit; moving toward affirmation
The consequences of speaking truth and holding on to our North Stars
Liz Kleinrock is an author, educator, consultant and antibias antiracist facilitator. She received the Learning for Justice’s Award for Excellence in 2018, delivered a TED Talk called “Education Everywhere” that’s been watched by millions, and released her bestselling Start Here Start Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work In Your School Community that informs practice in schools all across the country. Liz is a force for good and has her fingerprints absolutely everywhere, from her platform @teachandtransform, to working with companies and organizations like North Face, the Smithsonian Museum of African America History and Culture and Central Synagogue in NYC. 
IG: @teachandtransform
Website: https://www.teachandtransform.org/
Come and Join Us!: Liz's debut picture book!
Eyes that Weave the Worlds Wonders: Liz and Joanna's book (out 1/23/24)
What Jewish Looks Like: Liz and Caroline's book (out in 2024, stay tuned for link!)