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Re: Beyond Magenta
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From: Merri Lindgren <mlindgren_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Fri, 30 May 2014 09:50:23 -0500
From Susan Kuklin:
Thank you CCBC for taking on this topic. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your including Beyond Magenta in this discussion.
I decided to do a book about transgender teenagers because, at the time, I thought that the T in LGBTQ was not portrayed as much as the other letters in publishing, media, or the popular press. Things have certainly changed in the four years it took to write and publish Beyond Magenta. It was particularly enlightening to read Christine Baldacchino’s, and Sarah and Ian Hoffman’s recent posts. So glad Jacob’s New Dress and Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress are part of the growing list of LGBTQ children’s literature. Now we need more middle grade books on the subject. Hey, writers/lurkers out there
… are you interested?
As for questions: Thanks, Crystal, for asking if it was hard to listen to the kids and not offer advice. Actually, it wasn’t hard at all. I strongly, passionately believe that the people in the book be given the latitude to reveal their lives, as they perceive them, as they live them. It’s their voices, not mine. My job as a writer is to bring these voices to the page clearly and honestly. The goal is to get the most complete, candid narratives possible. To do this I could never be judgmental, or even react in a way that might imply I’m judging the person. If I did, the bond between author/subject would be irrevocably broken. And it’s the bond between us – the faith and trust – that, in my view, enables the person the freedom to speak candidly. Do I become emotional? You bet! If people are sitting in front of me sobbing about particularly difficult memories, I’m generally crying with them. Touching. Hugging. And when something funny, silly, or ironic pops out, we generally break into convulsive laughter – together. The operating word is with, never at.
The actual interviews for Magenta were very open-ended, and usually very long. Most of the people’s comments jumped around a great deal. I had to pay very careful attention to what-was-said-or-happened-when so that I could later ask questions to fill in any holes, keep the narrative consistent, and add details. That was plenty to keep me really busy during this period. It's like skiing down a mountain. If you lose concentration, you end up crashing into a tree. I tried to avoid the trees and stay on the slope.
Thanks so much for this question.
Susan Kuklin
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Received on Fri 30 May 2014 09:50:45 AM CDT
Date: Fri, 30 May 2014 09:50:23 -0500
From Susan Kuklin:
Thank you CCBC for taking on this topic. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your including Beyond Magenta in this discussion.
I decided to do a book about transgender teenagers because, at the time, I thought that the T in LGBTQ was not portrayed as much as the other letters in publishing, media, or the popular press. Things have certainly changed in the four years it took to write and publish Beyond Magenta. It was particularly enlightening to read Christine Baldacchino’s, and Sarah and Ian Hoffman’s recent posts. So glad Jacob’s New Dress and Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress are part of the growing list of LGBTQ children’s literature. Now we need more middle grade books on the subject. Hey, writers/lurkers out there
… are you interested?
As for questions: Thanks, Crystal, for asking if it was hard to listen to the kids and not offer advice. Actually, it wasn’t hard at all. I strongly, passionately believe that the people in the book be given the latitude to reveal their lives, as they perceive them, as they live them. It’s their voices, not mine. My job as a writer is to bring these voices to the page clearly and honestly. The goal is to get the most complete, candid narratives possible. To do this I could never be judgmental, or even react in a way that might imply I’m judging the person. If I did, the bond between author/subject would be irrevocably broken. And it’s the bond between us – the faith and trust – that, in my view, enables the person the freedom to speak candidly. Do I become emotional? You bet! If people are sitting in front of me sobbing about particularly difficult memories, I’m generally crying with them. Touching. Hugging. And when something funny, silly, or ironic pops out, we generally break into convulsive laughter – together. The operating word is with, never at.
The actual interviews for Magenta were very open-ended, and usually very long. Most of the people’s comments jumped around a great deal. I had to pay very careful attention to what-was-said-or-happened-when so that I could later ask questions to fill in any holes, keep the narrative consistent, and add details. That was plenty to keep me really busy during this period. It's like skiing down a mountain. If you lose concentration, you end up crashing into a tree. I tried to avoid the trees and stay on the slope.
Thanks so much for this question.
Susan Kuklin
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Received on Fri 30 May 2014 09:50:45 AM CDT
