Lauren Stringer's Blog

Everywhere I look, I am seeing good-byes and good-riddances to 2016. Some people are naming it the worst year ever, but for me, though it ended with an election nightmare, the year itself has been full of productive studio time, forays into the world with my new book, Yellow Time,  and meaningful time with family and friends. 

Most of 2016 was spent in my new third floor studio meeting the daily challenge of painting illustrations for a new picture book about Frank Lloyd Wright. It comes out in September 2017-- so I will write more indepth about it in the coming year, but for now, here is a studio glimpse: Studio wall with illustrations in the works. When planning a new year, I make a "Mind-Map" to organize my must-be-dones, want-to-dos, dreams and hopes. I choose a color, a word, and an animal to represent the year. For 2016, my color was Yellow to celebrate the publication of Yellow Time. My word was "curiosity", nurturing that noun in my daily practice through reading new books, listening to podcasts, and taking long walks at different times of day and night to see the way the light and the world around me changes. It is certainly a word that I would add again to this year's intentions. And when I read this book last January, my animal for the year chose me. 

Because my children have chosen to live faraway in their creative lives, I have the great fortune to visit them. 

In 2016, my studio time was paused three times by three weddings- the first two filling my home in Minnesota with friends, family and love and the third in Tangier, Morocco, surrounded by new family, new friends, and a new culture. My daughter, Ruby fell in love with a wonderful Moroccan man and when two such diverse cultures meet, more than one celebration is a necessity. 

Meanwhile in Montreal, my son, Cooper, continued his training in the circus arts at ENC. Seeing his end-of-the-year performances fills me with awe at what he and his fellow students are pushing their bodies to do creatively and dramatically.  Before the year ends, I want to shout out my gratitude and appreciation to the people and bookstores that helped me launch my newest picture book- Yellow Time! Beginning with the Anderson Center's 17th Annual Children's Book Festival, organized by the incredible Amy Baum and Mackin Educational Resources, Yellow Time made its first appearance with leaf crowns and a story-telling tent!

Next, thank you to Addendum Books in St. Paul, where Marcus and Katherine fill the shelves and walls with the most wondrous collection of books, filled its windows with Yellow Time and offered leaf cookies with yellow sprinkles to everyone who came to my reading!

Thank you to the Red Balloon Bookshop, who let me paint their window with yellow time and gave me a stage to conduct a Yellow Time orchestral reading of the book (the audience were the musicians!)

And thanks also go to Valley Bookseller, who invited me to ride the roller coaster trolley all around Stillwater, MN and share my picture books with my fellow riders!
, by A. S. Byatt, narrated by Rosalyn Landor
                        H is for Hawk, by Helen McDonald, narrated by Helen McDonald
                        Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan, narrated by David Levithan
                        His Dark Materials Trilogy, by Phillip Pullman, narrated by Phillip Pullman and numerous actors--a                          brilliant listen!Some of my favorite picture book blogs in 2016:                          Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
                         Art of the Picture Book
                         Books Around the Table
                         Picturebook Makers
​                        And if you like to cook and you like to look a illustrations, follow this illustrated food blog!

I could keep making lists of my favorite books read this year and favorite museum shows and favorite music, mostly found through my kids great music lists, but I think I will stop here-- my daily practice of my word for the year, "curiosity," brought much enrichment to my life. Thank you 2016!

And when the clocks toll midnight, I will begin my wishes for 2017... 

​Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

I love the change of seasons. Summer is nearly over and I see the leaves beginning to change in my neighborhood-- Fall is coming! And so is my newest book, Yellow Time!  

And speaking of change-- yesterday I finally visited the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul and it has changed! Bookshelves have been rearranged, a couch has been added, chairs here and there to sit upon. The books for teens are downstairs to create a place for young adults to ponder and read books without babies and parents hovering about. There was even a party room added for book parties! I know where my next birthday is going to be celebrated! Everywhere I turned there were new colors, new sections and yet at the same time, it was all familiar. I find that when a room is rearranged, I see the familiar parts, but the new placement engages me to enter with an openness of mind and an eagerness for discovery. And there is much to discover in the changes at Red Balloon! 

Not only did I spend the day looking at books in the newly created nooks and crannies of the Red Balloon, but I painted the 10 foot window at the front of the store with images from Yellow Time.  It has been a tradition for nearly all of my picture books, beginning with Fold Me A Poem, to paint the window like stained glass in celebration of the book's birthday. I begin early in the morning before the store opens, setting up a ladder and tempura paints. Beginning at the top of the ladder and the top of the window is a must-- as I grow tired and by the end of the day it is nice to have my feet firmly on the floor. When the store opens at noon on Sundays, mothers with children, fathers with children, grandmothers and grandfathers with children, teens, teachers, and more come through the magical red door and the music plays over the loud speakers to welcome them. Sometimes they stop and talk with me about the window and sometimes they just stand and watch. I love to listen to the conversations of book-love as I paint:  "I love On the Day You Were Born, I give it to every baby I know, but I cannot read it without crying." "Look! The Little Blue Truck's Halloween! You love Little Blue Truck!" "Llama, llama Red Pajamas-- I love that book!"  Book-love is alive and well at the Red Balloon.

Now that the window is painted, I look forward to presenting at the Red Balloon Bookshop on October 1st, at 10:30am. There will be cake and activities and a yellow light shining through the painted leaves on the window. I hope you can come and see the changes around the store, if you haven't already, and celebrate Yellow Time, with me. 

Coming this fall! Just got the f&gs and I cannot wait to share!

Mud, Harcourt Brace 1996 This morning I received my daily email from poem-a-day with a poem called Mud Season by Tess Taylor. Here in Minnesota it seems a little early to begin rhapsodizing about mud season, but it offers hope and appreciation for the inevitable thaw that allows us winter animals to open our doors and windows to new colors, fresh smells, and the musical sounds of birds. And this poem reminded me to share with you that this new year of 2016 is an anniversary year for my first ever published book-  Mud !  Twenty years ago Mud was published with a dedication to my three year old daughter, "For Ruby and her toes", and she is now 23 and a choreographer living in Morocco where mud season is of a different color. Twenty years ago I began an editorial relationship with the editor, Allyn Johnston, who took a chance of trying out a new illustrator who had painted wooden sculptures, canvases, and furniture, but never a picture book. Twenty years ago I illustrated my first book with the wonderful author, Mary Lyn Ray, and have since then illustrated two more of her stories:  Red Rubber Boot Day  and Deer Dancer. And finally, twenty years ago, Mud, was published to great acclaim and it remains in print to this day celebrating a transitional season between winter and spring that is all to often neglected. Outside the ground is still frozen and covered with snow, but 2016 is a leap year, thus giving me one more day of winter to plan a magnificent mud party to celebrate  twenty years of Mud! 

 
2016 offers another anniversary to celebrate: Winter is the Warmest Season,  was published ten years ago and it is the first picture book I authored as well as illustrated!   Winter is the Warmest Season, Harcourt, 2006 0Ten years ago I met every two weeks with my wonderful writing group, The Inkslingers. It was after our very first meeting that I went home so excited to be part of a writing group that I culled through all of my early attempts at writing a story and came across a list of warm things in winter and cool things in summer, inspired by something my son, Cooper, had said when he was about six. (Go here to read more about that.) In my excitement I wrote the story in three days, sent it to Allyn, who said "Let's publish it!" and went to my second writing group meeting with my first story sold! We celebrated with champaign and cake. It was a heady time. I thought writing picture books must come quick and easy-- but I did not finish another manuscript of my own for another seven years!

It is snowing outside my windows as I write, letting me know that winter is here to stay for awhile. Winter is the Warmest Season reminds us of all of the warm things in winter, especially fires burning in fireplaces and candles burning in candleplaces. In the book, the main character declares: "I think parties are warmer in winter."  We have been hosting plenty of warm parties in our big, old pink house this winter, so I may settle for a quiet celebration of this tenth anniversary. A glass of wine, a cat in my lap, and a good book by the fire. 

"In winter, bodies sit closer,
books last longer, and
hugs squeeze the warmest."

- Winter is the Warmest Season, ​Harcourt, 2006

Ruby and myself in visit India! As the summer turns to fall and school begins again, I am filled with warm memories of my visit to two extraordinary schools in India last year. I visited the American School of Bombay in Mumbai and the American International School in Chennai, with my daughter, Ruby Smith, a dancer and choreographer. We had collaborated with writing, illustrating, and dance very successfully in a residency at the American School of Paris two years before and were eager to work together again.  Movement, writing, and illustrating go together very well with surprising outcomes in the classrooms! Large group presentation with a story beginning with my favorite picture books as a child. Ruby and I began each weeklong residency with large group presentations. I used slides to share my process of creating picture books and ended with reading of my book, WHEN STRAVINSKY MET NIJINSKY narrated with music. Ruby shared her story of becoming a dancer/choreographer, then led the audience of all ages in a brief modern dance demonstration-- a good way to stretch out the kinks after sitting for 45 minutes! Showing the process of illustrating my book, DEER DANCER, after writing a group poem with kindergartners. Coloring deer masks, inspired by my book, DEER DANCER. When working with very young readers and writers, I often do group brainstorming and then a group poem. We makes lists of movement words or verbs, seasons, animals, plants, colors and then write a poem together. When Ruby visited the classroom after me, the group poem and colored masks were used to create a dance inspired by words and images. Choreographer Ruby Smith brings the deer dance and group poem to life with deer masks. Sightseeing in Mumbai with extraordinary teachers, authors, and dancers! At AISC students work on storyboards to create the flow of illustrations for their stories. My own picture books were available for inspiration. Gathering in groups to help and inspire one another in book-making was remarkable at AISC. At AISC, I was given a large room to meet with each grade, several times each. The first session was leading writing exercises to create a poem that could be turned into a six page picture book. Storyboards were used to begin to paginate and create the "drama of the turning page" with each students words used for their text. 

Our second meeting was turning the words and storyboards into the picture book. Students worked in groups on the floor-- it was an exciting and amazing project. So much excitement grew out of turning words into picture books! I presented teacher's workshops too at AISC- here an origami-poetry writing workshop. Dinner out in Chennai with librarian extraordinaire, Jeremy Willette and incredible teacher, Megan McCrindle. What an amazing school. What an amazing time! I hope to visit India again. And I hope to collaborate with Ruby again. Writing and illustrating books no longer feels complete without movement!

Today we said good-bye to our dear cat, Buster. He was born in this big pink house 13 years ago and lived a good life with our other two cats. He grew up as my kids grew up and turned into teenagers. He was a beloved member of our family and a frequent visitor to my studio-- so frequent that he became a sort of studio mascot. Buster showed up in several of my PR photos that I sent to schools and libraries before arriving for a visit. I have shared many stories about Buster with students from around the world. Since he was the only cat of the three that did not swipe at my brushes while painting, he was the only one welcome in my studio for long periods of time.
He starred in several of my books. He was also the only cat I knew who loved playing fetch. A kneaded eraser was his favorite object to chase and retrieve; he panted like a dog after ten minutes of running after the bouncing eraser down the stairs and back again. 

During the last week of his life, I spent a lot of time sketching Buster. Drawing gave me time to remember life with Buster. I will miss him.

For the past several months I have been keeping a daily sketch book-- with pictures AND words. Mostly I draw what I see in front of me, but this afternoon I drew from memory a vision that has haunted me since Tuesday. (It is Thursday afternoon and it still hovers in my mind's eye with a quiet glow of loveliness.) On my way to my last calligraphy class at my favorite art supply store, Wet Paint, I stopped at an intersection and glanced over at a young man sitting at a bus stop. He was reading a book. It was a hard cover book. A slim volume with a dark brown cover. He held it artfully, gently; his right hand ready to turn the page. It suddenly struck me how rarely I see people reading a real book in public. How beautiful it was, harking back to a time, not so long ago, before e-books and emails. 

Now don't get me wrong, I love my smart phone. Receiving quick texts and emails while out and about is a wonderful thing. But there is nothing like the feel of paper and the gentle turning of the page, not to mention the ability to leaf back to the beginning to remember a character's name or re-read a certain beautiful passage.  And there is nothing more beautiful to see in public, than a person reading a book. A real book with words printed on paper, bound together with a cover and a back cover, a title page and a dedication. And lovely end papers. I saw such a person waiting for a bus last Tuesday and was moved to make a sketch. I wish I had had my camera-- the sketch does not do it justice. 

Six years ago I visited the American School of Bombay in Mumbai, India. It was a week that still fills all of my senses with memories, the smells, the sounds, the tastes, the people, the colors! I have been invited back for another week and this time I am presenting with my daughter, Ruby Smith, a choreographer and dancer currently living in Tangier, Morocco. She will be teaching dance and storytelling through movement, while I teach book-making, writing, and illustrating to the elementary students. 

Here are some pictures from my last visit. We are also traveling to the city of Chennai to present there as a book-dance team to the American International School of Chennai. I am packed and ready to leave a quiet, gray-white winter in Minnesota behind for the sounds and colors of India. And what does an author-illustrator pack? A few clothes and good walking shoes, but mostly art supplies and sketchbooks, lined paper for stories to write, and books to read . (Yes, I still prefer *real* books to e-books. :-)

I spent the fall of 2014 drawing, drawing, drawing for my book-in-progress, Yellow Time. At my favorite local art supply store I have bought all the shades of yellow paint they carry in watercolor, gouache, and acrylic paints. Piles of yellow sketches litter my studio and a final book dummy was sent to my editor before the holidays. This cold, blue winter in Minneapolis I will be painting warm yellows. How lovely! 

But first a trip to India! Stay tuned...

Last week I participated in a "Writing Process Blog Tour" which you can read here, and this week, I have invited my husband, Matthew S. Smith, to participate in the "Writing Process Blog Tour", as a guest author on my blog. He does not have a blog of his own, but he writes more than anyone I know. An excerpt of his second novel, After Jane, will be published in The Great River Review in the fall of 2014.  Thank you for inviting me, Lauren. Here we go...
What am I working on?  Well, as always, I’m working on yet another novel---my fourth---Mrs. Henderson. It doesn’t matter whether I’m in the middle of the final draft of the previous work, waiting for one of my readers to get back to me with comments, I’m always on to the next. This is how it works for me---I truly can’t stop writing. And I mean only novels. I can’t seem to make sense of the short story, can’t seem to write an essay, and even this blog is throwing me way off. I read novels, I write novels.

How does my work differs from others of its genre?  An excellent question. I take it to mean ‘others of its genre being written now’. I look at contemporary literary fiction, read a page or two off the store shelf and I ask myself, ‘Why don’t I sound like this?’ On a bad day, self doubt says it’s because I don’t write as well as others. On a good day, self confidence says I’ve got my own voice and style. What I know for sure is that the novels that most inspire me were generally written somewhere between the 1910’s and the 1970’s---from Willa Cather’s Oh Pioneers and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, to John Williams’ Stoner and John Gardner’s Nickel Mountain. Maybe I’m just a bit out of phase with my time. On a good day, I figure folks will catch up with me. My novels are short---about 200 pages---and quiet and emotionally intense and compressed.

Why do I write what I do?  At the core of everything I write are the secrets that families keep. Out of the emotional and geographical world of my upbringing, I create fictional characters who expand beyond the facts to larger truths. And since so much is either unknown or unclear, I write to integrate memory and imagination---to compassionately render the complexities of individuals in relationship to both themselves and others in all the varying degrees of ambivalence, love, and denial.

How does your writing process work?  I write every weekday from about 2-6pm. I’m not much of a fan of the weekends, because I don’t write then. In the morning I get up about nine and I do whatever kinds of errands and chores and e-mails I have to get done; I like to get that out of the way so that I can have my mind free for the afternoon.

A writer friend of mine often remarks on my perseverance, but I keep trying to tell him that it’s not perseverance but obsession. When I’m not writing, I feel a bit off. Sometimes very off. When I’m writing, I’m on.

When I sit down to write each day I first read over the last 10 pages or so to get myself reacquainted with the characters and the situation. After that, everything just seems to flow. What my characters do next, where they go, what they think, all flow out of my mind as if it were already written. When suddenly one of my characters does something strange and unforeseen, that’s when I know things are really rolling.

As for the overall structure, I like to watch it form as sections separate from each other and start to shape a whole from the parts. When I composed classical music from 1999 to 2010, the symphony was my favorite form. I liked the work divided into separate movements, and I see writing a novel as a similar process, with themes and motifs, character and place, developing into a unified story.

Just in case I’ve given the wrong impression, I do revise and revise and revise and tinker and poke and prod at just about every sentence. If it doesn’t have the right sound or the right rhythm, then I change it so that it does. Thank goodness these works are only 200 pages or so. If they were 500 or 600 I think I’d go belly-up.

And now I would like to introduce you to a writer whom I greatly admire and who travels more than anyone I know, John Coy. He will post next week, on June 23rd. John Coy is the author of picture books, young adult novels, and the popular 4 for 4 middle-grade series. He is a member of the NBA Reading All-Star Team as part of the Read to Achieve program. His newest book is Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball. John lives in Minneapolis and visits schools nationally and internationally. You can learn more about John here.