You grew up in a large family. What was it about your early years that helped form you into the person you are today?
As a member of a large family, I was allowed to take on different roles in the family. I was the younger sister to my wonderful big brother and I was also the big sister to my younger brother and my four sisters. We all played board games and card games. My mother was quite artistic and encouraged us to paint and draw. She also led us in outdoor activities and sports. I benefited from the responsibilities of chores and structure in our home, but we were free to explore our talents, pursue hobbies and always encouraged to try new things. I have a deep well of experiences and characters from which to draw. Most of my stories spring from my childhood adventures in Columbus, Ohio.
Your mother played a central role in your development. Tell us about her.
She was a brilliant mother and a natural teacher. Our home was filled with reading material: books, magazines, newspapers. She felt is was her responsibility (and joy) to teach her children to read before they started school. She allowed me to read as often and usually for as I long as I wanted. (I learned to read when I was four. On the first day of kindergarten I was sent home because I could read. Apparently, the school wasn’t certain what to do with a tiny reader. I skipped kindergarten and started school in the first grade.) My mother was also an athlete. She played tennis and high school basketball and was on several roller-skating teams. This loving, encouraging and generous lady was also very creative and artistic. She encouraged us to draw, sew, write, dance, sing and hike! She helped everyone shine. She was a legend in our family. There are grandchildren and great-grand children named after her. She set a very high bar in everything she did! I attribute my love of language and reading to her example and encouragement.
You’ve had your work published in Cricket, Spider, New Moon and Pockets magazines. What’s tended to be the unifying vision for these pieces?
Immediate families, extended families and the community are a source of support, comfort and knowledge.
When and how did you find SCBWI?
I learned about the organization from members of my critique group over twenty years ago. Many of us have benefitted from a variety of SCBWI resources, including the Michigan conferences and workshops. Last year, the Marketing Boot Camp in Lansing provided a wonderful day of information and fellowship. Of course our SCBWI members have been helpful and supportive in practical ways.
Your most famous work, the picture book Sweet Music in Harlem, was inspired by an intriguing photo on your husband’s t-shirt. What called to you in that photo?
The faces and postures of the people in the photograph were compelling. The musicians seemed to be connected by a common, almost visible energy.
The famous photo was taken in 1958 Harlem, and included dozens of world-famous jazz musicians of the time. Were you a fan of jazz when you started writing this story?
I was not a jazz fan, but I became a fan. Fortunately, my husband is not only a fan, but quite the expert. He introduced me to the icons of jazz, the history of the art form and the various styles. I have an appreciation for jazz that continues to develop.
Art Kane's famous 1958 photo which inspired Debbie's "Sweet Music in Harlem."
Your story tells a fictionalized account of young clarinetist CJ, who’s looking for forgetful Uncle Click’s beret, so that the jazz trumpeter can be dressed to the nines for a magazine photo shoot. In the quest for the cap, CJ alerts the neighborhood, many of whom are tied to the jazz scene, and inadvertently draws a huge crowd to his uncle’s brownstone stoop. You wrote this story in an unusual manner. Tell us about your process.
The story idea sprang from examining the photograph. The shape and plot emerged before the research in this case. During the course of revising the story, I read several books about the jazz musicians and began listening to jazz. I looked at many other jazz photographs. I also watched a fine, upbeat documentary entitled “A Great Day in Harlem” several times. My car radio is now set for the local jazz station so I can enjoy jazz every day.
Some of the memorable characters (barber Charlie Garlic, Mattie Dee of the Eat and Run Diner, and crooner Canary Alma) as well as CJ and Uncle Click, are invented for the story. Were they amalgams of real historical figures?
No, they were inspired by people I knew or heard about. My mother once described a man standing on the corner pontificating and said, “He thinks he’s Big Charlie Garlic.” The name was right for the character. Uncle Click’s character surfaced because I grew up with two very nice uncles. Canary Alma, as the artist Frank Morrison illustrated her, reminds me Billie Holiday. Mattie Dee is a combination of the energetic cooks and waitresses I’ve encountered over the years.
One of the iconic parts of the photo are the line of young boys sitting in the gutter, along with the bemused Count Basie. Did you imagine one of those faces as your CJ?
I imagined CJ was among the boys sitting on the curb, but not that one of the boys in the photo was actually CJ. I used an illustration of a young boy gazing at a trumpet in a pawn shop window on the cover of a New Yorker magazine as the model for CJ. I stuck it on the bulletin board in my computer room for inspiration.
Among the charming parts of the story, everyone CJ encounters encourages his musical enthusiasm and talent, predicting that he’ll be as big a success as his Uncle Click someday. Did you imagine that CJ succeeded in his dream?
Absolutely! CJ certainly achieves his dreams because music is in his spirit. The support of his uncle and his community guarantees it.
Sweet Music in Harlem was published in 2004. In 2017, the picture book Jazz Day was published, commemorating the same event. Your thoughts?
Roxane Orgill’s Jazz Day is a wonderful book. Her fine book really expands, fleshes out the wonderful story of Art Kane’s photograph and its subjects through poetry. Her book is somewhere in my house right now. I highly recommend her book for the delightful, evocative writing and cool artwork. It’s a treasure. That photo has inspired paintings, other photographs, a documentary, stained glass pieces, a symphony piece, etc.
As works in progress you mention Vine Street Basketball, Slip Through the Dark Woods, Elzada Clover/Lois Jotter, and Idlewild, Michigan. Would you care to share anything about those pieces?
One of my current books, a mid-grade novel set in Idlewild, Michigan is still in progress. Slip Through The Dark Woods was accepted for publication by Schoolwide, Inc. My next book, Over in Motown, will be published this summer by the Ann Arbor District Library’s Fifth Avenue Press.
"Busy Mr. Higby" was published by Meegenius/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2014. Mr. Higby is an industrious rabbit who delivers bunches, bouquets, centerpieces to the townsfolk. He eventually learns how to meet the ever-growing demand for flowers and helps the community become more self-sufficient.
Debbie added some additional answers:
What are some other venues for writers and illustrators?
In addition to presenting at schools and libraries, I would encourage people to consider opportunities to present at institutions such as the Children’s Hospital of Michigan or events like a Little Library kick-offs or music festivals.
Where do you turn for encouragement?
Authors Anne Lamott and Frederick Buechner have been quite inspiring when I need a little kick.
What message would you like to leave for Mitten readers?
In a documentary about the great American playwright, August Wilson, his widow states that Wilson washed his hands each time before settling down to write because his writing was “sacred work.” All creators of work for children might want to embrace that notion as they tackle creative challenges.
Debbie Taylor is the Assistant Director of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) at the University of Michigan. She is also the Program Manager, Center for Engineering Diversity and Outreach.
Charlie Barshaw is (honestly) making progress on a revision of his YA novel "Aunt Agnes." He's also co-chair of the Humor Conference to be held in Detroit on Saturday, May 5. Save the date!
There's a Mitten post scheduled in March about SCBWI-MI blogs. Want to advertise yours? Email me at cjbarshaw523@aol.com with your blog's address and a short description of its theme, and I'll try to include it.
