Remembering Shirley Neitzel

Those Who Came Before Us: Shirley Neitzel brought SCBWI-MI into the new century with kindness and smarts

by Charlie Barshaw

Shirley Mae Neitzel, 81, peacefully passed away on February 21, 2023, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was born May 15, 1941, in Ewen, Michigan to Theophilus and Ida Koehler. 

On Sun, Feb 26, 2023, 4:56 PM Buffy Silverman via MichKids Listserv wrote:

Dear Friends,

Those of you who are long-time members will remember Shirley Neitzel, who was RA from 2000-2003. As her assistant RA, I saw first-hand how devoted Shirley was to running the chapter--she made all feel welcome. Together we organized some top-notch conferences and Shirley made sure to cross every t and dot every i. 

Shirley was also the author of many popular picture books from Greenwillow, including The Dress I Wore to the Party, The Jacket I Wore in the Snow, and more. Shirley was honored by the Michigan Reading Association with the Gwen Frostic Award for her contributions as a teacher and a writer. After she retired from teaching, she continued writing, including regularly writing passages for an educational company through the end of her life. 

We kept in touch sporadically over the years, and I saw her most recently about a year ago. She was still the same passionate and enthusiastic person at age 80 as she had been before. I will miss her.

https://obits.mlive.com/us/obituaries/grandrapids/name/shirley-neitzel-obituary?id=48283137

Buffy Silverman

Shirley and some of her books

And then came the responses:

Ruth McNally Barshaw  wrote:

Ohhh, Shirley, what a beautiful person, a wonderful and skilled writer, and a good friend. 

The world is diminished.

Ann Finkelstein wrote:

Thank you for letting us know, Buffy. Shirley and Buffy were RAs before Paula and me. Shirley and I planned a conference when my co-conference planner moved out of state. I remember her wisdom and her laugh. THE JACKET I WORE IN THE SNOW was the first book my older son read. She will be missed. 

At one of the first SCBWI-MI conferences I attended, I arrived at the dining room before they’d opened for breakfast. I joined with a group of other writers who were also waiting for their breakfast porridge. When I sat down, my chair collapsed under me. After everyone made sure I was okay, Shirley asked if I was going upstairs to check the beds. I knew this was the group for me.

Pat Trattles wrote:

Such a wonderful person. She welcomed me to Michigan when we moved back 22 years ago and was the first face of SCBWI-MI I encountered. Thanks for letting us know, Buffy. She will be missed.

 

Shirley's kindergarten photo

Shutta Crum wrote:

Oh....  I admired Shirley, so much! Thank you, Buffy, for letting folks know.

 

Lori McElrath Eslick wrote

Shirley was a marvel--a fine writer and a born teacher, which showed in the way she helped the rest of us. It was a privilege to work with her.

Thanks so much for sharing the sad news of Shirley’s passing. She was a wise and poised woman. And a beautiful spirit.

Leslie Helakoski wrote: 

Shirley was indeed a sweetheart. When I moved downstate after

Shirley with grandsons

attending events for a few years in Wisconsin, I was sure the Michigan group would not be as wonderful. I was wrong. Shirley pulled me right in and before I knew it I was volunteering and learning from her. Sending a great big arms-open hug to everyone ala Shirley.

Lisa Wheeler wrote: 

Oh, so sad. Thanks for letting us know, Buffy. I was just emailing with Shirley at Christmas time. We used to be in a wonderful critique group together. I'll be sure to let the other old members know.

I don't recall the first time I met Shirley, but I do recall something she said that always stayed with me.

At a writing workshop, Shirley spoke of where to begin your story. She said, "Picture a teacup sitting on the edge of a table. The moment that teacup teeters and falls. . .that is where your story begins." I will never forget that imagery and I still think of that wonderful advice and share it with others.

Rhonda Gowler Greene wrote:

Very sad to hear about Shirley. She was such a warm and genuine person. I thought a lot of her. Many years ago, before I was published, I was at an SCBWI event in Lansing. I was very new to children’s writing then. Shirley was there. I didn’t know her, but I knew her books. I had to get up my nerve to go talk to her, a published children’s author! But, wow, I was very glad I did. She was SO friendly and helpful, very willing to share her expertise. 

Shirley & husband at writing retreat

Through the years, I went to conferences with her and even roomed with her. I remember being at the Ohio State Children’s Literature Conference one year and standing in LONG lines with her in the ballroom where many well-known children’s authors were signing. Our arms were full of books we wanted signed. Such good memories. Yes, Shirley will be sorely missed by family and friends.

 Betty Raum wrote:

I spoke with Shirley a few days before her death, and she delighted in telling me the story of a test passage she wrote several years ago for Michigan Standardized Testing. Her granddaughter called  a few days after taking the test and told Shirley that one of the reading passages was so interesting that all the kids were discussing it. When the granddaughter described the passage, Shirley recognized it as one she had written!  It's certainly a rare thing when a test passage creates that much excitement. Shirley was thrilled, with good reason. She always put 100% into her writing, whether it was a picture book or a  story used in testing.  

Monica Harris wrote:

Thank you to Buffy for sharing this sad news.  Shirley was one of the very first people I met at an SCBWI day conference in Lansing. When it turned out that I forgot to order lunch, she and Colleen Stapley shared theirs with me so I wouldn't go hungry. Over the years, Shirley shared rooms with me at conferences and ALWAYS had this quiet, dry sense of humor which I adored.  She became an idol and then mentor to me. My children grew up on her books and now, I share them with my granddaughter. Shirley never asked for a pat on the back and she was always willing to go the extra mile for someone in need.  If you looked up the word GRACE, you'd see a picture of her. I will miss her terribly. 

Festival of Faith, Grand Rapids

I have so many memorable encounters with Shirley as not only was she a member of SCBWI with me but she was also part of my very first critique group. We called ourselves SWMCW - Southwest Michigan Children's Writers. We met once a month and offered insight on manuscripts, moral support for submissions. Over the years, we became dear friends and celebrated such events as adoption of children, milestone birthdays, marriages, and losses of loved ones. 

One of my most memorable experiences with Shirley was when our group put on a "Meet the Authors" event at the Kalamazoo Barnes & Nobles. Each of us had the opportunity to share sing-alongs, poems, and unpublished stories. Shirley, at the time, was the only published author in our group.  During her turn, she read The Jacket I Wear in the Snow. Her presentation included one lucky child who donned the various outdoor items that were pulled from Shirley's suitcase prop. The audience was mesmerized - not only the audience but us fellow writers!  Shirley was patient, calm, and jovial. It was a true lesson on how to interact with children/parents during a reading. 

 Joan Donaldson wrote:

I met Shirley at my first SCBWI conference in 1994 and remember her gracious and generous spirit. She blessed our group in many ways and will be missed. 

I met Shirley in 1994 at the Midwest SCBWI conference. We attended a workshop for published writers and afterwards, Shirley and I chatted about our works. She showed her book, The Jacket I Wear in the Snow and how Cricket had featured the story. I had not known that Cricket would sometimes purchase the one time publication rights. At some point, we served on the MI SCBWI board, but my term ended before Shirley became the RA.

Sometime in the late 1990s, we met up at MRA and I remember sitting on these high stools next to high tables where we were supposed to sign books. The pose was awkward and I think each of us only signed a couple of books that day. So, we spent the time talking shop and about SCBWI; another chance for me to absorb Shirley's wisdom.

Beth McBride wrote:

I never met Shirley personally. I was in awe of her experience and first heard people referring to her at a Michkids event many years ago. Folks were asking her questions and asking for confirmation of information they were presenting, and she was quietly and generously responding. I couldn't even say where we were, but I quickly picked up on the respect and appreciation attendees had for her. 

Lynne Perkins wrote:

I have never been someone who loves going to conferences. Not that I haven't had some great times, but it's not my natural milieu. My preferred group size is somewhere between 2 and 6. Walking into a conference, for me, is like being the new kid carrying my lunch tray into the cafeteria at a new school. Shirley was the kind person who says, "Here, come eat with us."

close-up of Shirley
self-portrait on a
Greenwillow towel

At a regional conference, at the MRA, and at a smaller group retreat, she always made me feel welcome and valued. She was one of the 7 people who came to my talk, and she sat beside me at the very quiet signing table, where together we watched the red velvet ropes being set up to guide the crowds looking for Jon Sziescka.

We shared a publisher, Greenwillow Books, so that was always a topic for us. They published her wonderful rebus books, but I think she was so happy to publish From the Land of the White Birch, and branch out (ha ha) a little. And it was fun to go see her do a storytime when she ventured up into our neck of the woods. I learned a lot from watching her.

Lynne Perkins
self-portrait

What a kind and lovely person. I imagine that everyone who met her was glad to know her, and felt the same steady warmth and humor that I did. 

Note: Lynne wrote: I may have an actual photo of Shirley somewhere in the slush pile of my photos. But more easily accessible is the dish towel that Greenwillow Books had made to celebrate their 21st anniversary in 1995. They asked all of their authors and artists to draw a little self-portrait (not me, I was too new.). Here’s a photo of the dish towel, which I keep in my studio bathroom, and a close-up or two of Shirley’s self portrait. 

The Greenwillow towel

Buffy Silverman wrote:

I met Shirley in 1996 at the first SCBWI-MI conference I attended, a couple of months after we had moved to Michigan. I didn't know anyone and was anxious about feeling like an outsider. Shirley, Monica Harris, and Colleen Stapley adopted me for the weekend--and we soon formed a critique group that continued for several years and gave me a writing home in Michigan. I remember being in awe of Shirley and her wonderful series from Greenwillow.

A few years later Lindy Rymill and Brenda Yee arm-twisted Shirley and I to take over as RA and assistant RA. I again felt anxious--who was I to lead this group? But Shirley was calm and competent, and that made me feel like I could do the job. We attended the Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing together (Jane Yolen! Ashley Bryan! Maya Angelou! And more!) and Shirley invited me to stay at her home--that was typical of Shirley. She didn't want me to have to drive each day. 

Shirley & laptop

Part of our mission was to snag Gary Schmidt as a speaker for the first conference we were putting together--a half day event. We'd already found a brand-new-rising-star picture book writer to speak (Lisa Wheeler!) and Shirley thought Gary (also a brand-new-rising star, but MG) might agree to our invitation. Did it help that Shirley had been Gary's kids' kindergarten teacher? Indeed it did! 

It was after dark by the time we finished speaking with Gary, and we attempted to wind our way through the Calvin campus to the parking lot. It soon became clear that neither of us had any idea where we were going. Eventually we retraced our steps, and Gary offered up his teen-age son to lead us to Shirley's car. There's nothing like getting lost together and having to rely on a teenager to cement a friendship. 

I linked each emailer's name to their website or contact info. These are, all of them, children's writers in the trenches when a writer still snail-mailed a physical manuscript to an agent or editor in New York. They are the reason there's an SCBWI-Michigan today.

They honor Shirley Neitzel, a person who told stories to children and helped others do the same.

I didn't know Shirley personally, though when Ruth would meet her, she'd hug her like a long-lost aunt and just gush about how great Shirley was, and Shirley would blush and demur. She was a quiet person, but she was never timid when it came to presenting to a roomful of kids.

* photos came from Shirley's author website

 

 

Charlie Barshaw writes and conducts interviews on The Mitten. He has his drawers full of unsubmitted novels, both MG and YA, and many that can't decide.