Writer Spotlight: Elizabeth McBride

Middle child, Jack Ridl, read-alouds, AWA, NWP, Glen Arbor, and great views: Poet and long-time SCBWI member Elizabeth McBride

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet poet  Elizabeth McBride.

Beth says: This is a portrait Mom painted of me at about six years old. My mother was an artist, who taught painting and drawing and did portraiture and landscape painting, pen and ink, pastels, oil painting, and watercolor painting. My father was a veterinary pathologist who did research for Upjohn and Pfizer specializing in immunology and toxicology. So we grew up in a wonderful mix of art and the sciences.

Young Elizabeth, what books did you like? Who was your favorite teacher? What event led you to become the writer and poet you are today?

As a young child, I loved being outside, wandering, exploring, digging in the dirt, playing in the woods. My early years were in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Then my father took a research position at the Upjohn Company in Kalamazoo, and our family moved to Michigan when I was going into second grade. 

Young Elizabeth (right)

I have two wonderful sisters, and I'm the dreaded "middle child" - (my sisters have done well despite their exposure to me).  We lived in a small neighborhood at the edge of a cherry and apple orchard across from a cornfield, with a small woods nearby. It was the perfect place for kids with a love of the outdoors! Drawing and making things, making up games, playing in the woods and building forts were our pastimes. I still find walking in the woods to be peacefully refreshing.

My earliest memories of reading involve a set of Childcraft books that Mom (a former pre-school teacher) read to us, making everything we heard come alive! I especially enjoyed the rhyming poetry. She also read Raggedy Ann and Andy stories and made a life-sized doll for us to play with. 

Another favorite book (she read to us) was "If Jesus Came to My House" by Joan Gale Thomas, which depicts a child imagining how he might share a day with his friend, Jesus, (also a child) if he had the opportunity. 

Imagine my joy many years later, when I happened upon our own Lori Eslick's re-illustration of that same book, with her loved ones included in the illustrations! She brought back such wonderful memories for me! When looking through photos, I even found the card (shown) I had saved from her display table at the SCBWI event!

This is the card

My favorite teacher, by far, has been Jack Ridl, who was my professor at Hope College for "Practical Criticism." Not being particularly fond of "rules" as a child, I had disliked "English" as I had come to know that subject in school. 

Since Hope required an English class as a part of its Liberal Arts degree, I chose the one I knew NOTHING about, just hoping for a surprise! And did I ever get surprised! It was a continuous jaw-dropping discovery of how much could be said or intimated within a poem, and how the techniques and tools of the poet can offer a writer's ideas and feelings while allowing a reader their own interpretation. 

I had been writing poems for years in a little notebook, and sharing them with my grandmother, who had an apartment in our house. We had a practice of secretly delivering our writing to each other's rooms during the day, then meeting in the evening to share our thoughts. She was a wonderful thinker and writer, and she was so encouraging to me. 

In Professor Ridl's class my eyes were opened to the specific gifts of: sound, space, line breaks, juxtapositions, multiple meanings, rhythm, sequencing, metaphor, simile, repetition, accumulation, pacing, form, and style; and what they can contribute to the delivery and effect of a poem. 

Many years later I discovered that he was offering a workshop in the Holland area, and I attended. I became a "student" of his again (one of many!) and have now been a part of his writing workshop, called "Landscapes of Poetry" for about fifteen years.

Elizabeth McBride

You are one of the first people I met when the Mid-Michigan Meet Up (now known as the Shop Talk) met up at the Michigan Historical Museum (now known as The Michigan History Center). As I recall, you and Ruth shared top-billing, and you so over-prepared on the subject of mentor texts that you had to finish up the next month. You had dozens of picture books in milk crates.

I bring this up not to embarrass you (the audience loved your book recommendations) but to show, way back in 2009, that you were already serious about kid’s books. How have you managed to keep your enthusiasm with SCBWI over the years?

You have such a good memory, Charlie! The over-preparing is a way of life for me, I believe! My enthusiasm for children's literature comes from three sources: being read to by our mother, sharing read-aloud times with our own children; and later, my experience running the library at their elementary school.

I absolutely believe that we grow up thinking in stories; assembling ideas, sequences, and impressions into what gradually becomes our form of early logic. Sharing stories (through speaking or reading) helps us discover perspectives and ideas and interpretations beyond our own. Stories teach reasoning, logic, compassion, ordering, comparison, social interaction, and complex thinking. 

They expand vocabulary, which helps us distinguish between and among things, enlarge our experience of the world and our ability to comprehend (and appreciate) those marvelous distinctions, which is highly related to different aspects of our development and maturation. 

Through my training at Hope, I was motivated to match my selections of weekly read-alouds for each grade level to their curriculum, their intellectual, social, and emotional development levels, and their burgeoning individual interests. 

Our read-aloud times were one of my favorite parts of my job; a sacred opportunity to touch the minds, hearts, and intellects of very precious people; to encourage their curiosity and increase their ownership of their own learning. 

We could also use the chosen texts to observe the ways in which the authors had made them so interesting, entertaining, and meaningful - thus empowering the students to strengthen their own writing. 

My enthusiasm exists because of the benefits to the receivers of children's literature: it adds meaning, affirmation, information, and inspiration to their lives. Why else are we here together, if not to contribute to the lives of others?

You worked for years in a school library in Grand Ledge, but were always quick to point out that you were not a “librarian.” Ultimately, what was the difference in the job you performed versus a certified library specialist (librarian)?

I ran the elementary library for 520 - 640 students plus staff, for 22 years. I am not sure how a fully degreed librarian might have done that differently, but I do know that someone with a degree in the library sciences has an incredible knowledge of all the fields of study, not to mention their understanding of the classification systems pursuant to each subject area, search mechanisms and technology beyond what might be contracted by one's own district, and a solid knowledge of research standards and practices. 

Some of those things I did not (do not) have, but I did enjoy the ongoing process of discovery that was a part of each of those years! My hat is off to anyone with a library science degree!

We did a school visit at your school. It was so many years ago I remember nothing about it. Except that you were gracious and helpful. Did you handle many author visits? What does it take for a full-time teacher to do all the unsung work to bring a children’s book creator in for a school day of presentations?

School visits! What highlights these were for our students and staff! I cannot tell you how many I did, but being in SCBWI really opened that up for our school! 

Most of the work is done well ahead of the visit: raising funds for the visit, planning/negotiating the date around other school functions/breaks/holidays, reserving space for groups, re-scheduling classes,  creating familiarity with, and enthusiasm for an author and/or illustrator's work ahead of the visit, contributing articles to the school newsletter in advance, creating order forms for books to be purchased and sending those forms out ahead, getting orders in and working out book signing with the author or illustrator, organizing the signed books by classroom for rapid delivery to the rooms following the presentation, orchestrating introductions and equipment needs for the presentation, then distributing payment to the presenters at the conclusion of their visit. 

Most of that, of course, takes place after school hours, but it was always well worth it! I loved those experiences and the delight on the kids' faces as they listened and watched and interacted.

You got a degree in Psychology from Hope College, and a Master’s in Family Studies, with an emphasis upon Marriage and Family Therapy from MSU. What was your early career goal?

Early on in my studies in Psychology, I realized that we cannot view the person completely apart from the influences of their family experiences as they grow up. I did an urban semester in Philadelphia that furthered that thinking for me, then some independent studies at Hope, then went to MSU for a master's degree in Family Studies, with an emphasis upon Marriage and Family Therapy. 

My goal had always been to become a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, but by the time I finished the degree while working three-quarter time (as a Teaching Assistant, then a Research Assistant) and taking courses half-time, I was pretty worn out! 

My husband and I had gotten married and moved to Delta Township outside of Lansing, where I took a position in the Personnel Department at Farm Bureau Services, and later became the Employee Relations Manager for the Farm Bureau Insurance Group as they took on the HR services that had previously been provided by Farm Bureau Services for the Michigan Farm Bureau companies. 

Eventually, we were blessed with two wonderful children, and although I had wanted to become a counselor/therapist, we did not want to give up time with our children, and I began volunteering at their preschools, the elementary school, and then, seeing needs in the classroom, I established a Family Resource Center (library) at the school. 

Eventually that led to applying for the position in the school library, which would still allow me to maintain the same schedule as our children and be an active part of the educational process at our school. Because we (later) had a great deal of hockey involvement as the kids got older, it was certainly a fortuitous choice!

 

You are a certified Level One Clinician in Trauma and Loss in Children through the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children. What does that certification allow you to do?

The studies I have done to earn the Trauma and Loss Clinical designation and now, the Certified Trauma and Resilience Specialist (new) designation allow me to offer materials and teaching out of that authority. If I were a licensed counselor, I could utilize that training for specialization in client services. 

Over my years in the library however, I found few books or stories that I felt truly addressed our students' needs when they experienced traumas and/or losses. It has been a goal of mine to contribute to filling that need someday, with stories that can be used in professional service work as well as stories that can be helpful within the trade markets, thus I have continued with this training and certification.

Tell us about the Amherst Writers and Artists. You’re an AWA Trained Writing Consultant. What does that position require?

As an Affiliate of the Amherst Writers and Artists organization, one has received training to lead and conduct writing groups and workshops in a way that distinguishes and distances the writer from the writing they produce, such that they can maintain privacy and feel free to adopt differing identities and points of view, tell their own stories or tell a fictitious story without the supposition that they are speaking for themselves. 

This is particularly helpful and freeing for persons wanting to write about (or through) difficult life experiences, as it allows them to express themselves while it protects and maintains their privacy in the group setting. 

It also encourages experimentation with writing because it is not about critique unless requested, and even then, such ideas are carefully expressed. The AWA method can be very effectively utilized in group settings because it so explicitly avoids attribution of the writer's identity to the speaker in the writing.

You are a Fellow of the National Writing Project. What is a Fellow? What does Fellow McBride do?

While I was working in the public schools I heard about the National Writing Project, a professional development network which holds the belief that to best teach writing, a teacher must also be/become a writer.  I found that there was a NWP site at MSU offering spots for their Summer Institute (a 6-week training program for teacher/leaders to develop and share their writing and their writing instruction techniques). 

I loved the workshop methodology being used in our District's curriculum at that time (Lucy Calkins' Units of Study) and wanted to find out how I could better support it and become a better writer myself. 

I was accepted into their 2006 Summer Institute and had an absolutely incredible time writing, participating in response sessions, experimenting with approaches, genres, techniques, and prompts, and learning about ways to approach the development of writing skills. A Fellow of the National Writing Project is someone who has completed such training.

I followed up by doing a research project for graduate credits on the use of writing instruction and experience to aid in the development of empathy among students. It was a powerfully effective experience for students and very encouraging for me. 

The NWP offers continuing education opportunities for Fellows in different locations throughout the country. When I found out that one of my friends I'd met at the Summer Institute at MSU was going to attend the conference in New Orleans and author and poet, Kim Stafford(!) would be there speaking, teaching, and attending with us, I jumped at the opportunity! 

The NWP is a fantastic program and gave me the encouragement and the confidence to begin submitting my writing for publication. It really helped all of us attendees mesh our writing experiences into our daily living, identify ourselves as writers (whether or not we were published), and become better teachers and students of writing.

How did your book of poetry, Most Beautiful come about? The contributing painter was also an artist-in-residence? Was that the plan all along, to use the writing and art generated and turn it into a book? Or was that something unique to Most Beautiful? How was your book launch affected by the pandemic?

When I applied for the Glen Arbor Arts Center Artist Residency, I had two goals in mind. I was working on an evolving group of poems I wanted to assess as a possible collection, and I wanted to study poetry of place. 

The poems I wrote during my residency at the Arts Center while exploring Glen Arbor, the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore (voted a "Most Beautiful Place in America" in 2011), and the surrounding areas became a poetic guide for those discovering the area as well as a memento or keepsake for those remembering their own prior visits. Each piece noted the location which inspired the poem, so one could take the book to go exploring, or recall the place from reading the poem.

Connie Cronenwett is the marvelous illustrator, and she and I did not actually meet until after the book was accepted for publication! We had both been artists-in-residence during the same summer (I had the opening residency and she had the last one for that summer) and had (unknowingly) used our art forms to capture many of the same places and experiences. 

It worked out perfectly and she was a real joy to work with! It was published by The Poetry Box in the late Fall of 2019 - just when the pandemic really took hold. 

After my initial event in which our local Barnes and Noble allowed me to do a reading and signing there (and we sold out of all their copies, my copies, and did a re-order immediately!), things quieted down as Covid developed. 

Schuler Books in Okemos and Grand Rapids, also carried it in-store, and after we moved to Petoskey in 2019, McLean and Aiken Bookstore in Petoskey, Round Lake Bookstore in Charlevoix, Horizon Books in Traverse City, and Between the Covers in Harbor Springs also carried it. Of course it was/is also available on-line, however we tried to support local independent bookstores with our placement.

You lived in the Lansing area for years, but you’ve since relocated north. What do you love about your new home?

Oh my... we do love the views of Little Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan from so many places throughout the area! We also love the Petoskey community, nature trails, park; support for, and enjoyment of the arts, being close to my husband's brother and his wife, and living in the community we visited for so many years when our children were young and their Grandmother (my husband's mother) lived here. We have met many wonderful people in Petoskey and the surrounding communities! It is truly a beautiful place to live.

The photos are ones we have taken as we walk some of our favorite paths and routes. Petoskey and Harbor Springs and the Petoskey State Park all look out over Little Traverse Bay, so it is always amazing to see the views around us! 

 

We have taken up photographing scenes and identifying birds around here. There is a lot of migratory bird activity in the areas up here, so we have enjoyed learning about that, and have attended Raptor watch/counts and owl banding sites (as observers), checked the marinas for migrating waterfowl, and gone north to Rudyard (Snowy Owl Capital of Michigan) to see the Snowy Owls. The blue ice was last year’s view. This year was less noticeable from that viewpoint.

Photos by Elizabeth McBride

What’s next for Elizabeth?

I have a narrative non-fiction picture book on submission and a poetry collection, along with several individual poems on submission. I'm always reading to learn more about writing, continuing my participation with Landscapes of Poetry, and I'm working on refining several more picture book manuscripts and two children's poetry collections for submission.

Thank you so much for your great interview, Charlie! I am honored to be a part of your interview series.

Please share any social media:

My email is: writerem.mcbride@gmail.com,

and my website is http://elizabethmcbridewriter.com