An Inside Look with M. Evan Wolkenstein
(Author of Turtle Boy)
*Welcome to my favorite feature of my blog.
*Season #ONE (June of 2016 to March of 2017)
*Season #TWO (Summer of 2017)
*Season #THREE (School Year 2017/2018)
*Season #FIVE (School Year 2018/2019)
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
*Season #SEVEN (Fall 2019)
*Season #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)
*Season #NINE (Fall 2020)
*I'm excited to be back for season #TEN with brand new interviews/authors.
*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.
*This is the FOURTEENTH interview in which I'm calling Season #TEN.
*Thank you to M. Evan Wolkenstein for being the One-Hundred Seventy-First author I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.
Turtle Boy
by M. Evan Wolkenstein
(May 5, 2020)
How did you come to know Will?
Will is actually me! My first name is Matt -- flip some of the letters upside down and you can see it! I had the same facial condition as Will as an adolescent and was an introvert, like him. The rest of the story is culled from bits and pieces of my life, reassembled in new formats.
What do you think is his most admirable quality?
Will is like a turtle. Slow and steady. He takes a long while to get where he's going, but he's open to progress, and this allows great transformation. I imagine future Will being bolder, more creative, more life-focused than his peers who might peak too early.
Is there anything you wish he would have changed or done differently in his story?
Like many stories, a lot of tension and narrative requires inner secrets -- characters not opening up and speaking to each other honestly about their feelings. Imagine how Romeo and Juliet would be different if there were no secrets. Likewise, if Will had the words to demand the truth about his father from page 1, and to ask the adults in his life for the help he needed, there would be no story. But likewise, he could have saved himself a lot of grief. That said, we all take the steps we're ready on the day we're ready -- no sooner.
What do you think Will can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through? Will shows what it looks like to believe, to have hope, even when you think you don't -- and to nurture quiet trust in yourself and the people around you, even when it seems like there is no hope. Many people think they "can't do it" -- but some tiny flame inside burns...and Will shows what that looks like.
How did you research Will and the circumstances he found himself in?
Will's condition came from my life, as did the Back 40, which is the nature preserve behind Lake Shore Middle School in Mequon, Wisconsin. I actually contacted Mr. Kupcho, my 6th grade science teacher, to fill in gaps in my understanding of turtles!
Do you and Will share any similarities?
I am also a stubborn introvert - but the flip side of this is I push through obstacles and reflect on my growth, as Will does. I do play drums, and learned on a pots-and-pans set, just like Will!
What was the hardest scene to write about him?
I resisted writing the Bar Mitzvah scene for a long time. It's a tall order to write a speech for a book -- and I needed for Will to go on his full journey before the speech sounded real, natural, and powerful.
Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
Will's Mom is the secret hero of the book. She has her own struggles and her own sadness, and she doesn't know how to support him at first, but her ability to step up -- to be there with him when the chips are down, I really admire her.
Why do you think some young people can’t see beyond the physical appearance of their peers, while other children don’t stop at the “outside” and get to know the person on a more personal and “internal” level?
Truthfully, I don't think it's two types of kids - or people. You'd think that I would have been sensitive to this, having grown up being called Turtle Boy, but no -- there were kids who had physical differences that I found unsettling, maybe I even made fun of them as a child. It's a rare kid who truly sees their peers' hearts - most kids are concerned about the pecking order and not being on the bottom. Given the chance, many will say or do "less than ideal" things to protect their status. BUT those same kids can also learn to make better choices. Organizations like BEYOND DIFFERENCES, for example, TEACHES KIDS not just why, but also HOW to bridge these gaps. Learning to see others for who they are is a life long skill for the vast majority of us. It takes practice, and still we fail. We just commit to getting better. It comes down to who wants to grow? Who is willing to do the work.
What do you think he is doing as the present time?
Currently, Will has take over for Herb Tsab as the proprietor of Herb's Herps and leads workshops on herpetology, wildlife conservation, and drumming!
*Here are links to the One Hundred Seventy interviews...
SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)
SEASON #TWO (Summer 2017)
SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)
SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
SEASON #SEVEN (Fall 2019)
SEASON #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)
Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)
Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)
Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)
Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)
Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)
Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)
Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)
Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)
Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)
Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)
Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)
Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)
Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)
Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)
Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)
Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)
Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)
Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)
Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)
Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)
SEASON #NINE (Fall 2020)
SEASON #TEN (Winter/Spring 2021)
Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)
Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot)
Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods)
Interview #161 with James Bird (Author of The Brave)
Interview #162 with Marcella Pixley (Author of Trowbridge Road)
Interview #163 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Halfway to Harmony)
Interview #164 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ground Zero)
Interview #165 with Lisa Fipps (Author of Starfish)
Interview #166 with Ann Braden (Author of Flight of the Puffin)
Interview #167 with Kimberly Willis Holt (Author of The Ambassador of NoWhere Texas)
Interview #168 with Elana K. Arnold (Author of The House That Wasn't There)
Interview #169 with Erin Soderberg (Author of The Great Peach Experiment)
Interview #170 with Donna Gephart (Author of Abby, Tried, and True)
No comments:
Post a Comment