My first book, GONE FISHING A Novel In Verse, releases today, March 5, 2013. Woo Hoo! There, I said it! I wrote for many years hoping that some day children would enjoy my work, but not knowing if it would ever happen. It’s what writers do – we write on faith fueled by hope that our work will reach the hearts and minds of readers. And when I learned that Houghton Mifflin Books for Children would publish my first story, my hope grew to anticipation and this became a day that I looked forward to.
And it’s here.
I won’t lie, it’s a good feeling to have a book release into the world, but this success isn’t one that I can take full credit for. What I can take credit for is believing that it is possible for an ordinary kid from a tiny Iowa farm community to grow up and do something as bold as write a children’s book and maybe, just maybe, learn to do it well enough that it gets published. It reminds me of the song we used to sing in Sunday school: “This little light of mine, I’m gonna’ let it shine.” I guess I took those words to heart all those years ago and as I grow away from my own childhood each year, this song has become sort of a beacon that connects me back to those innocent days when it was easy to believe that just about anything was possible.
The rest of the credit belongs to a wide-flung network of people whose paths have happened to intersect with mine at just the right time and in just the right way. Some have come and gone, others have newly arrived, and others still have been steadfast for a very long time, a few have been with me since the very beginning. Each of these people and details standing alone are little lights on their own, but pulled together over my lifetime, they have fueled a generous and comforting bonfire of nurture, support, and love.
Here is my list of everyone whose lights helped illuminate the way for me to arrive at this day. I am humbled, and I am grateful.
First and foremost I thank God for answering my prayer for just one published book. It seems fitting, and I think it is no accident, that this prayer was answered in the form of a story about a dad who goes fishing with his children.
My parents, Clayton and Joanne Will. If you read the book you will see that it is dedicated to them. They took their family fishing, and they still do. Without those experiences I couldn’t have written this book. They were also the first to place books in my hands, take me to the library or bookmobile, and not complain if I brought a book (or two) on the boat.
My husband, Pete. He’s the one who helped knock down my earliest writing barriers, including those that were only in my mind. He’s the one who suggested that I consider writing for children and he’s the one who consistently creates a place and time for me to write. He’s also a willing and careful listener when I read my rough draft stories and poetry.
My sister, Teresa and my brother Christopher. It’s because of them that I know the joys and frustrations of being both an older and a younger sibling.
I confess that my parents, husband, and siblings are all more clever fishermen and fisherwomen than me. Fortunately, I have the gift of paying attention (despite my nose sometimes being in a book).
My full family of grandparents, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and inlaws. My grandparents gave some of my first books to me and those helped foster in me a love of rhyme, rhythm, and stories. They are no longer here; if they were, I think they’d be proud. My Uncle Stan, my dad’s older brother, is an book-lover and an enthusiastic fisherman; he recently pointed out that my family has been telling each other fish stories for years and he's one of the best. My Aunt Cindy, my mom’s younger sister, was the inspiration behind the opening to the poem I SEE SOMETHING. This grew from a cautionary tale my mom told when I was young, but in it I discovered a kindred little sister spirit! The Califorina Wissingers have always been eager to listen to and cheer for whatever story I was willing to read, and the youngest Cincinnati Wissinger family members are, as good fortune would have it, at the perfect reading ages for my book. In the last decade many in my family have listened to my writer's ambitions, encouraged me along the way, and have kept faith. Thank you all.
My friends. I think one of the marks of a good friend is taking another’s work and dreams seriously, no matter how far fetched they may seem. I’m fortunate to have friends from all stages in my life who have always taken my writing dreams seriously and have cheered for me at every stage.
My school teachers. From Sunday School teachers who taught goodness and faith, and elementary teachers (one of whom read from Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach every day after lunch, another whom assigned a poetry journal) to junior high and high school teachers who noticed and encouraged my writing skills, nurtured creative thinking, and placed good stories and poetry in my hands. And my undergrad professors, who tolerated my less-than-stellar focus, including one British Lit professor who worked diligently, with limited success, to tame my wild-minded notions about poetry written before the 1500s.
My poetry and children’s writing teachers. Each one skillfully and patiently added a layer to my education as a poet and/or a children’s writer: David Wolf, Carmela Martino, Michael Dennis Browne, Esther Hershenhorn, Jacqueline Briggs Martin, Karen Subach, Margaret Burke, Jill Esbaum, Laura Montenegro.
The faculty, staff, and my classmates at Hamline University’s Master of Fine Arts in writing for Children and Young Adults program. Each residency and semester helped me grow as an author, and taught me how to keep growing and learning. To my four fabulous faculty advisors: Liza Ketcham, Jane Resh Thomas, Marsha Chall, and Phyllis Root: I was lucky to have you, and I applied what you taught me about storytelling and the art and craft of writing to GONE FISHING. And Dean Mary Rockcastle: the day Nikki Grimes came to our residency in 2008 and lectured about stories in poetry was the day I truly understood how to successfully write one myself. Thanks for inviting her to speak. Thank you, Nikki, for coming to Saint Paul - your insights made all the difference! I’m so blessed to have an ever-growing network of like-minded writing colleagues that I appreciate so much.
Most of my early readers are also children’s writers and emerged, like me, from Hamline, including the Scribbling Pipers, the Wildberry Bunch, and the Summer 2010 Alumni Workshoppers and helped me advance my story. One long-ago critique group, Beyond WOW, read my earliest poems before there was ever a story, and they encouraged me to polish and keep going. It was Verlie Hutchens from that group who gently suggested if I really wanted to write poetry, that I might want to study it and understand what I was doing.
A special thanks to Jamie A. Swenson, my dear writing friend, Hamline MFAC Alum, children’s librarian, and rhyming picture book phenomenon (look for her BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! from FSG on May 28, 2013.) Jamie suggested that I consider labeling my poems with their proper poetic form and that’s how the idea for The Poet’s Tackle Box began.
Authors who help each other with the business side of writing: Years ago Heidi Bee Rohmer suggested that I try submitting my poetry to magazines; when I followed her advice, it landed me my first poetry sales. A couple years ago I was enrolled in two online marketing workshops offered by Laura Purdie Salas and Lisa Bullard that helped build my confidence in submitting my stories to editors. (Hamline faculty member Marsha Qualey recommended Laura and Lisa, connecting the dots for me.) I also thank my fellow debut authors from The Lucky 13s and The Class of 2k13. There was so much I didn’t understand about book marketing and promotion after a sale that they helped me learn, and I’m grateful. Plus, it’s so much more fun to debut with a group of like-minded friends!
I thank Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. Ann Rider is the editor who said yes to this project; she saw the potential in the story as well as the poetry, asked all the right questions, and made the best suggestions. Her team of professionals, from art direction, design, copy editing, to marketing and promotion, and more I am sure, have been extraordinary. It was such an honor to work with professionals who are so clearly dedicated to producing well-written and beautifully made books for children. I’d also like to include Matthew Cordell in this team; thank you for saying yes to this project and bringing Sam and Lucy so vividly and comically to life. Your work is delightful! GONE FISHING is a gorgeous book and I am grateful to you all, and proud and happy to have my name is on the cover.
And finally, I am grateful to you, treasured readers and book lovers of all ages; you make authors like me want to keep writing good stories!
Love and happy wishes,
Tamera
03.05.2013
Tamera WIll Wissinger
