Spotlight on Margarita Engle + DMC Challenge

MARGARITA ENGLE

Margarita Engle is the Cuban-American author of many young adult verse novels about the island, including THE SURRENDER TREE, which received the first Newbery Honor ever awarded to a Latino, and THE LIGHTNING DREAMER, recipient of the 2014 PEN USA Award.  Other honors include multiple Pura Belpré and Américas Awards, as well as Jane Addams, International Reading Association, Claudia Lewis, International Latino, and MANA Las Primeras Awards.

Margarita grew up in Los Angeles, but developed a deep attachment to her mother’s homeland during summers with her extended family in Cuba.  ENCHANTED AIR, Two Cultures, Two Wings (Atheneum, August, 2015) is a verse memoir about those Cold War era childhood visits.  Her time in Cuba also gave rise to a lifelong passion for tropical nature, and led to her study of botany and agronomy before becoming a full-time poet and novelist.   She now lives in central California, where she enjoys hiding in the wilderness to help train her husband’s search and rescue dogs.

While Margarita may be best known for her novels in verse, her delightful books for younger readers include MOUNTAIN DOG, SUMMER BIRDS, ORANGUTANKA, DRUM DREAM GIRL, and THE SKY PAINTER. Of these, the last three are forthcoming– all within the next few weeks!  It looks to be a banner year in MargaritaEngleland!

ORANGUTANKA: A Story in Poems
Henry Holt and Co. (March 24, 2015)
ISBN: 978-0805098396
Find at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble,
or via IndieBound.org

Today I'm honored to offer a preview of ORANGUTANKA: A Story In Poems – the first of Margarita's 2015 books, to be released later this month.

Written in a contemporary style of the Japanese tanka form, this simple yet satisfying story of an orangutan family comes alive with vivid language and playful illustrations by Renée Kurilla. Children will enjoy seeing how similar these lovable apes are to humans. Teachers and parents will appreciate the opportunity to introduce "Orangutan Facts" described at the back of the book, not the least of which is their critically endangered status.  The back matter also includes recommended resources to learn more about orangutans.

It seems that no matter what age group Margarita is writing for, there are common themes amongst her books:

1. A love of nature
2. Some aspect of freedom
3. Giving voice to the underrepresented – the "forgotten" ones whose stories need to be told. 

While ORANGUTANKA may not be based on a historical figure like many of her other books, Margarita is no less passionate about her topic or her cause. Besides her sensory-rich language (which I am prone to drool over), this is one of the things that I like best about her books: she is driven to shine a light on others – human or otherwise.

Now it's time for me to shine the spotlight on her.  We'll get started with some favorites:

Adventurous Margarita (age 8), on the outskirts of Havana.
(Can you tell she was a fan of the Black Stallion books?)

Favorite childhood memory:

All my favorite childhood memories are related to travel.  During summers in Cuba, I had the chance to be a completely different person than my school year self, because in Cuba I was on farms and in small towns, exploring tropical nature, while in Los Angeles I was on city streets, wishing for wilderness.

Favorite subject in school:

My favorite subject in school was English, but I didn’t care about grammar.  I only loved literature.  In high school, when we were given lists of books to choose from, I rejected the lists because they were limited to European and American books.  I asked for special permission to read novels from other parts of the world.  Today, this might open a discussion of the need for diverse books, but in the 1960s, it made teachers think of me as rebellious.

Favorite teacher:

My favorite teacher was Mrs. Sespe, who took our high school human physiology class to tide pools and let us collect sea shells.  I loved field trips and nature just as much as I loved books.  I feel grateful that as an adult, I’ve been able to combine biology, history, fiction, and poetry.  I think over-specialization is one of the downfalls of modern society.  That’s why I’m so excited to see the term STEM education transformed into STEAM education, with the arts included as a valid teaching component of science.

Favorite place for a vacation:

Costa Rica is my favorite place for a vacation, because there is so much protected rain forest that I’ve seen more wildlife there than anywhere else, including the Amazon.  However, visiting an orangutan refuge in Borneo was one of the most exciting adventures of all my travels!

Favorite country you like to visit:

With no roads leading to islands, I have to say that all flights---and all flights of the imagination---lead to Cuba.  Returning feels like a pilgrimage rather than an ordinary journey.  For 31 years, from 1960 to 1991, I was unable to visit the land of my mother’s birth.  Since the fall of the Soviet Union, I have been back many times.  It’s always extremely emotional.

"My mother's hometown, Trinidad (on the south-central coast of Cuba)."

What drives you to write for children and what do you enjoy most about being a children’s author?

I love writing for children and young adults because I feel free to explore.  Adult literature seems much more set in its ways.  Verse give me the freedom to seek the emotional center of a story.  Picture books allow me to plant the seed of a story, and then watch the illustrator turn those few words into a complete world.  It’s like watching a garden---or an orangutan forest---grow!  The suspense, while waiting to see what the illustrator will do, is thrilling in a strangely surrealistic, slow motion way that lasts at least two years.  Renée Kurilla’s art for ORANGUTANKA is magnificent!  It was definitely worth the wait.


Can you tell us a little about your writing routine? 

I’m a morning person.  I love to write as early as possible, while I still feel close to the world of dreams.  I write first drafts with a pen and paper, often outdoors, or soon after going for a walk.  Sometimes I write in the Sierra Nevada forest, while hiding behind a boulder or under a tree, so that my husband’s wilderness search and rescue dogs can practice finding a lost person. Later drafts require a computer.  That’s when the pleasure of daydreaming suddenly turns into real work.


What inspired you to write ORANGUTANKA?

The grandma and granddaughter orangutans that inspired ORANGUTANKA.
They came down to the ground to people-watch.

When I spoke at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content in Singapore, my husband and I took a side trip to Borneo.  We visited a reserve where orangutans were returned to the wild.  Some had been caged as pets, but most were rescued from rain forests that had been clear cut and burned to plant oil palms.  The intelligence of orangutans inspired me, and so did their movements, which were like a dance in the treetops.  When a young one and her grandma climbed down to the forest floor, the juvenile was in constant motion, performing acrobatics, but never letting go of her grandma.  She always kept one of hands or feet on grandma’s shoulder.  The effect was a beautiful combination of courage and love, similar to the process of adventurous exploration we see in young children, who want to learn about the world, and at the same time, need to be protected.


What was the experience like writing your story as a series of connected tanka? Did you ever feel constrained by the form?

I have always loved haiku, but in recent years I’ve turned more often to tanka, because it is such a flexible form.  Similes and metaphors are allowed, and the two extra lines give room for more storytelling.  The linked tanka for ORANGUTANKA started to enter my mind even before we had left the wildlife reserve in Borneo.  They danced right into my imagination, flowing freely.  It was a natural process, not limiting at all.


Would you share a favorite spread from ORANGUTANKA?

I absolutely adore all the illustrations, but I am especially fond of the spread that shows orangutans climbing down toward feeding platforms.  During my visit to the wildlife refuge, I loved seeing the excitement, and the dance-like movement of trees as they swayed beneath the weight of amazingly acrobatic orangutans!

ORANGUTANKA: A STORY IN POEMS, text © Margarita Engle, illustration © Renée Kurilla  (click to enlarge)

In the “Orangutan Facts” section at the back of your book, you tell us how intelligent orangutans are and that they share at least 97 percent of our human DNA. What do you admire most about orangutan behavior?

There are so many things to admire about orangutans:  intelligence, gentleness, curiosity!  For me, the most striking aspect of their personalities was their ability to love.  The affection between grandma and granddaughter was so clearly visible.  It was not in any way inferior to the love between a human grandparent and grandchild.

ORANGUTANKA: A STORY IN POEMS, text © Margarita Engle, illustration © Renée Kurilla  (click to enlarge)

Can you give us a hint about what’s coming up next for you? 

What’s next for me is variety!  I have two biographical picture books coming out this spring, both written in free verse:  DRUM DREAM GIRL, How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music (Harcourt), and THE SKY PAINTER, Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist (Two Lions).  In August, my childhood memoir will be published by Atheneum: ENCHANTED AIR, Two Cultures, Two Wings.  As far as writing projects, I’m working on historical verse novels, and more biographical picture books about great Latino naturalists.

If you had all the world’s children in one room, what would you tell them?

Love nature.  Turn off your gadgets and go for a walk.  Look at birds and bugs.  Listen to the wind and water.  Take care of the wilderness.  Once it’s gone, there’s no way to get it back.


Finally, please tell us what you have chosen as this month’s ditty challenge.

My ditty challenge is:  Write a tanka poem.  Think of it as a travel diary, even if you are only moving around in your own garden.  You are free to choose any subject.  Your poem is only five lines.  The traditional tanka syllable count is 5-7-5-7-7, but since Japanese syllables are shorter, in English the poem could be awkwardly long. You don’t have to count syllables, but stick to the basic line pattern of short, long, short, long, long.  Keep the total number of syllables for each poem under 30, or even better, keep it under 26.  Less is more.  Shorter is more powerful.  Don’t try to be detailed.  Seek the resonance that enters a poem only when it is touched by the stillness of nature.

Wow.  Let me read that last sentence again...

"Seek the resonance that enters a poem 
only when it is touched by the stillness of nature."

Definitely one to remember.

It's been such a pleasure to interview you, Margarita! 

You're an inspiration to so many – thank you for shining your light at Today's Little Ditty.

So tanka it is, folks.  With the freedom to choose any subject, I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Throughout the month, send your poems to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. For children under 13 who would like to participate, please read my COPPA compliance statement located below the contact form.

BLOGGER FRIENDS:  Thank you for publishing your poems on your own blogs– I love that!  Please also remember to send me a copy of your poem or a direct link to your post. That way I know I have your permission to post your poem on Today's Little Ditty.

Some poems may be published on the blog as daily ditties, but all of them will appear in a wrap-up post on March 27th, 2015.

Looking for a little something extra to get those creative juices flowing?  It's your lucky day! Margarita has provided me with an autographed copy of ORANGUTANKA: A Story in Poems, which I will send to one lucky participant, selected randomly, at the end of the month.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Many thanks to those of you who participated in last month's letter poem challenge, brought to us by David Elliott.  You're a talented bunch, that's for sure!

Random.org has determined that the winner of ON THE WING by David Elliott, with illustrations by Becca Stadtlander is:

KERI COLLINS LEWIS – Congratulations, Keri!

Let's give a warm welcome to first-time Poetry Friday roundup host, Robyn Campbell.