WOW! When author Katie Williams told me about her upcoming book, I was thrilled! What a perfect book for Women’s History Month – a story about America’s first published poet…who was a WOMAN!!! It’s an honor to reveal the cover of POET, PILGRIM, REBEL
TA-DA!!!!!
I was lucky enough to get to chat with author Katie and she shared a bit of the story behind the story (which I always LOVE to hear) and why she was drawn to write about Anne Bradstreet.
KATIE: I was drawn to Anne’s journey as a writer for several reasons. My mother informed us a few years back that we were directly descended from her, so I took a special interest in her beautiful poetry. As I read more and more non-fiction picture book biographies, the story of her life started to form in my head–the trouble was, how to capture the heroic journey of a woman who lived over 400 years ago! The book started out quite long, well over 1000 words. I crafted draft after draft, each time attempting to hone in on the early experiences that had shaped Anne’s desire to write and her success in doing so. I played with titles, changed tenses, and fiddled with scenarios and I relied heavily on mentor texts such as Jen Bryant’s Louis Braille biography, Six Dots. Once I felt that I had it as polished as I could get it, I hired the wonderful Susan Kralovansky from Yellow Bird Editors. With her insight I felt that the manuscript was truly ready to query. I decided to participate in #pbpitch on Twitter and was thrilled when two different publishers ‘liked’ it.While one passed, Beaming Books loved it and decided to publish it. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the final product and I can’t wait for readers to learn more about this amazing pioneer.
Dear friends, this is a book you will all want to read and to share with your children. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the ARC (advance reader copy) and it’s EXACTLY the kind of book I would have loved as a kid…and love reading now! I hope you will hop over to the Goodreads page and put it on your WANT-TO-READ shelf. It also helps authors if you ask your local library to purchase copies of your favorite books and tell friends about them. And if you want a copy for yourself, it’s available for pre-order and will be launching August 3, 2021. And…ONE LUCKY PERSON is going to win a picture book critique with the author. YES! Katie is donating a critique as a giveaway. Please make sure you leave a comment below (maybe you can tell us who your favorite poet is) and also please share the post on social media…that definitely helps spread the word about upcoming books so that people can pre-order.
To connect with Katie and find out more about her:
Twitter: @KatieWills79
Debut group website: https://www.newbooksforkids.com/
It’s the start of a new week…and a busy week here on Picture Books Help Kids Soar. Tomorrow we have a special unbook birthday post for the wonderful writer’s planner that Judy Cooper and Dea Lenihan created. At the end of the week, please be here for Perfect Picture Book Friday when COW SAYS MEOW by Kirsti Call is in the spotlight. And on Saturday, I’ll be welcoming a dear old friend, Julie Rowen-Zoch for Will Write and Illustrate for Cookies. It will also be a busy week since I’m still reading #50PreciousWords stories AND I have two virtual school visits.
Please stay safe and well!
I know next to nothing about Anne Bradstreet, but just reading this spread has me intrigued! And with all the work you’ve put into it, I bet it’s going to be a fantastic read! Congrats on your upcoming launch!
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Oh my goodness, this is such an interesting read. I didn’t know anything about Anne Bradstreet but want to know more! Congratulations on this wonderful book.
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I love reading about poets, and this looks like a great book! I just put it on my Goodreads Want to Read list. Thank you both!
BTW, one of my favorite poets is Mary Oliver.
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This looks like a wonderful book!
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Wow! That’s great news. And the first published poet was a woman! Great cover. Congratulations, Katie. I like reading Emily Dickinson.
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This looks wonderful and I can’t wait to read it! Congratulations!
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Wonderful and how special to write about someone you’re related to. I’m a huge fan of reading and teaching poetry. Thanks for sharing this wonderful book, Vivian.
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How wonderful to write about one of your ancestors. This book looks amazing. Congrats Katie. Walt Whitman has always been a favorite of mine.
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This has so many great hooks! I hope it finds its way into lots of classrooms!
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I added this book to my Goodreads (thank you for the direct link) and shared on tumblr. I am excited to read this and would value a critique of my manuscript. My favorite poet now is Elizabeth Acevedo. https://yesreaderwriterpoetmusician.tumblr.com/post/646381065757458433/via-cover-reveal-poet-pilgrim-rebel-the-story
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So interesting! It’s on my list!
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How exciting! What a wonderful way to pay tribute to an ancestor!
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I’m not familiar with Anne Bradstreet’s work. It sounds like I should be! (My favorite book of poetry is Picture Bride by Cathy Song.)
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I was not familiar with Anne Bradstreet’s work. I will have to add this book to my collection!
Plus, Katie being a relative of the MC make this even more special! Thanks so much for sharing this Vivian! 🙂
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My mother loved Anne Bradstreet and her poetry. In fact, she wrote a sonnet once inspired by an event in Bradstreet’s life. She indeed was a remarkable woman and I so wish I could share this book with my mother who sadly passed at age 92 in 2019. However, she passed along her love of literature and poetry to me, so in some way I feel like a poetry-lover descendent of AB via my mother.
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Looking forward to reading this. Congratulations, Katie!
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Congratulations! Can’t wait to read it and learn about Anne Bradstreet. Sounds like an incredible poet.
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Would love a critique. Thanks
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It is so fun to find a connection in one’s family. I’m beginning to enjoy poetry more and more. Georgia Heard’s FALLING DOWN THE PAGE: A BOOK OF LIST POEMS is one of my favorites.
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Oh, this sounds so good! Too many favorite poets, but probably my favorite that’s closest to being a contemporary of Anne Bradstreet is Emily Dickinson!
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Yay! I’ve been lucky enough to read this book and it’s great. Thank you, Katie, for recognizing the need for a PB about Anne Bradstreet. Can’t wait to read this to my daughters. I can’t name a favorite poet. I would try to whittle it to 5 or 10 favorites and then spend all day thinking about who else I should have said. Ha! So I’ll name my most recent favorite poet discovery: Denusha Lameris. Her new book, Bonfire Opera, is powerful, beautiful, a wondrous thing.
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Oh, wow! This looks fantastic! i cannot wait to read it.
It’s Mary Oliver for me. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do/ with your one wild and precious life?” from The Summer Day. Why, thank you for asking, Mary. I plan to write.
Thank you for sharing this, Vivian! And congratulations, Katie! Looking forward to supporting your excellent work.
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What a wonderful story!! Congrats, Katie!!
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Congratulations on this wonderful book!
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