BARRY WITTENSTEIN: Will Write for Cookies Plus Giveaway

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WILL WRITE AND ILLUSTRATE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

FOR WRITERS, ILLUSTRATORS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS,
AND BOOK LOVERS EVERYWHERE

TODAY’S GUEST

BARRY WITTENSTEIN

It’s always a pleasure to welcome back a creator whose books have already been featured on Picture Books Help Kids Soar. Back in 2019, we celebrated A PLACE TO LAND with a Perfect Picture Book Friday post and Barry Wittenstein was also guest on Will Write for Cookies. Then in 2020, OSCAR’S AMERICAN DREAM was in the spotlight as a Perfect Picture Book Friday. Barry is such a prolific author…we could probably host him here every year!

Barry’s bio could take up a whole page – he’s an amazing writer – and negotiator…he has an agent now, but he didn’t for any of his current books. You’ll find out a lot about Barry in this Q&A…and if you are still curious – which I’m sure you will be – you can check out his website:
http://www.onedogwoof.com

Meanwhile, it’s time to welcome this talented writer!
ME: Hurray! I’m so glad to see you, Barry! Thank you for stopping by to chat. And thank you for offering a giveaway of a copy of your newest book, THE DAY THE RIVER CAUGHT FIRE. I’ll get right to the questions because I know everyone wants to learn more about you.
Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?

BARRY: As a child? Nobody. Reading really didn’t interest me, except for sports articles in newspapers and magazines. There weren’t picture books. Unless you consider Dr. Seuss or Fun with Dick and Jane.

And, come to think of it, I really enjoyed the great sports illustrators in the NY Daily News and the work of Willard Mullin on the cover of baseball yearbooks.  

ME: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?

BARRY: Everything! In college, I wrote poetry, then pop songs after college, then some sports articles years later, and took classes in screenwriting and memoir, but it never crossed my mind to write picture books.

About ten years ago, I had gotten fired from the internet division of MLB, so I needed a job. I decided that I’d get my master’s in childhood education at Hunter College in NY. Why not? I like kids. I took a class in picture books. The only books I knew were The Little Prince and Where the Wild Things Are. The class was a great intro to kid lit. I began to substitute teach while I worked toward my master’s. The sub-teaching taught me a few important things. One is that kids didn’t know a lot of interesting nonfiction stories that I learned about and heard during my life. And two, not to finish my master’s or become a teacher! I tip my cap to those who take on the challenge.  It’s the most important job in the world.

Earth Day 2021: Reading River

It was around this time that I threw myself into picture book writing. But I knew nothing about the biz!

ME: Where do you like to write – inside, outside, special room, laptop, pen and paper?

BARRY: I use a Mac laptop. Sometimes on an iPhone. Never on paper. Never with a pen. No special location. In bed, on the couch, at a café, in the park. I don’t have a special desk or anything like that. I can focus pretty well wherever and whenever.

ME: When do you write – early morning, late in the day, middle of the night, on schedule, as the muse strikes?

BARRY: All of the above. Though, I suppose I like getting up early, pouring a cup of coffee, and diving right in. When the muse visits, I’m happy to let the spirit take control. When the muse doesn’t visit, I summon her.

ME: Why do you write for children?

BARRY: The question for me is, Why do I write narrative nonfiction for children? And the answer is pretty much the standard answer any other narrative nonfiction children’s writer would give. There are amazing stories that need to find their way into the consciousness of the young. I would say a limitless supply of biographies and historical events that kids need to know about. I actually worry that if certain stories don’t see the light of day, they will be lost. Maybe for a long time. Maybe forever.

Something I learned about myself since I’ve been writing—I love history. And doing research. And finding a way to distill complicated history into a form that elementary school kids can love, too.

ME:  Also, if you have any thoughts or advice for aspiring writers, please share.

BARRY: I don’t have any original, groundbreaking advice for aspiring writers. Obviously, you have to be more than a little obsessed in whatever field if you want to be successful in.

But here it goes: take classes and study many genres. From online at great institutions like UCLA Extension, to local SCBWI meetups. Ask questions. Try your hand at all forms. Join a critique group. Read a lot. Go to national writer’s conferences and network. Write every day. And you don’t necessarily have to have an agent to get published. I have six books published—none placed with the help of an agent. Though I have one now (Mona Kanin at Great Dog Literary), and I am beyond thrilled to focus more on writing and less on pitching. And don’t give up. If this is something you want to do, find a way to do it. No excuses.  As we used to say, Either you’re on the bus, or you’re not. So, get on the bus. 

WOW! That is awesome advice, Barry. I’m definitely on the bus! And I think a lot of folks will be inspired by what you’ve shared. Thank you so much for stopping by.

Barry asked me to provide the cookie or other treat recipe…and in honor of his hometown city…and mine (I spent the first 25 years of my life in New York City), I’m going to provide a recipe for Charlotte Russe. What is a Charlotte Russe, you ask?

I grew up savoring Charlotte Russes…it was a huge treat – a pushcart vendor sold them on Avenue D – and when I went with my father to buy the Sunday paper (with the comics which we all enjoyed reading together), he often bought one for me. A cardboard holder, small circle of sponge cake, huge mound of whipped cream, and topped with a maraschino cherry. To find out a little bit about the history of Charlotte Russes: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2012/02/lost-foods-of-new-york-city-charlotte-russe-069627

Photo courtesy: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2012/02/lost-foods-of-new-york-city-charlotte-russe-069627

And if you want to make a Charlotte Russe cake, take a peek at this YouTube video:

I wonder who will try this – it would make a FABULOUS FOURTH OF JULY dessert!

Please don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of THE DAY THE RIVER CAUGHT FIRE by Barry Wittenstein, illustrated by Jessie Hartland, published by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books. And please remember that the best way to thank authors for writing beautiful books is to buy their books, review their books, tell friends about their books, and ask your local library to purchase copies of the books for their collection. For extra tickets in the giveaway hat, please share this post and spread the word about Barry and his awesome books!

38 thoughts on “BARRY WITTENSTEIN: Will Write for Cookies Plus Giveaway”

  6. Barry, I love writing the same kind of narrative nonfiction! History, yesss! Congratulations on all of your books. I loved hearing about your writing journey.

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  7. The nonfiction picture books published recently are ones I wished were around when I was a kid. I used to think nonfiction was boring and now delight in reading and learning from picture books. Thank you for the interview and chance to win a copy of this book. I shared on tumblr and Twitter.

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  8. Great to hear more about Barry! The topic of this book is/was on my list of ideas but obviously needed a special touch. So glad Barry did it and I can’t wait to see it! I know it will be fabulous as his others are so outstanding!

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    • Hey, Beth. I know the feeling of having an idea, refining it (in my case, over the years), never getting it quite right, then seeing somebody else nail it. Just the nature of the beast. But, I would say you should write your own version. Maybe talk about the other rivers, too. Or about Mayor Stokes. I think a pb bio of him would be interesting. Just find an angle. I swore I would never write a book about MLK or Rosa Parks. There are so many books about them already and what possibly could I add? Wasn’t everything known? Then I read his advisor’s book on the backstory of the speech. I had my angle.

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      • Barry – I never got past putting it on my list. Had not invested any brain cells or time yet so I’m glad you did it! One of those things I remembered, thought was interesting and that everyone should know about it. In the meantime other ideas jumped ahead in line and conked me over the head. 🙂 Your book about MLK is so special! Yep – when an angle hits you, you should go for it!

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    • Thank you, Donna, for the kind words. Like other businesses, the book biz is competitive. Companies still have a bottom line. But in terms of breaking through, a good friend of mine who always urged me would say, “It only takes one.” One book. One editor. One lucky break. Once you go from pre-published to published, doors seem to open just a bit more. I’m a sucker for adages, but whoever said that 80% is just showing up was correct.

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  10. Great interview, Vivian & Barry. Good statement: “I actually worry that if certain stories don’t see the light of day, they will be lost. Maybe for a long time. Maybe forever.”

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  11. ‘And two, not to finish my master’s or become a teacher!’…wish I would’ve learned that sooner! (just kidding….but had to laugh). Look forward to reading Barry’s books.

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  12. I couldn’t agree more. There are so many amazing stories of amazing human beings that need to be told; so many ordinary people doing extraordinary things whose stories may never be written. Thanks for telling some of them and for inspiring others to do the same.

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    • Luckily, we are living in a Golden Age of picture books. The need and interest for narrative nonfiction PBs is great, and its creators are amazing. Plus the diversity of voices is growing…not as fast as it should, but better than it was.

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    • FYI–I hated Nixon. Because of the times we live in, I remember the day he left office. He spoke about his mother, Here’s the exact text: “Nobody will ever write a book, probably, about my mother. Well, I guess all of you would say this about your mother— my mother was a saint. And I think of her, two boys dying of tuberculosis, nursing four others in order that she could take care of my older brother for 3 years in Arizona, and seeing each of them die, and when they died, it was like one of her own.”

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  14. Vivian, you always share great posts! Thanks for this one. Barry, I’m so happy to see more NF picture books being written. I love your reference to living in the Golden Age of Picture Books. Thank you for the inspiration to get on that bus! Looking forward to reading THE DAY THE RIVER CAUGHT FIRE. 🙂

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  15. Thanks. For most of us, it requires an incredible amount of focus and determination — and thick skin — to break through. Trust me on this. It’s difficult with all the other things demanding our attention during the day. During our lives. But there are no excuses if you want to get something published. And it’s super easy to blame lack of success on (fill in the blank). Been there. Done that. Learned the hard way. Maybe that is one thing I didn’t know before I got started, how much work it would require. I just refused to give up. Sorry to begin the day with a right to the jaw. 🙂 . Get on that freaking bus!

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  16. I’m a fan of Barry’s work, as evidenced by my book reviews, LOL. So Vivian and I can be fans, together. THE DAY THE RIVER CAUGHT FIRE is a recent fave. Sonny’s Bridge and A Place to land are older faves. Congrats to Barry on selling 6 books without an agent! But yes, having an agent allows more time for writing and researching!

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  18. I can’t wait to get this book! I am a K to 8 reading teacher and like to pick stories my kids are interested in. They love the NF picture books! Especially the second through fifth graders. It just helps them see the big picture of their interests so they can do a deeper dive into the subject. They all loved the book Oscars American Dream, by the way. My third graders, in particular, wanted to go through the pages repeatedly to see the progression. The climate change thing is on their mind, but they are not fully grasping the big picture. I can tell the RIVER book will help them so much. I will be analyzing this as a mentor text and then be giddy with excitement when I read it to them this fall. Thanks for getting all these wonderful stories out in the world.

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    • Thank you so much for the kind words. I would love to hear how it goes in the fall. My email is onedogwoof@gmail.com. Interesting that you say they aren’t getting the big picture. Why do you think that is? You also mention Oscar’s American Dream, which I appreciate. Cross fingers ’cause a youth theatre group in Orlando, FL is seriously interested in turning it into a musical. So, that would be nice recognition for the book. Thanks again! Barry

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