Life, as in books, is filled with chapter endings and beginnings. Such is the case with this year’s annual Rhode Island Festival of Children’s Books and Authors held at the Lincoln School in Providence on October 19. This year’s event is the last for co-founder and literary giant Chris Van Allsburg, marking the end of an era.
It would be easy to say that Van Allsburg’s dedication to the craft of writing is remarkable; his body of work is filled with household titles like Jumanji and The Polar Express, and he helped create a well-known book festival that draws in children’s book creators from across the country. But synopses, like those on the back of a book, can be misleading.
Van Allsburg didn’t set out to be a picture book author and illustrator. He was a sculptor. His wife, Lisa Van Allsburg, taught elementary school and used children’s picture books as art inspiration for her classes. “She thought my art might be good children’s book illustrations,” Van Allsburg self-effaces. Lisa had a vision for her husband, but it was through the friendship of another unexpecting author that helped launch Chris’ successful writing career.
David Macauley graduated RISD with a degree in architecture, but he didn’t want to design buildings for his career. Instead, “the idea of illustrating books appealed to me. I liked to draw, and there was something very nice about the idea of having your name on the cover of a book,” Macauley says. He submitted book ideas to Houghton Mifflin, receiving encouraging rejections. “It wasn’t until I developed the idea for a gargoyle beauty pageant set in the Middle Ages with a cathedral in the background that I was persuaded to forget the gargoyles and actually just talk about the cathedral by the guy who ran the children’s book department, Walter Lorraine,” he explains. Thus began his picture book career, starting with Cathedral (1973), then City (1974), Pyramid (1975), and Underground (1976).
“I introduced Walter to Chris and Lisa – mostly to Lisa; Chris didn’t want to be the front man. Lisa is always happy to be the front person, especially for Chris,” Macauley remembers. “She and Walter got on, she presented some of Chris’ ideas, Walter liked them, and the next you know, you got The Garden of Abdul Gasazi,” the very first Chris Van Allsburg book (1979).
The serendipitous starts to Macauley’s and Van Allsburg’s careers mirrors the quiet beginnings of the Rhode Island Festival of Children’s Books and Authors. Around the time of the festival’s conception – circa 1988 – both Macauley and Van Allsburg were teaching at RISD, and the school brought in a lot of fantastic illustrators to speak to the students. Macauley also lived two blocks away from the Lincoln School in Providence; his wife at the time taught there. “There was a really good connection to some of the most successful people at the time in picture books. The development of the festival just took advantage of that – the proximity of RISD and its connection to picture book illustration through the faculty and Lincoln school.”
The festival started off as something “informal.” It felt like a gathering of friends for a relaxed office party. It was an excuse to come together as an artistic community and share and celebrate new endeavors in the realm of picture books and children’s literature. “When Chris and Lisa became fully involved, I think it simply took on more and more significance and became an increasingly attractive festival for authors around the country. I think Chris’ name and reputation really drew people in, and the festival grew in that sense,” Macauley explains. “It’s not an ALA [American Library Association] conference, but it’s a very enthusiasm-filled weekend, and the people who are invited to come and speak are the best.”
Macauley had left the festival scene after a move to Vermont, so his return this year is emotional. In part, it’s saying thank you and farewell to the Van Allsburgs as they take their leave of festival management. It’s also a chance to return to Macauley’s “home turf” and see the community he was – and still is – so entrenched in. “It’s just going to be fun. It’ll be a really enjoyable, heartwarming experience for me, books aside. And then to come and talk about the books I’ve been doing since I was last there – and there are a number of them – that’s a nice opportunity, too.”
Although the festival draws big names in the literary world, Macauley reassures children and adults that you don’t have to be famous to get published. “You have to find [the story and drive to tell it] inside you.” Macauley “never [wrote] anything for children. I write for myself,” he asserts, hoping that what he finds fascinating and entertaining will also connect with other people, an audience. With that drive and the willingness to share a story to the public, “you go for it, and you try to make contact with people who are doing it and with whom you can speak about doing it. You need backup along the way,” from friends, colleagues, and professionals at the RI Festival of Children’s Books and Authors who can talk about the craft and how to break into the industry. Then, all a writer or illustrator needs is patience to find a good agent, trust in the long process, and an open mind for unexpected stories.
The RI Festival of Children’s Books and Authors takes place on October 19, 2024, from 9 am-5pm. Learn more at LincolnSchool.org
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here