Interview with Author, Editor, and Poet Ryan Van Cleave…And a Double Giveaway!

Today is a very exciting day here on the blog. I have Ryan Van Cleave here with me, who, if you don’t know, is a bit of a writing and poetry rock star. And some of what he does, you may actually not know, because he has ghostwritten many books (in addition to those under his own name) and coaches and mentors many writers behind the scenes. For years, he’s been known as the Picture Book Whisperer™, helping celebrities and high-profile clients write and sell their children’s books.

His published books demonstrate both the depth and breadth of his writing talent—books on the craft of writing, textbooks, poetry anthologies, nonfiction, and even young adult novels! Ryan holds a Ph.D. in literature and poetry and runs the creative writing major at Ringling College of Art and Design. And he’s recently joined children’s publisher Bushel & Peck Books as their Editor, where he helps bring even more innovative and beautiful books to the market. Some of these, he even writes himself.

Ryan recently released a stunning new nonfiction picture book on May 16^th with Bushel & Peck called The Witness Trees. It is lavishly illustrated by Đόm Đόm and has already received a Kirkus Starred Review. The Witness Trees takes the young reader, and one impressionable boy, on a journey through world history (and prehistory) to revisit major events and the majestic and stately trees that bore witness to them. With the trees narrating! Many of these trees still exist today, thousands of years later, and they are all accounted for on a world map included in the front matter. This book offers something for almost every child’s varied interests—trees and nature, history, beautiful poetical lyricism, and captivating pictures. Ryan’s poetic voice really shines throughout with visual gems such as “wind-chime icicles” and “the wet kiss of a thousand-year-old squall.” It has so much to offer, but I’m talking too much (as usual) and I want to introduce Ryan!

Hilary Margitich: Ryan, welcome to Writers’ Rumpus! I know that you’re a very busy person, and I’m honored to have you here with us on the blog today.

Ryan Van Cleave: I’m happy to join you here, Hilary. Thanks for the opportunity.

HM: Can we talk about The Witness Trees? It has such a cool and novel concept, and is gorgeously written. My big takeaway came as I was reading the last few lines, “We endure. We remember. We Witness.” It’s the trees narrating, but I feel like it also resonates with us as human beings. Was that intentional on your part, and what were you looking to communicate to young readers as you were writing this story?

RVC: Thanks for the kind words about The Witness Trees!

I’ve been a college teacher for 20+ years, plus I’m married to a teacher, so education is a big part of my identity. Given that, I’m especially drawn to picture books—fiction and nonfiction alike—that offer a chance for young readers to discover more about the world and engage more meaningfully with it. That’s the same spirit that empowers so many fine picture books, such as Pat Zietlow Miller’s Be Kind, or Matt Forrest Esenwine’s I Am Today.

But to answer your first question, yes, I very much was thinking of the narrative voice being inclusive of all living things on the planet. It’s kind of a reverse Dr. Seuss situation, where instead of the Lorax saying “I speak for the trees,” the trees in The Witness Trees speak for all of us. I think they’ve got some real wisdom and perspective to offer.

HM: You clearly have a love and passion for both history and the natural world. Did you know a lot about these events and trees already, or did writing this book inspire you to research and learn more?

RVC: I knew a lot already because I’m a nature fan and a trivia buff, but I always over-research with any writing project, which is something I did here to find out more about witness trees. Even though the book is long by picture book standards, I couldn’t fit in everything I wanted, which is one of the reasons we have the map showcasing many more trees beyond those in the main text. One thing that was made clear via all that research is how many of these majestic trees are no longer with us. Yes, some surrendered to natural causes, but way too many are gone because of things people did. That’s a disappointing thing to learn. Perhaps this book will help keep the names and memories of those trees alive.

HM: You also recently curated and edited the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, and Robert Frost, making each of their respective collections into illustrated books for children. These are beautiful books that have just been released by Bushel and Peck in the past year. I have The Illustrated Emily Dickinson: 25 Essential Poems sitting here right next to me and what I love about it is how you included prompts and activities for each poem, so children (either on their own or in a classroom setting with a teacher) can learn how to read and interpret the poetry in a meaningful way. What would you say are some of the most important things to keep in mind when bringing poetry into the lives of children?

RVC: In the introduction of each book in that series, I include a brief letter to the reader that details three tips for making poetry work for kids (in general, and for this book specifically). The first is to enjoy the poem—that’s vital. Poetry should be a joyous experience and it’s hard to do that if you’re overfocused on meaning or theme. The second is to ask questions (What do I notice? How does this poem make me feel? etc.) Questions help readers interact with a poem in all kinds of useful ways. They make the experience active versus passive. The last tip is to read the book in whatever way you choose. Front to back, a poem here and there, whatever you want.

My suggestion, for helping bring poetry into the lives of children, is to make it fun and enjoyable. Almost all people loved poetry as kids, but if you ask adults about poetry, most no longer care about it. That’s usually because some teacher—usually an underpaid, overworked, and underappreciated high school English teacher tasked with covering Shakespeare—stripped the fun out of it. When you simply focus on meaning and the mechanics, poetry feels like an odd little machine that was built for someone who’s not you. I remember one teacher telling me I was wrong for how a line from John Keats made me feel.

That’s the wrong approach, folks.

HM: Do you have a particular memory from your own childhood that stands out as sparking your passion for literature and writing?

RVC: Oh, there are a bunch of formative moments, but I remember checking out what I thought was a very adult book from the school library in first grade—The Hobbit. And while it took me forever to read through it and understand the story, I loved it and I felt incredibly proud to have made that story come alive through my reading experience.

I also had this realization: “A human being wrote this? A person?” As if books were simply found on beaches somewhere like washed-up shells made by nature! I’d just never considered authorship before. That realization led to me wondering if I could someday write a story so another kid could have a similar magical reading experience. In high school, I started trying my hand at writing books (a whole lot of Dungeons & Dragons inspired stuff with way too many dark elves), but it wasn’t until college that I started to think about its possibilities as a career and not just a hobby or a one-off project.

HM: You do so much writing of your own, but you also do so much teaching by way of academic teaching, editing, and coaching others who are writing books. Can you talk a little bit about the relationship between teaching others and learning more about your own craft?

RVC: I’ve come to realize there are levels of knowing things about the craft of writing. I’ll give a specific example to showcase what I mean.

Level 1—Writing with Plot

This is the easiest one, though it’s a mistake to think it’s easy. It’s simply when you feel able to sit down at your desk and write a story that meaningfully sequences the events that take audiences through the story. Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, if you can get from the beginning to the end, or an entire manuscript, and revise to make it stronger, you’re operating at this level. Any published writer has this level figured out—that’s why they’re published.

Level 2—Teaching Plot

This is far harder than #1 because so many writers have an amorphous, intuitive sense of plot. So, how do you get someone else—a student or a workshop member or a client—to understand plot well enough for them to effectively put it into practice in their own writing? You have to break it down and put actual language to all the components of plot, and then give examples and context of causality, exposition, narrative summary, etc. This forces writing teachers to do that extra work since you can’t export your own amorphous, intuitive sense of plot to someone else.

The bonus is that doing so often helps concretize plot for yourself in meaningful ways that can improve your own writing, revising, and editing.

Level 3—Writing about Plot

This is the hardest one, and I run into it when I write for Writer’s Digest, or I’m creating a writing how-to book like Writing Sci-Fi, Fantasy, & Horror for Dummies, a book which I co-authored with Rick Dakan. With this type of situation, you can’t read the nonverbal cues of students sitting in front of you that assure you, “Hey, I know you’re saying words about plot, but I totally don’t get Rising Action!”, for example. You have to offer can’t-miss written—not verbal!—explanations with examples that are sure to work, since you’re not there to answer questions in the moment an aspiring writer has them. It’s the hardest of the three levels, by far. There’s nowhere to hide in how-to writing about the craft of writing. If you don’t give people what they want and need, they’ll let you know (often in the form of negative reviews/feedback).

HM: Let’s talk about Bushel & Peck Books and your exciting work as Editor there. We have many kidlit writers and illustrators reading this who would love to learn more and potentially partner with you on some books in the future. What do you feel defines the Bushel & Peck approach to children’s publishing? What kinds of stories do you seek out?

RVC: In 2018, David and Stephanie Miles formed Bushel & Peck to create beautifully illustrated, inspiring children’s and novelty books that reimagine what a book can be. In many ways, the WOW factor of these books is self-evident. Let me brag about a few that happened prior to me taking on the role of Editor last year, such as The Interactive Constitution, Forgotten Founders, and the “Draw With” series. These are books that feel joyful, fresh, and engaging.

Most importantly, kids love them. 

Another thing that distinguishes Bushel & Peck, is our pledge to tackle illiteracy with our Book-for-Book Promise that delivers books to kids in need–one book for every one sold. As a writing teacher for the past 25 years, I’m all about helping people improve their ability to read and write. To date, we’ve pledged to donate over 300,000 books.

HM: That’s both impressive and admirable! Ryan, can you tell us what you are working on next? And where can our readers follow you on social media?

RVC: If by “working on”, you’re talking about manuscripts in progress, then the answer is this: I’m working on The Illustrated William Shakespeare, The Illustrated Christina Rossetti, and The Illustrated Carl Sandburg. I’m also working on a middle grade novel, a YA novel, and a few picture books.

If you instead mean, “what’s already written but not yet out?” I’ve got a coauthored picture book poetry collection with Jane Yolen called Body Music that comes out in September. In my work with celebrity clients as The Picture Book Whisperer™, I’ve got a picture book with Nancy Kerrigan coming out in October (Stronger Than She Thinks). There’s also an interactive history middle grade book (Decide and Survive: Agent 355: Can You Win the Revolution?) coming out in Feb 2024, which is the same month we should see the publication of The Illustrated Walt Whitman.

As for providing social media venues to keep track of all things Ryan, I’d recommend three places. I have other accounts, but these are the ones I use most:

My personal Facebook account https://www.facebook.com/ryangvancleave/

My writer Facebook account https://www.facebook.com/ryangvancleavebooks/

My Twitter account for my picture book blog https://twitter.com/OPBblog

HM: Ryan, it’s been such a pleasure to talk with you today and learn about all the amazing things you are working on! I hope you come back and visit us again soon.

RVC: Thanks, Hilary. I really appreciate all the good questions!

Ryan is generously offering a signed copy of his new picture book The Witness Trees or a 30-minute Zoom picture book critique/author chat to TWO lucky readers! To enter, comment on this post! If you share on Facebook or Twitter, you get another entry. Giveaway closes in one week. US and Canada only.

Ryan G. Van Cleave runs the creative writing program at Ringling College of Art and Design, and serves as Editor for Bushel & Peck Books. In addition to authoring dozens of books, Ryan works as The Picture Book Whisperer, helping celebrities and high-profile clients write picture books and kidlit titles. Connect with Ryan at www.ryangvancleave.com, www.thepicturebookwhisperer.com, or www.onlypicturebooks.com.