March 2022 Author Talk Training
In March 2022, the Shout Mouse Press team was lucky enough to be able to gather in person at the REACH at the Kennedy Center, where we held our annual Author Talk Training to prepare new and established SMP authors for opportunities to discuss their work at speaking events.
After kicking things off with lunch and some conversation starters at nearby Tazza Café, our authors were treated to an author talk of their own by National Book Award nominee and all-around rad human, Candice Iloh. Candice told SMP authors about their upbringing, gave them an introduction to their writing, and shared excerpts from critically acclaimed novel-in-verse Every Body Looking as well as passages from upcoming book Break This House.
The authors discussed a number of themes that flowed from Candice’s presentation and their own curiosity:
How can authors and readers share a human moment through their work?
How do we visualize the storytelling process? (Candice shared that they think of telling stories as like braiding hair: in the beginning, there’s a lot to work with and it’s hard to know where to start, but the process is about choosing what sections to pull together, braiding them, and having a clear space on either side.)
Knowing yourself can be critical to making good art; it helps you bring a clearer picture of your experiences into the world.
Photo by Lana Wong
After Candice’s presentation, the young authors met with Shout Mouse Press Story Coaches to practiced discussing their own work! They also practiced answering questions that commonly come up, like, “What was the world like when you were writing your book?” and “How do you engage with our writing?”
The Story Coaches had no shortage of wisdom for the young authors! “Thank you for putting so much of yourselves into the style and content of these stories,” Drew “Droopy” Anderson shared. “Because these stories are bigger than ourselves.” Alexa Patrick reminded everyone that “part of getting ready for an Author Talk is preparing yourself with what you’re going to say so that you don’t shock your system when you tell your story.”
The young authors also had the opportunity to receive free professional headshots as the day winded down. All in all, a great success, and a delight to share physical space together after so long apart. We can’t wait for these young writers to connect with readers at schools and other events!