Each day leading up to the 30th annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony, we’ll be featuring an exclusive interview with one of our 36 finalists. Learn more about these incredible local writers and gear up to see the winners announced live in person April 21.
Interview with Joyce Sidman, author of Round
Category: Children’s Literature, sponsored by Books for Africa
Minnesota is home to an extraordinary writing community. We have so many talented, generous, and hard working authors here. To be recognized among them is indeed a thrill.
What does writing mean to you?
Writing is my job, but it is also part of who I am. It is the method by which I navigate my way through life, how I find understanding and joy.
Why are stories important for our communities?
Now more than ever, our stories become who we are as a community. Thanks to the internet, they are quickly shared and discussed. Every day, our best stories reflect our hope, suffering, and wisdom. They offer us solutions. They teach us how to be.
Tell us something people might not know about you.
This past summer, I raised caterpillars and photographed them for my most recent book. I’m enchanted with macro photography and am still learning its ways.
What do you love about libraries?
What DON’T I love about libraries? Nothing! I love the way anyone can come in. I love the way children are celebrated. I love that it’s a place of seeking and finding, where quests begin and books hold treasure.
More about Joyce Sidman:
Joyce Sidman’s books have won a Newbery Honor (Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night), two Caldecott Honors, and two Minnesota Book Awards (Winter Bees and Red Sings from Treetops). Her book What the Heart Knows was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. In 2013, she received the NCTE Award for Excellence in Children’s Poetry for her body of work. When not writing or roaming the woods, she teaches poetry writing in schools with COMPAS.org of Saint Paul.
See the winners announced live at the 30th annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony!
