Alan and Kamie Page, authors of Bee Love (Can Be Hard), and illustrator David Geister
Children’s Literature category, sponsored by Books for Africa
Each week leading up to the 33rd annual Minnesota Book Awards announcement, we are featuring exclusive interviews with our 36 finalists. You can also watch the authors in conversation with their fellow category finalists here.
In a year defined by a pandemic and its fallout, virtually everything about our lives has changed in some way. How has COVID-19 impacted your writing habits and preferences? Has the unique zeitgeist of the past year influenced your writing output in any ways that you can pinpoint?
Alan and Kamie: As a team, the pandemic hasn’t made a significant impact on our writing habits/preferences. We’ve always written at home, and since writing is not a full time job for us, since one of us is a full time elementary school teacher and a mother of young kids, we’ve always tried to write when we can – primarily during the summer months, or during school-year breaks. (Which we continue to do.)
David: I have at once found myself thankful for the lack of outside distractions – because of limited social interaction – and saddened by the inability to meet in person with family and friends. Periodically, I have had bursts of artistic energy, but I am afraid the well is drying up after a year.
Would you tell us one or two things about your finalist book that you are particularly proud of, and why? (Sure, it may feel a bit un-Minnesotan to say so, but it’s not boasting if we ask!)
Alan and Kamie: We’re proud of the beautiful illustrations that David Geister has created – and how the story and illustrations compliment each other, and work together, to complete the story. Our goal is to make sure our books tug at your heart and/or put a smile on your face and we feel we’ve done that with this book.
David: I am thankful to have helped create a book that, in a rather matter-of-fact way, showcases people of color doing something that is not normally seen – in this case, interacting with and learning about bees.
What do you hope that your audience learns or takes away from your book?
Alan and Kamie: Bees can be scary, but they are so important to our ecosystem. All of us play a part in protecting pollinators.
This book also captures, and highlights, one of the many the real-world experiences of African Americans, as well as our humanity.
David: Take care of our bees – we need them!!!!
Minnesota enjoys a reputation as a place that values literature and reading. If this sentiment rings true for you, what about our home state makes it such a welcoming and conductive place for writers?
Alan and Kamie: All across the state, there is evidence of communities celebrating literacy – from Little Free Libraries, to independent bookstores, to our amazing library systems – all of it encourages writers to keep writing and shows us that there is a place for us here.
David: As an illustrator, I can tell you that the book community – a vast array of writers, artists, booksellers, readers – has been absolutely welcoming. I think, historically, an early commitment to a strong system of public education on the part of Minnesotans, must have something to do with that.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer with an interest in your category?
Alan and Kamie: Everybody has a story inside of them. Start with a small moment from your life that fills your heart with an emotion and jot it down. Just write!
David: Find the subject you are passionate about – history, dinosaurs, ballet -and create work that celebrates that subject. Never be caught without a notebook – or sketchbook – in hand. Become a keen observer of the world around you. Create something, big or small, every day.
Tell us something about yourself that is not widely known! (It doesn’t have to be about your writing.)
Alan and Kamie: This is our fourth book, and all proceeds benefit the Page Education Foundation.
David: I am a Monster Kid. Godzilla, Dracula, the Wolfman . . . I have loved monster movies since I was 6 years old. I also build, paint and play with toy soldiers – and I do not intend to grow up, anytime soon.
Alan Page is a retired Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and NFL player. He is the founder of the Page Education Foundation and received a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Kamie Page is a second grade teacher who has a real passion for science and pollinators. She has written four picture books with her father, Alan.