distance

They say, “Distance makes the heart grow fonder,” and it also provides clarity. I went to NYC for a couple of days and while I was there, I realized that I had a better option for my Huguenot book. We’d been working on the interior and cover files last week, and my designer figured out how to “flip” the French version so that it was upside down and read from Z-A. We got the cover just about right and were just waiting on the third color illustration. But then I realized that the book would be much cheaper if I made it b&w and just put the two color illustrations (by the amazing Christina Myrvold) on the English and French covers. That means “wasting” the third color illustration but since it’s “only” a crow, I think it would be just as striking in b&w, which means it could serve as a title page instead of the cover.

This is too much information but the point is, being away from the project, away from my laptop and the constant updates, meant I could see the book in a different light. I’m exhausted today; it’s raining and I’m meeting a friend soon for brunch. But I woke up this morning and made the adjustments in KDP. The cover you see now on my website (under Adult Books) is not the final cover, but it’s a good placeholder. When I shared the cover with my nieces, they both felt the Melsuine image was most striking and should go on the front. If I do that, I might scare off school audiences but I think that’s what I’m going to do. No text, no author name—just the incredible art.

I had plans when I arrived in NYC on Friday but they quickly fell apart. I had to walk more than expected, and my new “cute” sneakers rubbed my feet raw, but I still had a wonderful time. The staff at Greenlight Bookstore was just amazing—so organized and creative and flexible; they had me sign a bunch of books so you can get signed copies of A Song for Juneteenth, Moonwalking, and Dragons in a Bag there. The 100-degree temperatures didn’t keep folks away and we had all the chairs filled with kids and their grownups. I haven’t worked with kids in person for more than six months so it was exciting to ask questions and hear their responses. My Juneteenth presentation needs some adjustments and we didn’t use my handout but overall, I think it went well. Some parents told me afterwards that their kids didn’t know what slavery was; that surprised me so I might need to offer more of an explanation next time. I focused on freedom this time around and how the butterfly Noa included serves as a metaphor for African Americans’ transformation and migration. I left a little early and went uptown to the NY Historical Society for the Bettye Saar Black doll exhibit, which didn’t disappoint. Then I went back to Brooklyn and hung out with my friend Stefanie. Saturday we had breakfast at a diner, which used to be our thing when I Iived in Brooklyn, and then I walked up to the botanic garden and spent a couple of hours in the shade, listening to birds and remembering how that place inspired me to write A Wish after Midnight more than 20 years ago…

I don’t feel old but I’m realizing how much time has passed…my friends kept saying I look the same but I don’t. We’ve all grown and evolved; what hasn’t changed is our connection. I don’t miss Brooklyn but having shared history in a place with people you love—maybe I miss that. I only have a few people who witnessed those formative years and when you move to a new place, that history vanishes, which can be a relief sometimes. Bettye Saar never had Black dolls when she was a child so she started collecting them as an adult and then made them, as well. That’s basically my journey with Black-authored books. We remember the holes in our childhood and try to fill them once we’re grown…