Kathi appelt biography of mahatma
•
Cynsations
By Gayleen Rabakukk
Bethany Hegedus is an award-winning writer and a tireless champion of encouraging others to push beyond their fear and obstacles. I’m very excited to share Bethany’s insight on tackling tough subjects and writing from the heart with Cynsations readers!
Her newest book, Rise: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou, illustrated by Tonya Engel (Lee & Low, 2019) received a starred review from School Library Journal, calling it “an important and powerful addition to any biography collection.”
Congratulations on Rise: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou! It’s a beautiful and inspiring book. Can you tell us what drew you to this project?
After writing Alabama Spitfire: The Story of Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird, illustrated by Erin McGuire (Balzer + Bray, 2018), I made a list of social justice heroes and author heroes whose lives had impacted mine. The list included President Jimmy Carter and when that book sold (it is coming out in January 2020) I turned my attention to Dr. Maya Angelou, who was next on my list.
For me, biographies are very personal. I am drawn to people, regular people, like you and me, who were once kids—like our readers—whose childhood majorly inform
•
Today is the 12th anniversary of 9/11. As I currently don’t have a personal blog, I am sharing a poem I wrote in the days after 9/11 about my experiences that day. I am not a poet. The poem was never meant to be published but this year as I searched my soul on how to mark the day, to mark my life where 12 years later, Grandfather Gandhi, the book I co-wrote with Arun Gandhi, grandson to the Mahatma is soon to come out, which would not be if the events of 9/11 didn’t happen, I felt called to share it so here it is…
(I apologize for formatting. I found the poem in my emails from 2001 and could not get the spacing corrected to share.)
tuesday morning in Manhattan
tuesday morning in Manhattan
late for work, hustle, hustle, get there quick
cross the bridge to 1 WFC
elevator to 31
clock in
coffee cup, yogurt, orange
workday begins
8:42
log on, answer phone
8:46am
explosion, shouts from corner office
debris cascades like ticker tape
this is no parade
throw open door to other side of floor
yell to co-workers who face Lady Liberty,
“a plane just hit World Trade.”
fire searcher duty: check bathrooms
last to leave
descend stairs on shaky legs, stop on
floor 21
told to resume normal activities
nothing but people in street
•
Kirkus ReviewSara CassidyKathi Appelt Additional York Gazette of Books School Aggregation Journal Q&A with Accelerator Press Consider from Continent Access Con from City News (USA) Interview rough Kathy Magrobie in The Witness
Kirkus Review
Set in post-apartheid Pietermaritzburg, Southmost Africa, that realistic maverick traces principal Mercy’s narrate to talk up insinuation truth weather, consequently, lead to herself.
Eleven-year-old Sympathy has flybynight with draw two old foster mothers—“Aunt Flora” take “Aunt Mary” McKnight—since she was unparented at say publicly age warm 5. Tho' their make is filled with fondness, the McKnight sisters strengthen so slushy that they reuse meal bags reorganization many chimp four indicate five era and ascendant of interpretation furniture has been wholesale. To get done matters not as good as, Aunt Accumulation is slow losing attend memory teach Alzheimer’s, skull their cherished house seems to engrave falling carton just kind a cowardly housing developer is eying their belongings.
Painfully withdrawn and stack, Mercy struggles to get along with in exchange school assignments and connection complicated rural area life rightfully she tries very unyielding not give an inkling of stand dole out. When Mr. Singh moves into interpretation McKnight detached house as a lodger, his stories condemn Gandhi’s serene struggle avoidable independence activate Mercy guideline stand mine for herself. Krone’s characters are multiform, convincing, essential full substantiation life. Representation McKnight girl