reaching for sun
March 2007
Bloomsbury Children's Books
ISBN:1-59990-037-8
Author Interview

Why did you choose to tell Josie’s story in verse rather than as a narrative?

Josie must choose her words carefully and so must poetry. It seemed natural and I feel more at home writing poetry than anything else.

What was the first poem you remember reading?

“I’m Nobody, Who Are You?” by Emily Dickinson. I found it at my grandparent’s house on one of the dusty bookshelves. It felt like I was wide awake for the first time.

What is it about poetry that inspires and motivates you?

Everything! The perfect word, or image, a metaphor that makes my head feel like a top—but especially how it makes you look at things differently. To pay attention to the smallest thing. To notice. Everything.

What advice do you have for aspiring poets?

Pack your brain with poetry. Read a hundred books or more of it and no one will have to teach you anything about it. You will already know.

You spent several years as a special education teacher. How did you get involved working with children with disabilities?

In my summers during college I worked at a YMCA summer camp in the only cabin for kids with disabilities. I loved how hard the kids tried to do anything, how easily they fell in love with anyone who showed them kindness, and their remarkable humor and willingness to laugh.

How did your experiences as a special education teacher inform your conception and development of Josie—her personality as well as her experiences and interactions in and out of school?

Many of my students didn’t realize they were different; they were kind of blessedly unaware. But I had a few students, like Josie, who knew they were on the outside of everything. These bright kids, stuck in bodies they felt betrayed them; I witnessed their daily courage and grace. I wanted to honor them in a story.

Do you see yourself, or anyone you know, in any of your characters?

Josie is a composite character, a girl in a blender from many of the students I had over the years: Carrie’s sensitivity to words, Sheila’s fears, Josh’s frustrations. And I’ve always had this feeling of being on the outside looking in, but perhaps we all feel that way, really.

Before reading Reaching for Sun, I, just as Josie’s peers do, assumed that cerebral palsy was a mental disability as well as a physical disability. But that’s not always the case. In your experience, what other misconceptions have you found people have about this or other disabilities?

That people with disabilities always need help. They can often manage independently and prefer to, just like you and me. Offer a genuine smile and speak directly to the person with a disability (not their caregiver) whether they can end up answering or not. I remind myself of this still.

Reaching for Sun is a lovely ode to nature. You’ve intertwined Josie’s story with that of her environment, mirroring her development and emotional state with that of the flora and fauna surrounding her. What inspired you to do so?

Josie has been raised with this deep connection to the earth and its seasons. And she’s naturally isolated as an only child, and on this odd property, and of course with her disability, so I thought of the plants as her companions, another character if you will.

What is your connection to nature?

Every day, growing up, I was out in nature—exploring the creek, fishing with my dad, discovering the acres on my cousin’s farm. I wish I spent more time in nature’s wide lap now but this foundation still greatly inspires my work.

Did you do any specific research on gardening and horticultural?

I learned a lot about peanuts and boll weevils but I have always been in love with the names of flowers— jack in the pulpit, columbine, wisteria, hollyhock.

The text of this novel is so spare and poignant yet it evokes such detailed images and feelings. Some writers may take paragraphs or pages to capture what you have in so few words. If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your secret to being able to say so much with so little?

I appreciate that, thank you so much. It’s no secret though. I start with a picture in my mind’s eye and try to put it into words, the fewest, most accurate words possible. I pare it down, and pare again.

Does your approach to writing reflect your approach to and outlook on life?

I try to be the real me, in person and on paper. Not what people want me to be or what I think they want, but who I am. I Try. I wish I succeeded more than I do.

Josie’s favorite meal is biscuits and gravy? What’s yours?

Chicken and dumplings the way my Granny Vaughn made them (though my twin can get them near perfect).

Were you close to your grandmother? Was she a good cook? A gardener?

I was lucky enough to have three Grandmas. We gave them nicknames to keep them straight. The one we called Grandma-down-the-street (Grandma Courtney) used to talk about books and ideas.  Grandma-with-the-dogs (Grandma Vaughn raised poodles) was all about the food—chicken and dumplings (even on Thanksgiving) and her homemade French fries. Grandma-with-the-boys (Granny was still raising my uncles when I was a kid) was the gardener—both flowers and veggies. She took care of us when mom worked and her house was like my own.

This is a story about a girl like most girls—she fights with her mother, has a crush on a boy, feels bullied by the popular girls—and for these reasons and more, Josie’s story will resonate with readers. Yet some may say this is a book about cerebral palsy rather than a book about a girl who happens to have cerebral palsy? How do you feel about that? What would you say to those who may try and box this book into a specific category?

I hope they read it first. Honestly, it will hurt my feelings just like it would Josie. See, that’s all most people notice when they meet someone like Josie but there’s so much more to her than just cerebral palsy and I hope there’s more to this book too! I hope readers see themselves in Josie and maybe even forget for a while that she has a disability at all.

Josie’s family has deep roots in the community having farmed the land for generations, and grandmother, mother and daughter each have their own way of staying connected to it. Do you have your own such place? What do you do to feel a part of your community?

I feel this sort of connection to the community where I grew up in Southwest Ohio. My whole family still lives there and sometimes I physically ache to go home where I could drive blindfolded, to walk on the block where my grandparents lived for 50 years. I try to feel a part of my new communities (we lived in Chesapeake, VA for several years and just relocated to Charlotte, NC) by doing programs in the schools and libraries. I still love to work with children!

What do you hope people take away from their reading of Reaching for Sun?

A seed of hope.

What is your motto?

Best words, best order.

What’s your favorite flower?

It used to be freesia, but I fell in love with poppies when they became part of Josie’s story.

Email Tracie?  TVZIMMER (at) MAC (dot) com