Publication Interview - Mary Cassatt: Extraordinary Impressionist Painter

Author and MFAC alum Barbara Herkert* talks with us about her newest book, Mary Cassatt: Extraordinary Impressionist Painter. Learn about her writing process for this picture book biography on the life of Mary Cassatt, one of the most celebrated female artists of all time.

Tell us about your new book?

Mary Cassatt: Extraordinary Impressionist Painter is a picture book biography, illustrated by the extraordinary Gabi Swiatkowska. It was released in October, 2015 by Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt.

Do you have a favorite part of the book or a favorite character?

I love the first page. That look on Mary’s face is priceless.

When did you first begin work on it? When did you finish?

I think I started it in 2012. It took about two years to complete.

As the work progressed from inception to copy-edited version, what were the major changes? How did those changes come about?

The book was originally entitled Mary and Edgar. It was about the friendship between Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas, which fascinated me. When I started working with Christy Ottaviano, she asked for it to focus on Mary. So I cut out Edgar’s side of the story. He’s still in there a bit, because he was such a huge influence on Mary.

What research did you do before and while writing the book?

I read and read and read some more! I took copious notes. I met with a Cassatt expert at the Cleveland Museum of Art, who took me on a private tour of Mary’s prints.

Where did you do most of your writing for this book?

At home on the Oregon Coast—my favorite place to write! I also spend writing time at a log cabin in Central Oregon.

Any final thoughts on the book you'd like to share?

Always stay open to revision! I think the book became much stronger after eliminating Edgar’s point of view. I adore Gabi’s paintings. They capture the essence of Mary perfectly.

*Barbara Herkert has been a fan of Mary Cassatt every since she stood in front of Mary's original paintings. She received an MFA from Hamline University, a biology degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and she studied art and art history at Oregon State University. 

Picture book biographies are her passion—Barbara loves both the research and finding hidden gems that will appeal to young readers. For more information, visit her author's website at www.barbaraherkert.com.

Publication Interview: Sewing Stories

Author and MFAC alum Barbara Herkert* talks with us about her newest book, Sewing Stories. Learn about her writing process for this picture book biography on the life of Harriet Powers, an African American artist who grew up as a slave.

Tell us about your new book.

Sewing Stories is about an artist who was born into slavery, faced with crushing degradation and poverty, and still driven to create in the form of appliqué story quilts unequaled in composition and design. The book is illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton and was released in October, 2015 by Alfred A. Knopf.

Do you have a favorite part of the book or a favorite character?

I love the ending, where Harriet is soaring across the sky.

Did you workshop this story at Hamline or work with a faculty member on it?

I started working on this book at Hamline under Jackie Briggs Martin’s mentorship. I’d never written a picture book biography before. I was transfixed by the genre. Jackie showed me how to search for those golden nuggets, how to transport the reader with details.

When did you first begin work on it? When did you finish?

I began the manuscript during my third semester at Hamline. I was in the first class--the “big class.”

As the work progressed from inception to copy-edited version, what were the major changes? How did those changes come about?

My first editor at Knopf was Michelle Burke. We cut out entire stanzas and shortened others to make room for illustrations. I finished the project with another editor, Kelly Delaney, after Michelle decided to stay home with her new baby. Kelly made further edits, including taking the stanzas out of free-verse and including dialogue. I was extremely hesitant about the dialogue—the only documented words of Harriet’s own are the descriptions of her story quilts. But I found a source of testimonies by former slaves that I felt enveloped Harriet’s spirit.

 

What research did you do before and while writing the book?

I did tons of research. I read everything I could about Harriet, about slavery and life in Athens, Georgia following the Civil War, and about appliqué quilting. I went to the Smithsonian to see the first story quilt “in person.” The shapes and the rhythm that continues throughout the quilt mesmerized me.

Where did you do most of your writing for this book?

At home.

Any final thoughts on the book you'd like to share?

The idea for this book came to me when I was researching for another project. I was reading about anonymous women artists when I first came across Harriet’s photograph and pictures of her story quilts. I had to find out more about her. She enchanted me.

*Barbara Herkert received a biology degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a MFA from Hamline University. She studied art and art history at Oregon State University, and wrote and illustrated my first book in 2001, entitled Birds in Your Backyard. I’m currently the Co-Regional Advisor for SCBWI-Oregon. Mary Cassatt: Extraordinary Expressionist Painter (with illustrations by Gabi Swiatkowska) was also released in October, 2015, and A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider: The Story of E.B. White (illustrated by Lauren Castillo) will be released in 2017 (both by Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt.

Alumni Voices: Barbara Herkert

What I Learned on My Way to a Master’s

I entered Hamline’s MFAC program in January of 2007, a member of the “Big Class.” At the time, I’d had one book published, a nonfiction picture book that I’d written and illustrated. When the book came out in 2001, I’d foolishly thought, “All right! I’m in!” And then the dry spell hit. Rejection after rejection. Six years passed. My heart sank. My confidence waned. I considered giving up.

One day I saw an ad for Hamline. What a faculty! My mind was made up. I’d apply to the program and try my hand at writing novels. I’d been chasing the wrong genre. That was it!

I worked on a contemporary middle grade with Kate my first semester, and again with the Marsha Q my last semester. I completed a draft of a YA historical fiction under the guidance of Jane. I am forever grateful for the time I spent with these wise and wonderful mentors.

When it was time to write a thesis, the unexpected happened. My advisor was Jackie, whose picture book biographies (and other works) are shear inspiration. I decided to explore the world of picture book biographies in my thesis. And why not try to write one, too? I’d discovered a quilter by the name of Harriet Powers while researching anonymous women artists. Her photograph haunted me. Her artwork resembled Matisse. I wanted to know more.

Finger puppet

I fell in love with the process of writing picture book biographies—searching for gems, walking beside someone you admire, finding just the right words to paint a person’s life. Since graduating, I’ve written three more pb biographies and acquired a dream agent who has found publishers for two. One of them is the manuscript I worked on with Jackie, Sewing Stories: The Life of Harriet Powers. My agent says picture book biographies are my “true calling.” Go figure.

The finger puppet is a gift from Jane. I keep it next to the place where I write. Inside the puppet, she’d slipped a tiny piece of paper on which she’d penned the word “Play.” She knew exactly what I needed to do.

While you’re in the program, experiment. Try new genres. Play. You never know where it might lead. Will I get back to those novels? More than likely. But for now I’m going to travel down this road, a road illuminated by my time at Hamline.

***

Barbara Herkert is a January 2009 graduate of the MFAC program. Sewing Stories: The Life of Harriet Powers, will be published by Knopf in the fall of 2015. Glimpses of Life: The Story of Mary Cassatt, will be published by Christy Ottaviano Books (Henry Holt) in the spring of 2015. She is represented by Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary. She lives on the Oregon coast.