26 May Ritu Anand and I AM MY LANGUAGE plus a Giveaway
EL: I’m so happy to welcome Ritu Anand to the blog today. I just re-read her beautiful book, I AM MY LANGUAGE, and I know you will love it as much as I do. This book is an ode to heritage, identity, and language. Anand’s text, paired with Maaz Farzaan’s beautiful illustrations, creates a story that children will want to hear over and over again. The theme of perseverance is woven through the story without it ever being didactic or heavy-handed. This story is based on true events from the author’s life, but I’ll let Ritu tell you more about that.
Welcome, Ritu! Will you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
RA: A little bit about myself: Ritu Anand, author and literary agent. I love to listen to my muse who is seven years old. That’s when I feel I came into my own. I was born in New Delhi, India. As a 17-year-old, when I came to the U.S., I brought with me all the sights and sounds of the various parts of India. Because my upbringing was packed with an overstimulation of senses, I have chosen to unravel them one at a time in my stories. Currently, I live in Sarasota with my husband and Prince, my Bichon Frise (pure-bred). When not writing, I love spending time in nature – hiking, golfing, and discovering the less traversed paths.
EL: What types of books did you enjoy as a child?
RA: Tin Tin and his dog Snowy’s adventures delighted me the most, and I read every single title in that series.
EL: I remember those books! You are both an author and a literary agent. That’s a lot (and of course, I am very grateful you do that since you’re my agent!). How do you manage it all?
RA: Early morning hours are dedicated to my craft, typically from 5 am to 8 am, every day. And then at about 9 am, I wear my agent hat and champion other voices.
EL:Wow! You must be very disciplined. I already mentioned that your book is based on true events from your childhood. Will you elaborate on that? How much is fictionalized?
RA: I AM MY LANGUAGE is about little seven-year-old me, as to how I connected with my heritage. I had about 10 to 12 children watch me read gibberish. But for the sake of the story, I reduced it to one friend and named her Mayooni. This made it more manageable for character descriptions overall and served the story better.
EL: Besides being touched by the story, I learned a few things. For one thing, I had no idea that Punjabi has its own alphabet. Can you please explain a bit about that?
RA: Punjabi is an official Indo Aryan language from the State of Punjab in India and Pakistan. It is written in two distinct scripts: Gurmukhi in India and Shahmukhi in Pakistan. The Gurmukhi alphabet has 35 characters. Punjabi language is one of the languages recognized by the Indian Constitution. The script is written from left to right.
EL: Thank you for that great explanation. Let’s talk about the gorgeous illustrations. Often, we authors have little to no input on the illustrations, but you had a different experience. Will you tell us a little about that?
RA: I visualized all the illustrations – the front cover, every single spread, and all the way to the back cover and guided Maaz Farzaan off and on for 2.5 years, until he absolutely created magic on the page. All the characters in this book are the result of using the black-and-white photos I shared with Maaz. He captured the essence of the message and conveyed it beautifully.
EL: I agree. One last question. Do you have any advice for writers?
RA: Yes. Never stop writing. But always breathe before you write and continue to breathe while writing. After finishing writing and before putting the pen down, take a lasting breath, close your eyes, and be grateful for the time you gave to yourself and to your craft.
EL: Thank you so much for that. I definitely need to remember to breathe in many situations. Great advice for all of us.
To learn more about Ritu, check out her website at https://rituzastoryteller.com
Now it’s time for a ….
This Giveaway is a bit different and very literary! To get into the running, Ritu would like you to share a favorite quote from any book and tell why you chose that. Post it in the comments for a chance to win an autographed hardcover copy of I AM MY LANGUAGE. Good luck!
Until next time,
Ellen
PS: On a personal note, I’m thrilled that the newest version (a reimagination of a reimagination!) of Don’t Eat the Bluebonnets, written by Ellen Rothberg and me, beautifully illustrated by Joel Cook, is available at these links! In order to get the newest version, please use these specific links. Or contact me!
Leslie Eva Tayloe
Posted at 06:55h, 26 MayCongrats on your new book! Can’t wait to read it. A quote from a book I recently purchased is Can Peter and family fly their way to freedom? This is from the book Flight for Freedom by Kristen Fulton. As we celebrate Memorial Day in the US others fight for freedom in other countries.
Julia Wilder Banta
Posted at 08:54h, 26 MayA wonderful interview!!!! I’m blessed to have Ritu as my agent. She has beautifully crafted a story in which the child is the champion and hero of her own story. Something dear to my heart.
Congratulations, Ritu!!! So proud of you!!
Deborah Holt Williams
Posted at 09:00h, 26 MaySuch an interesting interview! a good reminder about how important our language is to our identity.
Ellen L. Ramsey
Posted at 10:30h, 26 MayThanks for the post. Favorite quote:
“But put two librarians’ heads together, and mountains move.” -Richard Peck
Ann Harrell
Posted at 13:02h, 26 MayCongratulations, Ritu! I love the idea of the emotional power and pull of the language of one’s heart.
I recently came across this quote from Katherine Applegate’s book, WISHTREE, that speaks to the richness of blended cultures. It spoke to me!
“Different languages, different food, different customs. That’s our neighborhood, wild and tangled and colorful. Like the best kind of garden.”
Laura Roettiger
Posted at 21:16h, 26 MayA wonderful interview, thanks for sharing Ritu and Ellen. A quote that has stood the test of time from Charlotte’s Web
“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”
Melissa Stoller
Posted at 09:45h, 28 MayThanks for a great interview! I look forward to reading I AM MY LANGUAGE.
One of my favorite quotes of from the book – From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg – ” The greatest adventure lies not in running away but in looking inside, and the greatest discovery is not in finding out who made a statue but in finding out what makes you.”
Ellen Leventhal
Posted at 09:27h, 29 MayI am loving all these great quotes! Ritu, what a wonderful idea! Keep ’em coming, everyone!
Heather Francis
Posted at 19:48h, 31 MayI teach a student population that is 90% Latino, and many speak Spanish at home. I am sure they would resonate with this beautiful book!
A favorite quote is, despite the understandable controversies surrounding the author, from Harry Potter. Dumbledore says, “Ah, music! A magic beyond all we do here!”
As a music teacher, I can tell you that there IS something absolutely magical about the community created when making music together.