Once upon a time, a tired and worried mama and her young boy ducked into a bookstore for both a bit of shelter from the storm and for the love of books. While the wee fella fawns over books about fierce dinosaurs and strapping knights with swords, the mama spied a magical book that drew her from across the room.
That book was Eliza Wheeler’s children’s book Home in the Woods, a story about her own grandma, a story so deeply rooted in her family history that her siblings and cousins acted it out in the woods of their land and a story that in the telling would, unbeknownst to her, inspire this mama to remember that she is indeed capable.
I’m honored to have Eliza join me on this episode and share the long and winding path that brought that story from her childhood play to that mesmerizing book cover that drew me across the room on a cold day in November.
In our show, she tells of how, finally, she had to let go and allow herself to produce next to nothing in a 4 week prestigious fellowship, as the story brewed inside of her. And you’ll cheer alongside me when it finally burst forth. And she shares what it is to write a children’s book that includes hard topics like death and homelessness and have it speak safely to children in a way that builds empathy and understanding of the world.
Her intention is palpable in this book and it’s a joy to hear about that process.
Have a listen!
Mentioned in the podcast
that gorgeous video about the making of the book
Her newsletter Creativi-Tea
Eliza Wheeler is an illustrator and author of books for children. Her first picture book, ‘Miss Maple’s Seeds’ was a New York Times best seller, and her newest book ‘Home In The Woods’ is based on the true story of her grandmother’s childhood experience of living in a tar-paper shack in the woods with seven siblings and their single mom. She has illustrated for numerous books, including the Newbery Honor book ‘Doll Bones’ by Holly Black, and the picture books by Pat Zietlow Miller; ‘When I’m With You, ‘When You Are Brave’, and ‘Wherever You Go’. Eliza was also a recipient of the prestigious Sendak Fellowship in 2017. She grew up in northern Wisconsin, spent 10 years in Los Angeles, and now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Hey! Do you know of someone who would make a great guest on the show? (maybe you?)
Email me tina@kinshiphandwork.com
A huge thank you for the support of our sponsor...Why Knot Fibers
Why Knot Fibers is a small hand-dyed yarn company out of Traverse City, Michigan
Kat Eldred is the founder and dyer behind Why Knot Fibers, a small hand-dyed yarn company specializing in rich nature-inspired tonal colors, as well as farm-to-needle yarns and fibers. She began crocheting and knitting at an early age, though she took a break in her teens before returning to yarn crafts in college.
Kat has also been a musician most of her life, making music with friends and family and songwriting since age 12.
Kat began dyeing after she took up spinning in her twenties and couldn’t find “just” the right colorway she wanted: Enter powdered turmeric and some alpaca roving, and the rest is the colors you see now see from WKF.
Nearly a decade later, she is still playing with color, creating color, making music, spinning, and knitting in Traverse City, Michigan with her husband, Steve and their teens, Liam & Sadie (as well as 2 dogs and 3 cats – much to their annoyance, are NOT allowed in the studio).
The business name came from a phrase that Kat says quite often “Sure! Why not?”
#17 - what a NY Times best seller does when she's drawing a blank, literally