Eloise Greenfield writes books that depict everyday life of African Americans.
 What is your writing process like?When I'm writing, I hear music in the words. I think all language has music. It has melody. When I'm writing poetry, I want to hear that melody. When certain words come to me as if by magic, I hear the music in them. Then there are the words that don't come; I have to work for them. I have to work for that music and work for the meaning, the alliteration, the sounds—all of that. My writing is a combination of magical experience and struggling very hard to create something. Read more at teachingbooks.net. I go to the land of words, for I am at home there, and never leave for long. From her poem: "I Go the the Land" (2004) | In Her Own WordsWhy do you write children's books?My primary mission remains the same. Although the situation is not now as desperate as it once was, there is still a need for more children’s books that document our existence and depict African Americans living, as we do in real life, a variety of lifestyles. I’d like to see this body of literature continue to grow, and I want to contribute to it. Read more at thebrownbookshelf.com. What do you hope your books can do for children?My thrust…has been to write for children and to try to enhance their love for words, because I think children are all born with this love for language and words….I want to make them laugh. I want to give them ideas. I want them to see how beautiful they are. I want them to be reflected in my work, and I want them to love literature. (To hear and see her say more, watch the video below.) |
