Spinelli Website
http://www.jerryspinelli.com/newbery_002.htm
From the
washingtonpost.com
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Jerry Spinelli is the author of more than two dozen books, including "Maniac Magee," the story of a 12-year-old orphan, which won the coveted Newbery Medal in 1991. His latest book is "Smiles to Go" (see review at right).
Spinelli, 67, lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. When he was in 11th grade, his love of sports led to his first published work: a poem about a football victory that appeared in his hometown newspaper. It was submitted without his knowledge by his father, who knew the paper's sports editor.
Around that time, Spinelli said, "it dawned on me that I probably was not going to be a major league baseball player." Instead he decided to become a writer, although "nobody told me how hard it was going to be."
Spinelli talked to The Post's Sandra G. Boodman about life as a writer, a profession he shares with his wife, Eileen Spinelli.
What were you doing before your first book was published?
"Mostly collecting rejection slips. I was an editor of a magazine for design engineers. I wanted a job that I could forget about at 5 p.m. I wrote 'Maniac Magee' and my first book, 'Space Station Seventh Grade,' on my lunch hour. My first book was published in 1982 when I was 40, and I left my job after four or five of my books were published to concentrate on writing. It was tough at first, but things changed after 'Maniac Magee' won the Newbery."
What is your writing day like?
"Around 10 a.m. I walk up the stairs to work in my office. The hours between 10 and noon are my hard-core writing time. Sometimes that's all the time I put in. I use a computer now, but I was one of the last to do that. I used to write longhand. Usually it takes me about nine to 12 months to write a book.
"The afternoons are when we live. My wife and I venture forth and go to the movies. There's no traffic, and sometimes we're the
Where do you get your ideas?
"There are three sources: memory, everyday life and my imagination. People tend to think that because I have six kids and 16 grandchildren that's where they come from. But I'm not slinking around behind the sofa watching them.
"I explore memories of my own childhood. Even if I don't remember the event well, I remember the feeling. My favorite characters tend to be girls, especially Stargirl [the heroine and title of one of his most popular books]."
How can kids be better writers?
"Read, of course, which is something I never did as a kid. Write about what you care about. I would underline the word 'care.' It sounds very simple, but it's not. It's about trying to touch the reader, and it's going to show. If you don't care about what you're writing about, how is anyone else going to?"
Biography Jerry Spinelli
Born Norristown, PA, US
Current Home Phoenixville, PA, US
When I was growing up, the first thing I wanted to be was a cowboy. That lasted till I was about ten. Then I wanted to be a baseball player. Preferably shortstop for the New York Yankees.
I played Little League in junior high and high school. I only hit two home runs in my career, but I had no equal when it came to standing at shortstop and chattering to my pitcher: “C'mon, baby, hum the pea.” Unfortunately, when I stood at the plate, so many peas were hummed past me for strikes that I decided to let somebody else become shortstop for the Yankees.
It was about that time that our high school football team won a heart-stopping game against one of the best teams in the country. While the rest of the town was tooting horns and celebrating, I went home and wrote a poem about the game. A few days later the poem was published in the local newspaper, and suddenly I had something new to become: a writer.
Little did I know that twenty-five years would pass before a book of mine would be published.
Not that I wasn't trying. In the years after college I wrote four novels, but nobody wanted them. They were adult novels. So was number five, or so I thought. However, because it was about a thirteen-year-old boy, adult book publishers didn't even want to see it. But children's publishers did — and that's how, by accident, I became an author of books for kids.
Life is full of happy accidents.
Sometimes I'm asked if I do research for my stories. The answer is yes and no. No, in the sense that I seldom plow through books at the library to gather material. Yes, in the sense that the first fifteen years of my life turned out to be one big research project. I thought I was simply growing up in Norristown, Pennsylvania; looking back now I can see that I was also gathering material that would one day find its way into my books.
John Ribble's blazing fastball. Dovey Wilmouth, so beautiful a fleet of boys pedaled past her house ten times a day. Mrs. Seeton's whistle calling her kids in to dinner. The day my black snake disappeared. The creek, the tracks, the dump, the red hills. My days did not pass through, but stayed, filling the shelves of my memory. They became the library where today I do my research.
I also get material from my own kids. Along the way I married another children's writer, Eileen Spinelli, and from our six kids have come a number of stories. Jeffrey and Molly, who are always fighting, have been especially helpful.
Ideas also come from everyday life. And from the newspapers. One day, for example, I read a story about a girl who competed on her high school wrestling team. A year later bookstores carried a new book with my name on it: There's a Girl in My Hammerlock.
So there you are. I never became a cowboy or baseball player, and now I'm beginning to wonder if I ever really became a writer. I find that I hesitate to put that label on myself, to define myself by what I do for a living. After all, I also pick berries and touch ponies and skim flat stones over water and marvel at the stars and breathe deeply and grin from ear to ear and save the best part for last. I've always done these things. Which is to say, I never had to become anything. Or anyone. I always, already, was.
Call me a berry-picking, pony-touching star-marveler.
How long have you been writing?
Well, I've been writing since I was sixteen. At first, I wrote mostly short stories and poetry. The first thing I ever had published was a poem about a football game. It was printed in my local newspaper.
What is your favorite book that you've written?
I guess that would be my first published book, Space Station Seventh Grade.
What inspired you to write Maniac Magee?
Actually, there was no particular inspiration – it was time to start a new book, and I thought I'd like to write a book about a kid who was a hero to other kids. That was the starting point. Then I shopped around in my notes and in my head for any ideas that seemed to fit into that original idea.
Will Maniac Magee appear in another book?
I don't have any plans for a sequel, but right now Maniac makes a one-sentence appearance in the early stages of a book that came out before Maniac Magee, called Dump Days.
How many books have you written?
At last count, I've written twenty books, but only sixteen are published. My first four books were not published because nobody wanted them. They were adult books, not kids' books. Now I don't really write for adults or kids – I don't write for kids, I write about them. I think you need to do that, otherwise you end up preaching down. You need to listen not so much to the audience but to the story itself.
Have any of your books ever been turned down by a publisher? What are their titles?
My first four books were never published. Let's see if I can remember their titles. One was called The Shoe, one was The End of the Golden Bears, and another one was called The Corn Goddess. I forget what the other one was called – mercifully.
What was your first book, and how long did it take you to write it?
Let's see – it took about six months to write. I had written three chapters when I got an agent. It took my agent about a year to find the first publisher.
What college did you go to? What did you major in?
I went to Gettysburg College, where the famous Civil War battle was fought. I majored in English. I would've liked to major in writing, but they didn't offer a major in that.
Did you think you would of win one of the Newbery Medals?
No, I can't say that I expected it. It's not something you expect. It's like a gift that's given to you. You don't try to win it.
Where is the one place you want to go the most?
I guess I've already been to the place on the top of my list – that was Egypt. I went to see the pyramids in Egypt, and I even walked in one. I also rode a camel for about twenty seconds! I'd also like to go to Norway. I've always wanted to see the fjords.
Did you ever know someone like Maniac Magee?
To some extent Maniac resembles myself, particularly in reference to his attitude to folks of different races getting along. And his athletic abilities were inspired by an old friend of mine that I grew up with. Basically he's a patchwork of memories and imagination.
What are some of the new books you're working on?
I'm not working on anything right now – I've given myself a sabbatical. I'm doing live chats, and answering mail, and editing manuscripts and speaking at schools. I'm taking a vacation. But there are a couple of books in the works at my publishers' that will be coming out soon. One is a sequel to Tooter Pepperday. It's a chapter book called Blue Ribbon Blues. That should be out next year. My next book will be out in the fall. It's a middle grade novel called Wringer.
Did you ever run away from home and if you did, where did you go?
No, I'm afraid I wasn't the type to run away. As a matter of fact, I got a little uneasy one night when I camped out in the backyard!
What is your favorite food?
Chocolate almond ice cream. Unfortunately, in the interests of health, I can't be eating it all the time!
Were you raised by a black family like the kid in Maniac Magee?
No, but I did play with a lot of African-American kids, and that was part of my inspiration for the theme of the book.
What made you grow up to be a writer?
I seem to have a natural tendency to want to share my own observations and feelings with other people, and writing seems to be the way I'm best equipped to do that.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing when I was sixteen, and I'm fifty-six now, so I guess I've been writing for forty years.
What book was a total breakthrough for you?
Well, I guess I would just say that the first book I had published, Space Station Seventh Grade, was the biggest breakthrough for me. It was just such a thrill after all those years, and having written four books that were unpublished. I was as happy about that first book being published as I was about winning the Newbery Medal.
What book was hardest for you to write?
Maybe my second book, Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush. That book was inspired by two of our kids, Molly and Jeffrey, who were always fighting. It was difficult because I sometimes had a hard time figuring out how I was going to tell the story, since the chapters alternate back and forth from the point of view of the boy and the girl. It was hard to figure out how to keep the story moving when it was being told from two different point of views.
Besides yourself, who is your favorite author?
My favorite author now is Eileen Spinelli, who happens to live in my house here. She's my wife. I'm lucky enough to be the first one to read her books. My favorite of her books is Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch.
When I was growing up, I didn't have much choice of favorite authors because I didn't read very much. But I did like an author named Clair Bee. He was a famous college basketball coach. He wrote a series of books about a high school athlete called Chip Hilton. I also had a subscription to Bugs Bunny comic books.
Now I tell kids to read a lot, though. I think that's why Maniac carries a book wherever he goes. It's my way of making up for not reading very much when I was growing up.
Have you ever wanted to change your career?
Not lately, since I've found an audience for my work. When I was the age of most of my readers I wanted to be a baseball player.
Are you going to write any more books in the School Daze series?
No, I think the School Daze series is over now. At least that's what my editors at Scholastic tell me!
What are your current pets, if any?
Sorry to say, I don't have any right now. For the first time in six or seven years, I'm petless. My rat died recently, and about a month ago my chinchilla, Chichi, died. So I don't have any office mates at the moment.
What interests you besides writing?
Oh, well, let's see. Astronomy, travel, and country music.
washingtonpost.com
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Jerry Spinelli is the author of more than two dozen books, including "Maniac Magee," the story of a 12-year-old orphan, which won the coveted Newbery Medal in 1991. His latest book is "Smiles to Go" (see review at right).
Spinelli, 67, lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. When he was in 11th grade, his love of sports led to his first published work: a poem about a football victory that appeared in his hometown newspaper. It was submitted without his knowledge by his father, who knew the paper's sports editor.
Around that time, Spinelli said, "it dawned on me that I probably was not going to be a major league baseball player." Instead he decided to become a writer, although "nobody told me how hard it was going to be."
Spinelli talked to The Post's Sandra G. Boodman about life as a writer, a profession he shares with his wife, Eileen Spinelli.
What were you doing before your first book was published?
"Mostly collecting rejection slips. I was an editor of a magazine for design engineers. I wanted a job that I could forget about at 5 p.m. I wrote 'Maniac Magee' and my first book, 'Space Station Seventh Grade,' on my lunch hour. My first book was published in 1982 when I was 40, and I left my job after four or five of my books were published to concentrate on writing. It was tough at first, but things changed after 'Maniac Magee' won the Newbery."
What is your writing day like?
"Around 10 a.m. I walk up the stairs to work in my office. The hours between 10 and noon are my hard-core writing time. Sometimes that's all the time I put in. I use a computer now, but I was one of the last to do that. I used to write longhand. Usually it takes me about nine to 12 months to write a book.
"The afternoons are when we live. My wife and I venture forth and go to the movies. There's no traffic, and sometimes we're the
Where do you get your ideas?
"There are three sources: memory, everyday life and my imagination. People tend to think that because I have six kids and 16 grandchildren that's where they come from. But I'm not slinking around behind the sofa watching them.
"I explore memories of my own childhood. Even if I don't remember the event well, I remember the feeling. My favorite characters tend to be girls, especially Stargirl [the heroine and title of one of his most popular books]."
How can kids be better writers?
"Read, of course, which is something I never did as a kid. Write about what you care about. I would underline the word 'care.' It sounds very simple, but it's not. It's about trying to touch the reader, and it's going to show. If you don't care about what you're writing about, how is anyone else going to?"
Biography Jerry Spinelli
Born Norristown, PA, US
Current Home Phoenixville, PA, US
When I was growing up, the first thing I wanted to be was a cowboy. That lasted till I was about ten. Then I wanted to be a baseball player. Preferably shortstop for the New York Yankees.
I played Little League in junior high and high school. I only hit two home runs in my career, but I had no equal when it came to standing at shortstop and chattering to my pitcher: “C'mon, baby, hum the pea.” Unfortunately, when I stood at the plate, so many peas were hummed past me for strikes that I decided to let somebody else become shortstop for the Yankees.
It was about that time that our high school football team won a heart-stopping game against one of the best teams in the country. While the rest of the town was tooting horns and celebrating, I went home and wrote a poem about the game. A few days later the poem was published in the local newspaper, and suddenly I had something new to become: a writer.
Little did I know that twenty-five years would pass before a book of mine would be published.
Not that I wasn't trying. In the years after college I wrote four novels, but nobody wanted them. They were adult novels. So was number five, or so I thought. However, because it was about a thirteen-year-old boy, adult book publishers didn't even want to see it. But children's publishers did — and that's how, by accident, I became an author of books for kids.
Life is full of happy accidents.
Sometimes I'm asked if I do research for my stories. The answer is yes and no. No, in the sense that I seldom plow through books at the library to gather material. Yes, in the sense that the first fifteen years of my life turned out to be one big research project. I thought I was simply growing up in Norristown, Pennsylvania; looking back now I can see that I was also gathering material that would one day find its way into my books.
John Ribble's blazing fastball. Dovey Wilmouth, so beautiful a fleet of boys pedaled past her house ten times a day. Mrs. Seeton's whistle calling her kids in to dinner. The day my black snake disappeared. The creek, the tracks, the dump, the red hills. My days did not pass through, but stayed, filling the shelves of my memory. They became the library where today I do my research.
I also get material from my own kids. Along the way I married another children's writer, Eileen Spinelli, and from our six kids have come a number of stories. Jeffrey and Molly, who are always fighting, have been especially helpful.
Ideas also come from everyday life. And from the newspapers. One day, for example, I read a story about a girl who competed on her high school wrestling team. A year later bookstores carried a new book with my name on it: There's a Girl in My Hammerlock.
So there you are. I never became a cowboy or baseball player, and now I'm beginning to wonder if I ever really became a writer. I find that I hesitate to put that label on myself, to define myself by what I do for a living. After all, I also pick berries and touch ponies and skim flat stones over water and marvel at the stars and breathe deeply and grin from ear to ear and save the best part for last. I've always done these things. Which is to say, I never had to become anything. Or anyone. I always, already, was.
Call me a berry-picking, pony-touching star-marveler.
How long have you been writing?
Well, I've been writing since I was sixteen. At first, I wrote mostly short stories and poetry. The first thing I ever had published was a poem about a football game. It was printed in my local newspaper.
What is your favorite book that you've written?
I guess that would be my first published book, Space Station Seventh Grade.
What inspired you to write Maniac Magee?
Actually, there was no particular inspiration – it was time to start a new book, and I thought I'd like to write a book about a kid who was a hero to other kids. That was the starting point. Then I shopped around in my notes and in my head for any ideas that seemed to fit into that original idea.
Will Maniac Magee appear in another book?
I don't have any plans for a sequel, but right now Maniac makes a one-sentence appearance in the early stages of a book that came out before Maniac Magee, called Dump Days.
How many books have you written?
At last count, I've written twenty books, but only sixteen are published. My first four books were not published because nobody wanted them. They were adult books, not kids' books. Now I don't really write for adults or kids – I don't write for kids, I write about them. I think you need to do that, otherwise you end up preaching down. You need to listen not so much to the audience but to the story itself.
Have any of your books ever been turned down by a publisher? What are their titles?
My first four books were never published. Let's see if I can remember their titles. One was called The Shoe, one was The End of the Golden Bears, and another one was called The Corn Goddess. I forget what the other one was called – mercifully.
What was your first book, and how long did it take you to write it?
Let's see – it took about six months to write. I had written three chapters when I got an agent. It took my agent about a year to find the first publisher.
What college did you go to? What did you major in?
I went to Gettysburg College, where the famous Civil War battle was fought. I majored in English. I would've liked to major in writing, but they didn't offer a major in that.
Did you think you would of win one of the Newbery Medals?
No, I can't say that I expected it. It's not something you expect. It's like a gift that's given to you. You don't try to win it.
Where is the one place you want to go the most?
I guess I've already been to the place on the top of my list – that was Egypt. I went to see the pyramids in Egypt, and I even walked in one. I also rode a camel for about twenty seconds! I'd also like to go to Norway. I've always wanted to see the fjords.
Did you ever know someone like Maniac Magee?
To some extent Maniac resembles myself, particularly in reference to his attitude to folks of different races getting along. And his athletic abilities were inspired by an old friend of mine that I grew up with. Basically he's a patchwork of memories and imagination.
What are some of the new books you're working on?
I'm not working on anything right now – I've given myself a sabbatical. I'm doing live chats, and answering mail, and editing manuscripts and speaking at schools. I'm taking a vacation. But there are a couple of books in the works at my publishers' that will be coming out soon. One is a sequel to Tooter Pepperday. It's a chapter book called Blue Ribbon Blues. That should be out next year. My next book will be out in the fall. It's a middle grade novel called Wringer.
Did you ever run away from home and if you did, where did you go?
No, I'm afraid I wasn't the type to run away. As a matter of fact, I got a little uneasy one night when I camped out in the backyard!
What is your favorite food?
Chocolate almond ice cream. Unfortunately, in the interests of health, I can't be eating it all the time!
Were you raised by a black family like the kid in Maniac Magee?
No, but I did play with a lot of African-American kids, and that was part of my inspiration for the theme of the book.
What made you grow up to be a writer?
I seem to have a natural tendency to want to share my own observations and feelings with other people, and writing seems to be the way I'm best equipped to do that.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing when I was sixteen, and I'm fifty-six now, so I guess I've been writing for forty years.
What book was a total breakthrough for you?
Well, I guess I would just say that the first book I had published, Space Station Seventh Grade, was the biggest breakthrough for me. It was just such a thrill after all those years, and having written four books that were unpublished. I was as happy about that first book being published as I was about winning the Newbery Medal.
What book was hardest for you to write?
Maybe my second book, Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush. That book was inspired by two of our kids, Molly and Jeffrey, who were always fighting. It was difficult because I sometimes had a hard time figuring out how I was going to tell the story, since the chapters alternate back and forth from the point of view of the boy and the girl. It was hard to figure out how to keep the story moving when it was being told from two different point of views.
Besides yourself, who is your favorite author?
My favorite author now is Eileen Spinelli, who happens to live in my house here. She's my wife. I'm lucky enough to be the first one to read her books. My favorite of her books is Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch.
When I was growing up, I didn't have much choice of favorite authors because I didn't read very much. But I did like an author named Clair Bee. He was a famous college basketball coach. He wrote a series of books about a high school athlete called Chip Hilton. I also had a subscription to Bugs Bunny comic books.
Now I tell kids to read a lot, though. I think that's why Maniac carries a book wherever he goes. It's my way of making up for not reading very much when I was growing up.
Have you ever wanted to change your career?
Not lately, since I've found an audience for my work. When I was the age of most of my readers I wanted to be a baseball player.
Are you going to write any more books in the School Daze series?
No, I think the School Daze series is over now. At least that's what my editors at Scholastic tell me!
What are your current pets, if any?
Sorry to say, I don't have any right now. For the first time in six or seven years, I'm petless. My rat died recently, and about a month ago my chinchilla, Chichi, died. So I don't have any office mates at the moment.
What interests you besides writing?
Oh, well, let's see. Astronomy, travel, and country music.