Snacks: We read in your interview on the Elevensies that listening to audio tapes of the Gee’s Bend quilters helped you create Ludelphia’s voice. How did you go about conducting research for Leaving Gee’s Bend including the witchcraft?

Snacks: Were there legal rights to photos or research involved?  

Irene: Again, fortunately, all the photos are part of Arthur Rothstein's 1937 work for the Farm Securities Administration, so they are in the public domain.  Arthur's daughter Ann lives in New York City, and she asked for a copy of the novel to include in her archives. 

Snacks: How long did it take you to write Leaving Gee’s Bend and what was your writing routine? Did you need to juggle children, other work schedules, etc.?

Irene: I saw the exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art in the fall of 2003.  I spent the next two years researching, then, for the two years after that, I worked on stories set in 1932 Gee's Bend.  The book sold in fall of 2007.  During that time I continued to publish in the poetry market, including a fulll-length collection, mothered my three sons and did accounting work for our family business.  So yes, lots of juggling!  What works for me is to set short-term goals -- like right now I am writing 500 words a day for two months.  This, after not writing for two months.

Snacks: What was your submission process like? Did you have an agent? 

Irene: I really wanted to get discovered off the slush pile, so my early submissions were to editors.  But after a few warm rejections that took months to get back to me, I got impatient and decided to pursue an agent.  I only queried the one - Rosemary Stimola.  The first time I submitted, she rejected me.  It was a Gee's Bend story but written as a novel in verse.  So I decided to rewrite the story in prose.  The second time I submitted, she said "yes!" and sent my manuscript to Putnam, where it soon found its home.

Snacks: Your book trailer is wonderful. Tell us how it was developed and about the interviews.

Irene: Thank you!  I really wasn't planning to do a book trailer, but then I was lunching with Lindsey Leavitt, author of Princess for Hire, and I had this idea to interview kids about the words of wisdom their mamas give them, as this is a big theme in Leaving Gee's Bend.  I interviewed over one hundred kids, then sent my raw footage to a friend.  I still tear up sometimes when I watch them talking.

Snacks:  How did you interview so many children for your book trailer? Did you need to get permission from the school or get signed slips from cautious parents?

Irene:   I have been active in the schools since my poetry book (for adults) came out in 2007, so I've forged some good relationships with educators and after-school groups, like Girls, Inc.  I had to explain the project to parents and get a signed media release for all the kids before I could film them.  I even filmed some of the parents and teachers giving their responses.  Those didn't make it into the finished project, obviously, but they certainly made the experience all the richer.  And what I found was that a great deal of enthusiasm was generated for the book just by involving the community in my project. 

Snacks: Paul Fleischman talks about serendipity being an essential ingredient in creativity. What serendipitous events led to your going to the exhibit for the Gee’s Bend quilters that ultimately resulted in your book? 

Irene: I love Paul Fleischman!  And yes, serendipity is a beautiful thing.  My husband and I actually arrived in New York on the closing day of the exhibit.  For whatever reason, I was insistent that we see the quilts, even though it meant jumping in a taxi and heading straight from the airport to the Whitney.  Then, when we got there, the line was wrapped around the building!  Again, for whatever reason, I knew I wanted to brave the brisk air and wait for our turn.  And sure enough, I saw those quilts, and it changed my life. 

Snacks: What yummies do you snack on while writing? 

Irene: Must. Have. Chocolate.  Preferrable dark.  The darker the better.  And on late nights or early mornings, a nice cold glass of chocolate milk.