Newbery Medal Acceptance Speech
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here is a romantic moment, of I’ve been a working writer for quite a sorts, in The One and Only Ivan, while, as it happens. Twhen Ivan, a gorilla who has been without the company of others of I was in college when I started to enjoy his own kind for almost three decades, writing and to think I might even be finds himself sharing a quiet interlude able to string words together for a liv- with a female gorilla named Kinyani. “Is ing. After graduating, among the words there anything sweeter than the touch I effectively strung together were: Hello, of another,” he asks, “as she pulls a dead my name is Katherine, and I’ll be your bug from your fur?” server tonight. Long before I wrote that bit of pri- I didn’t like being a waiter, and I was, alas, mate romance, I wrote another kind. an indifferent and incompetent one, As a matter of fact, I believe I can stand but the alternative—writing—seemed Newbery before you tonight and say, with some like a terribly public way to fail. One confidence, that I am the first Newbery night, however, after dropping a tray of Medal medalist in history to have coauthored strawberry margaritas on a man wear- not one but two Harlequin Temptation ing a completely white suit, I decided to romances. (The Temptation imprint— reconsider my options. I’d like to tell you Acceptance not to be confused with any of the that I was motivated solely by my love of so-called “sweet” imprints—was dis- language and passion for story, but the Speech tinguished by a considerable amount truth is, I was really tired of Top Ramen of what Ivan would have called “face and one-ply toilet paper. licking.”) “You, My Friend, With my talented husband, Michael There are some amazingly talented writ- Grant, I began to write. People even paid Have Potential” ers in the romance genre. us sometimes. And I did fail, but I learned, too. I learned that writing is excruciating. I was not one of them. I also learned that writing is exhilarating. Katherine Applegate In the interest of full disclosure, you Michael and I wrote together, we wrote should know that your 2013 Newbery individually, and we wrote a lot. After medalist, in collaboration with her hus- the romances, I was a ghostwriter for band, planted redwoods like this in the years. I ghosted so much I was positively literary forest: ectoplasmic for a while. I wrote Sweet Valley Twins books, Little Mermaid Laura laced her fingers through his. and Aladdin and Mickey Mouse books, “Time for night school.” Wordlessly books about girls who loved horses and she stationed him next to the horses who loved girls. Eventually, Jean water bed. “Lesson number one. A Feiwel at Scholastic took a chance on a woman’s body is like a piano.” concept we’d created called Animorphs, and it became a long-running, best- Alex smiled roguishly, scalding selling, middle-grade series. There were her with his gaze. “Then you’re so many books in that series that even- definitely a Steinway, baby.” tually we, the former ghostwriters, found ourselves hiring ghostwriters. And so on. So, “late-blooming?” I’m not sure. It’s I should probably note here that it’s quite fair to say that it took me awhile way too late for you to reconsider your to locate my literary sea legs. After so choice of medal winner. many series books, I wanted to write a Katherine Applegate is the winner of book with a beginning, a middle, and an the 2013 Newbery Medal for The One Recently I saw a blog post that described end. I wanted to take risks with writing, and Only Ivan, published by Harper, me as a late-blooming, sprightly fifty- to challenge myself. I wanted to find a an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s six-year-old. (You have no idea, by unique voice (and eventually I did, even Books. Her acceptance speech was the way, how much comedic mileage if it did belong to a gorilla). delivered at the American Library your spouse can get out of a word like Association Annual Conference in sprightly.) “Late-blooming” is perhaps Perhaps that’s why, on this evening of Chicago on June 30, 2013. not quite the right description, though. celebration, the epigraph in The One 6 Summer/Fall 2013 • Children and Libraries Newbery Medal Acceptance Speech and Only Ivan, long attributed to George husband.” At which point Steven asked little guilty about the 47 percent, but hey, Eliot, seems so apt: “It is never too late to me if there were any other life events I I’d won the Newbery, people. be what you might have been.” It’s a sen- wanted to add. I assured him I was quite timent, I think, that appeals to anyone through. It’s a heady and joyous time, those weeks who has ever dreamed a foolish, daring, after the Newbery is announced, but it’s-never-too-late kind of dream. Which With the Newbery come many delights, eventually, reality sets in. You realize that is to say: most of us. including champagne enough to float someone still has to clean the litter box. the Queen Mary and the joy of knowing And it’s why it’s especially gratifying your little book won’t be heading straight And that someone is you. to be here with you tonight, celebrat- to that great remainders table in the ing remarkable books like Three Times sky anytime soon. But it wasn’t until I * * * * * Lucky, Splendors and Glooms, and Bomb, attended the wonderful children’s litera- and glorious illustrated books like One ture conference at Western Washington If I had a dollar for every person who has come up to me this year and said, “You know, I really loved The One and Only “I believe I can stand before you tonight and say, Ivan, but I’ve always despised talking animal books,” I could buy—well, maybe with some confidence, that I am the first Newbery a used Prius, anyway. medalist in history to have coauthored not one but I loved animal books as a child, and two Harlequin Temptation romances. I should if the animals talked to each other, or to humans, so much the better. One probably note here that it’s way too late for you to of the first books I remember my dad reading to me was The Story of Doctor reconsider your choice of medal winner.” Dolittle. When my second-grade teacher read Charlotte’s Web to my class, I was enchanted and heartbroken, in equal Cool Friend, Sleep like a Tiger, Creepy University, a few weeks after winning, measure. That so many people were Carrots!, Extra Yarn, Green, and This Is that I realized the real, the ultimate, perk allergic to animal fantasies was news Not My Hat—and, of course, celebrating conferred by a Newbery Medal. to me. the amazing Katherine Paterson herself. E. B. White wrote in Charlotte’s Web that It was the middle of the day and there Interestingly, those people were always, “it is deeply satisfying to win a prize in was a long line at the women’s rest- without exception, adults. Children were front of a lot of people,” but it’s even room. (Clearly—just as an aside—the willing to give me the benefit of the more satisfying when you get to share world needs more female architects.) doubt. Where adults see problems, chil- the stage with the creators of such bril- When I got there, the line parted like the dren see potential. First-person gorilla? liant and lovely books. Red Sea and everyone said: Go ahead, Sure, why not? * * * * * “That so many people were allergic to animal I was in a hotel room in Richmond, fantasies was news to me . Interestingly, those Virginia, where I’d been celebrating my sister Martha’s fiftieth birthday, when people were always, without exception, adults. I got The Call. We were supposed to fly home to California that morning, but my Children were willing to give me the benefit of the daughter, Julia, had a temperature, and I was Googling urgent-care clinics when doubt. Where adults see problems, children see the phone rang. I remember hearing potential. First-person gorilla? Sure, why not?” Steven Engelfried say, “Newbery Medal,” and I think I blurted, “Are you sure?” I did manage to remember Neil Gaiman’s you won the Newbery. To which I of “You have to write the book that wants to tweet-heard-round-the-world and, with course responded: I can’t do that. I’m a be written,” said Madeleine L’Engle. “And some difficulty, rein in my desire to echo Democrat. if the book will be too difficult for grown- his phrasing. I told the committee, “This ups, then you write it for children.” is the most amazing thing that’s hap- A couple of hours later, a similar scene pened to me since the birth of my son unfolded. I was the next scheduled It’s easy for children to embrace animal and adopting my daughter.” Belatedly speaker, and time was short, and, well, characters, I think, because they’re kin- I added: “Oh, yeah, and marrying my let’s just say I exploited my power. I felt a dred spirits: wild-hearted and possessed Summer/Fall 2013 • Children and Libraries 7 Newbery Medal Acceptance Speech of powers others don’t fully appreci- Nothing, nothing in the world, can do full-grown adults who sit around in our ate—be they the hidden talons of the that better than a book.