A Conversation with 2010 ALAN Award Recipient Jack Gantos
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
S. D. Collins Swinging His Cat: A Conversation with 2010 ALAN Award Recipient Jack Gantos t’s an early Saturday morning in November 2010, books and stories are forgiveness and second chances, and more than 500 teachers, librarians, university and in an interview with BookPage (Meet Jack Gantos, Iprofessors, and adolescent literature aficionados 2007), Jack encourages children to endlessly invent in general have gathered for the annual Assembly on themselves. Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Jack traces his interest in becoming a writer to Teachers of English (ALAN) breakfast in Orlando, as early as sixth grade when he snuck and read his Florida. A portion of the morning’s program is dedi sister’s diary. Once he convinced his mother to buy cated to naming the recipient of the ALAN Award, an him his own journal, he began practicing the simple award that honors those who have made outstand habits that allowed him to become the writer he is ing contributions to the field of adolescent literature. today: He paid attention to what was happening in Receiving the 2010 ALAN Award—and assuming the his world, and he recorded bits and pieces of what coveted (though imaginary) crown, scepter, and sash he saw, heard, and thought. Although Jack described to sport all through 2011—is prolific and ebullient this process as owning “a box full of jigsaw puzzle author Jack Gantos. pieces, and there was no telling if they’d ever fit together” (Gantos, 2002a, p. 21), he developed a Jack Gantos: The Writer certain discipline and ignited an insatiable curiosity about life happening around him. His journals became The ALAN Award recipient may be a publisher, the home of overheard teachers’ lunch conversa author, librarian, scholar, editor, or servant to the tions, maps of his ever-changing neighborhoods, wild organization of ALAN. Most people know Jack Gantos streams of thought, and long passages from books. primarily as a writer, one who “can take a reader from Jack’s journals even served as a repository for an ‘cradle to grave’—from picture books and middle- endless assortment of collected objects, such as a wart grade fiction to novels for young adults and adults” he worked long and hard at extracting from his foot (“Jack Gantos’ Bio and Photos,” n.d., para. 10). Jack’s (Gantos, 2010). productivity and accomplishments as an author, Once Jack began writing books, he was an instant alone, merit him honor as an outstanding contribu success . if you don’t count all the time after high tor to the field of adolescent literature. His books are school that he worked construction for his father, tremendously entertaining; however, it is the balance the 15 months he was a resident of Ashland Federal of physical and emotional events in a Jack Gantos Prison, the years he spent studying creative writing book that subtly hooks readers and keeps them com at Emerson College, or the numerous picturebooks ing back for more. Common threads through all of his he wrote that were rejected—at times viscerally so. 49 HE EVIEW T ALAN R Winter 2012 j49-56-ALAN-Winter12.indd 49 1/24/12 10:34 AM Finally, in 1976, after months of immersing himself in readers, but Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key was named quality books for children, speaking with other writers a National Book Award finalist and a School Library to gain insight into their processes, and “swinging his Journal Best Book of the Year. In 2000, Jack delivered own cat” as a writer, he and illustrator Nicole Rubel Joey Pigza Loses Control, which was awarded a New published Rotten Ralph, bery Honor; he followed with What Would Joey Do? their first of many Rot (2002b). Then—surprising his readers with one more ten Ralph books. As the Pigza book after stating he would stop at a trilogy— Meet Jack Gantos and you endearing gigantic dog Jack published I Am Not Joey Pigza (2007). will find him quick-witted, Clifford, Ralph is red; Targeting older adolescents, Jack wrote Desire however, that is the extent Lines (1997), which is about 16-year-old Walker who honest, appropriately of similarities between the gets caught up in a witch-hunt against homosexu canine and feline. Simply als; Hole in My Life (2002a), Jack’s Printz Honor irreverent, and inspiring. put, Ralph is rotten and and Robert F. Sibert Honor autobiography describing Simply, he makes himself recalcitrantly mischievous. the period of his life after graduating high school in Still, even a cat as rotten which he spends time in prison for drug smuggling, unforgettable. as Ralph needs love and all the while hoping to become a writer; and The Love acceptance, and Sarah is Curse of the Rumbaughs (2006), which focuses on a the person who remains by young woman named Ivy, who must sort out if she Ralph’s side through all of his misdeeds and adven has inherited her family’s curse of excessively loving tures. her mother as well as an aptitude for taxidermy. Jack Then there are Jack’s books geared at interme has even published a novel geared toward adults: his diate-aged readers, the first collection being his Jack jailhouse narrative titled Zip Six (1996). Henry books. Starting with the publication of Heads or Tails: Stories from the Sixth Grade (1994), Jack chron Jack Gantos: The Teacher icles semi-autobiographical junior-high tales of Jack Not only has Jack contributed to adolescent literature Henry and his often-unpredictable life and family. as a writer, he travels the world working directly with This was followed with four other Jack Henry books. students, teachers, librarians, parents, and admin Not a Jack Henry book but still a young adult read istrators. To date, Jack has visited over 500 schools that fuses memoir and fiction, Jack’s latest creation, and has helped tens of thousands of kids and teach Dead End in Norvelt (2011), chronicles “an exhilarat ers develop and write their own stories. He also is a ing summer marked by death, gore and fire” (Review frequent conference keynote speaker and university of . ., 2011). Reviewer Elizabeth Bird (2011) writes, lecturer. Corresponding with Jack via email is similar “Folks, it’s a weird book. It may also be one of the to participating in a frenetic electronic travel log: finest [Mr. Gantos] has produced in years.” Also for intermediate-aged readers (or anyone Hey—I’m just finishing up a two week speaking tour in who was once of an “intermediate age”) are Jack’s Qatar and Dubai. (personal communication, December books featuring Joey Pigza. Jules Danielson (2007) 14, 2010) of Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast: A Blog Hope you are well. Doha (capital city of the state of about Books suggests that in all of middle-grade fic Qatar) has been interesting. (personal communication, tion, there is not a more sympathetic, lovable charac December 16, 2010) ter than Joey Pigza. The first Pigza book, Joey Pigza Gang tackled with work in Boston then shot down to NYC Swallowed the Key (1998), begins, “They say I’m . then took off for a speaking tour in Bangkok . now on wired bad, or wired sad, but there’s no doubt about the flight back from Narita to DC, then back up to Boston. (personal communication, March 5, 2011) it—I’m wired” (p. 1). Thus begins the adventures of Joey—a well-meaning kid who has ADHD and finds Not long ago, during one of his visits to Tennes himself in all sorts of precarious situations when his see, Jack led three separate days of workshops in meds wear off and his moods/behavior become more three different geographical sections of the state (east, difficult to control. Joey not only won the hearts of middle, and west). It takes only a quick glance at a 50 HE EVIEW T ALAN R Winter 2012 j49-56-ALAN-Winter12.indd 50 1/24/12 10:34 AM map to see that Tennessee is a L-O-N-G state. Still, and birds and trees are being their mysteriously Jack being the trooper that he is gave each gathering charming selves. of high school and middle school students an incredi Nature is so constant when compared to the ble presentation. All together in those brief three days, slippery human artifice of language, and watching Jack spoke with nearly three thousand adolescents a squirrel perform only squirrelish tasks reminds and made certain to sign every copy of all the books me of how much time I spend inventing texts that each young person handed him. instead of being myself. What is so lovely about Meet Jack Gantos and you will find him quick- receiving the award is that it feels like a scene from witted, honest, appropriately irreverent, and inspiring. a daydream—some wordless confection indulged Simply, he makes himself unforgettable. Although in when the words won’t come to the paper, and he is a master storyteller and entertainer, most of his I’m staring up at the ceiling and pampering my ego conversations are spent listening to others and making with imaginary awards so I don’t sulk and turn inquiries into their lives. against myself. I can be pathetically juvenile. In the Furthermore, common to all master teachers, Jack meantime, squirrels remain squirrels. Gantos is an encourager. As he accepted his ALAN Award in Orlando, Jack encouraged all of us who SC: Past recipients of the ALAN Award include Robert work with learners—regardless of our grade levels or Cormier (1982), Madeleine L’Engle (1986), Kather our professional roles—to “swing our cats,” to give ine Paterson (1987), Gary Paulsen (1991), Wal every ounce of energy we have to getting children, ter Dean Myers (1994), S.