You’ve been giving so many programs at schools since the publication of A Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet and A Woodland Counting Book and now with Where Do Birds Live? Tell us about these. What other kinds of programs and workshops do you give?
If I had known becoming a picture book author would also require me to be a public speaker, I might have thought twice! Even though most of my speaking presentations are for young audiences, I am still shy about giving them. But over the years, I’ve developed some good and, I hope, thoughtful programs. I use big murals that kids can interact with, as well as a lot of hands-on objects. I don’t use any kind of PowerPoint with kids as I feel they get enough screen time in other parts of their lives. It also keeps me more spontaneous while I present. I like being able to see right into kids’ faces and get their excitement of learning something new about nature. I do have a standard slide or PowerPoint presentation for adults, and it’s nice to share my professional work with people who are interested. I’ve also given a few workshops on scratchboard—the medium I’ve used for years—to people of all ages.
In a previous interview, when we asked about your favorite natural areas in Iowa or the Midwest, you mentioned Hickory Hill Park, Lake Macbride and the raptor center, and Kent and Palisades Kepler parks in and around Iowa City as well as Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge outside of Des Moines. Any new favorites?
My family and I visited Effigy Mounds National Monument in northeastern Iowa this past fall. It was a perfect autumn afternoon. An occasional bird called through the yellowing canopy above and a gentle breeze blew as we made our way up the hiking path to the Great Bear mound. Once atop the ridge, along with the mounds, there is a magnificent view of the Mississippi delta below. The people of Iowa have been enjoying this same breathtaking vision of nature for centuries. How fortunate we are to still have places like these to visit. The sheer holiness of the place really affected me. I can’t wait to go back in the other seasons.
What are you working on now?
I keep several book ideas and proposals going and work on them when I get a break from my commercial illustration.
I’m mentally traveling far and wide with my current project. As a former archaeologist, I am terrifically interested in classic civilizations, especially ancient Egypt. I’ve written a picture book about the daily adventures of an Egyptian pet cat. Ancient Egypt is a long way from our Midwest prairies, but that’s the best part of being a writer/illustrator; all the world is mine, from the seat of my studio table!
—Claudia McGehee, Where Do Birds Live?
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