Ep 10: Finding Ways into Story: Christina Soontornvat on Listening to Songs 500 Times and Earning Endings

Kidlit Happy Hour

Nov 14 2023 • 46 mins

Highlights from this episode with Christina Soontornvat include:

  • Crying on planes and the power of music to unlock stories
  • Giving ideas the time and space to gestate (like babies!)
  • Feeling a way through story with intuition
  • The tension between confidence, pressure, and a constant pull to make other people happy

Christina Soontornvat is the beloved author of over a dozen books for children of all ages. Among countless other awards, Christina has received three Newbery Honors. The first two were both in 2021 for her middle grade fantasy A Wish in the Dark as well as her non-fiction account of the cave rescue of the Thai boys' soccer team, All Thirteen. She earned her third Newbery honor just this past year for her dazzling fantasy adventure The Last Mapmaker. She is also a former mechanical engineer and educator, and an all-around brilliant human and activist.

IG: @csoontornvat

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