Sometimes, it takes someone else looking at your work to teach you things about it. I love and hate that about writing because, in many ways, your work goes into the world open for different kinds of interpretation and perspective and can leave one feeling very vulnerable once it’s “out there”. Sharing your work can also be an illuminating and deeply fulfilling experience. Like the old adage by Samual Johnson, “A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it.” I have learned so much about my children’s book, Strum and The Wild Turkeys since it was published by Edumatch. I have seen what it does for kids when I read it to schools and communities, and I know of many teachers who have enjoyed bringing it into their classroom, using the activities I have on our site to enhance the experience and make the book a catalyst for work on its themes of inclusion, belonging, being yourself, and the transformational power of music. What I have learned, too, is that my piece, like all works, is a multimodal composition with more layers to unpack, and even study, than I had previously understood.
I first got to know Angela Stockman as a keynote speaker a few years back. We hadn't met. I then picked up one of her books: Make Writing, an essential read for any teacher because it takes writing off the page and helps de-compartmentalize writing showing the multidimensional aspects through making. I got to know her when she was a guest on my previous show, The Personal Playlist Podcast fondly referred to as the P3. (I saved the audio file with every educator on the show from its almost 4 year run.) Her love of music and her ability to weave her personal narratives while unpacking her songs made me feel connected to her and want to know even more about her and her work.
I had the privilege of having a conversation with Angela again last year, and she explained multimodal composition to me. She wrote on page 12 of the Teacher's Guide, "A multimodal composition is a piece of communication, also known as a text, that is made of different modes, including, but not limited to, print." Her books on the topic were still on preorder at the time, and I learned more about the concept through our conversation. During that exchange, Angela asked me about my children’s book. I shared the backstory, how it was catalyzed by a real-world event, how I developed the characters in my mind and then for our illustrator, Alana McCarthy, with a collage of images. I began to see the layers of my own work unfolding through our dialogue. I told her about the song I wrote for the book to extend the chorus that Strum sings in the story. The entire composition of DIfferent Is Good resulted from working with a musician to use my lyrics and melody to create a full song. After hearing the demo version, Sonshine and Broccoli, a children’s music duo, asked to record their own version for their upcoming album (due out any day now). As I went on, sharing the how and why of my process, I understood why the my story was a multimodal composition. What happened next was a beautiful surprise.
Angela wrote to tell me that she wanted to use Strum and The Wild Turkeys for a writing workshop she was doing in the summer. She explained that she would be taking a deep dive into design focusing on the integration of illustration and the relationship between that process and the story, itself. She wrote, “I really want to dig into the design decisions behind your beautiful book and go deep with my kids this summer.” I was shocked and amazed and sent her everything. I gave her the slidedeck with the character collages, the character sketches Alana made to share a sense of the process that we went through as she tried to actualize my vision for the characters. Angela used what I sent including my website where she found the song, and even some press. She shared an interview I had on the news to help the children prepare for an interview about their works. She told me that the kids loved the book and that they sang the song, “unprompted”!! I didn’t know how to share this wonderful turn of events, so I asked her for the words to explain how she had used my book to teach about writing. She wrote, “...you can mention how we used your book and your reflections on the process to study how writing is more than written words. We listened to you speak about the process, we studied the way the illustration came to life, and we thought about how gesture, expression, color, line, and even music rounds out the whole of Strum!” I could not be more grateful that someone I admire so much, who teaches writing to preservice teachers at the university level, would use my writing, and all its multimodal components, to teach about writing.
I was so amazed that it inspired Angela and the participants in her writing workshop. As a result, Alana and I are doing an event this October at The Junction in Toronto to speak about the process behind Strum and The Wild Turkeys with an illustration workshop. I never would have thought of that had it not been for Angela. For those in the Greater Toronto Area, you can find more about and register for this free event at Pinot’s Palette.
You can find Angela’s books including the Teachers Guide to Multimodal Composition for 6-12 and the one for K-5 on her site and in many other places. I highly recommend that you sign up for her weekly blog- it is full of multimodal ways to support the writing process and evolve one's thinking about how we teach writing. Angela will also be on an upcoming episode of OnEdMentors, so stay tuned for that. You can follow Angela on social Twitter , FB, and IG.
Through these kinds of meaningful experiences, I dive deeper into my book and all of the multimodal possibilities it continues to bring me and the people who use it. Thank you so much, Angela!