Profiles in Children's Literature Discussions with Authors, Artists, and Editors

While teaching at Temple University in 1969, Jaqueline Shachter Weiss had a brilliant idea: Why not expose her students to REAL authors? And why not go further and ask famous authors, illustrators, and their editors to discuss the entire creative process, the back-and-forth process between writer and artist, and the sort of guidance provided by an editor? To preserve these fascinating discussions for future students, Dr. Weiss videotaped each program - thus was born her "Profiles in Literature" series of videos.
This volume summarizes and quotes extensively from these taped interviews, providing an intimate close-up of children's book creators at varying stages in their careers. More than 70 notables, including the likes of Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Maurice Sendak, and Madeleine L'Engle, in interviews that span 25 years, candidly discuss their motivations, inspiration, and the relationship between story and art.

Jaqueline Shachter Weiss is assistant professor emerita at Temple University, where she taught children's literature for many years.