Meeting friends at the NESCBWI Conference
Issue #4 Featuring an Interview with Author Chana Stiefel
Greetings, Readers! Here’s…
~ What’s New ~
I received an email from Kathy Floyd, Marketing Coordinator at Wisdom Tales, with some unexpected news. My book, A Ring for a King: A Tale of King Solomon was reviewed in the May 2026 issue of a Quaker online publication called Friends Journal. Apparently, Quakers are interested in the wisdom of King Solomon! Here’s the link to the review.
Last week, I attended the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference, which was held in Stamford, CT. I saw some old SCBWI friends and made some new ones, too. On Friday, I met up with Judy Shemtob, Marilyn Wolpin, and Vivian Kirkfield. Judy is one of my critique partners and Marilyn is a fellow Jewish KidLit Maven. Last year, when A Ring For a King was published, Vivian interviewed me on her blog.
Vivian also runs the annual #50PreciousWords contest, in which writers are asked to compose a complete story in just 50 words. This year, Judy, Marilyn and I each submitted a story. There were 675 entries! Marilyn’s was chosen as one of the prize winners, and my story was given an honorable mention. You can find out about the contest, Vivian’s blog, and her books on her website.
After the conference, Marilyn and I shared a table where we sold our books. She has a fun story called Bring Back the Bubka! and she brought both cinnamon and chocolate bubka along for people to taste. Yum!
~ Interview ~
This week, I’m sharing an interview with Chana Stiefel. I first met Chana when I was chair of the 2023 Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. The committee had chosen her book, The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs, illustrated by Susan Gal, as the winner in the Picture Book category. Scholastic had arranged a Zoom call so the committee could surprise Chana and Susan with the news.
Fun fact: My husband and I were on vacation at the time of the call. I was using his computer and didn’t realize I had to move a little tab to get the video to work. So I made my big announcement from a blank screen – how embarrassing! Since then, Chana and I have met a few times in person, including at the NYC Jewish KidLit Mavens gathering I mentioned in my May 8th Substack, where I got to read Awe! (Scholastic, March 2026), her latest book with Susan.
Chana: Thanks for interviewing me for your new Substack!
Please give a short summary of your book.
Introducing A. W. E., an Awesome Wondrous Empowering emotion! When chills travel down your spine and sudden tears surprise your eyes. When your heart exclaims, “Ooh! Ahh! Whoaaa!” That’s when you know you’ve found AWE.
This breathtaking journey will take you to the Grand Canyon and the deepest reaches of the sea. It will invite you to share moments of giving and to feel the joy of family and community. It will lift you to the highest heights and make your spirit soar. Experiencing awe has been scientifically proven to spark wonder, improve thinking, and open us up to new ideas. For children living through these turbulent times, Awe! is the perfect book to foster positivity, comfort, joy, and empowerment.
This nonfiction, lyrical SEL book is for ages 4-100+ 48 pages plus back matter
Chana: There are many excellent books for children about managing their emotions, such as sadness, anxiety, and grief. One thing I love about experiencing awe is that it takes us on a multi-faceted, lifetime journey of exploration. Encountering awe in nature, science, sports, the arts, our bodies, other people, and beyond can change the way we think and feel — today and every day. For example, viewing a sky full of stars may make you feel less anxious. Seeing a mind-blowing performance, a ball game, or a work of art may inspire you to try something new or push yourself to improve your skills. Witnessing an awe-inspiring act of generosity or kindness may encourage you to become more generous and kind. Awe can make us more curious, creative, and connected to others, which I believe is exactly what we need during these trying times.
About how long did it take from when you started writing the book until it was published?
Chana: I first learned about awe from a podcast on 10% Happier in February 2023, in which Dan Harris interviewed Dr. Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at Berkeley, who was studying “one emotion that may be the key to happiness.”
I’m always working on a few manuscripts at the same time. They are generally at different stages (ie, research, writing, revising). I sent a final draft to my agent, Miranda Paul, in September 2023. I had published two previous non-fiction picture books with executive editor Dianne Hess at Scholastic: Let Liberty Rise and The Tower of Life. Miranda and I felt that Awe! would be a good fit. And luckily, it was! Dianne has since retired, but it’s been an honor and pleasure to work with her.
The book was acquired by Scholastic in January 2024 and was published on March 3, 2026, so it took three years from idea to publication, which is typical.
Tell us about the writing & editing process for this book.
Chana: My initial drafts felt like a list of the many places where you can find awe. Miranda suggested creating more of an arc or organizing the manuscript in a more structured way. It occurred to me that awe could be found in many contrasting places— ie, small and huge; silent and loud; light and dark. So I started with that idea and then launched into awe in human ingenuity (like building skyscrapers); spirituality; the arts, and human kindness.
Susan and I bonded after the release of The Tower of Life. We discovered that we share many of the same interests, including hiking in beautiful national parks. When I wrote AWE!, I knew that I wanted Susan to illustrate. I’m so grateful she said yes! Unlike other author-illustrator relationships, we collaborated during the illustration process. Susan visited New York from California. We met at Books of Wonder, brainstormed ideas, and worked on layouts together. It was an awe-inspiring experience. As you can see, Susan put her whole heart into this book. The illustrations are jaw-droppingly beautiful.
Here’s a lovely Easter egg: My parents instilled in me a love of the great outdoors. When my mom experiences beauty in nature, she spreads her arms wide, taking it all in. I mentioned this pose to Susan. Notice the child on the cover spreading his/her arms? Readers can find that pose throughout the book!
What did you learn while writing this book?
Chana: I discovered so many interesting facts during my research! Here’s one: Outbursts of “ooh,” “ahhh,” and “whoa” occur in cultures around the world. These wordless responses to experiencing awe were likely a primary language of early humans before the emergence of language about 100,000 years ago!
I also learned to spread my wings and try new techniques. The manuscript for AWE! poured out of me as a lyrical poem, something new that I’ve never done before.
How can we find out more about you and your books?
Chana: For teachers, parents, and caregivers, I’ve created two free downloadable teaching guides to AWE! with educator Sari Kapitnikoff, available on my website. Click here for an educational companion to AWE! And click here for a Jewish learning awe-venture! To learn more, follow me on Facebook and Instagram and visit my website.
AWE’ll the best, Chana.
I did! And I love this photo of you and Susan taken at Edge during your “One AWEsome Day in NYC” press tour. Thanks for giving me permission to include it.
~ Preview ~
Here’s something you don’t see every day – a rainbow reflected on a mountain rising above the sea. Can you guess where this was taken? Check below for the answer.
~ Review ~
To help me get started on this new endeavor called Substack, I’ve been taking an online course with Melissa A. Rosati, who has a Substack named The Signal & the Spiral. The members of our group meet twice a month to learn and share our progress. Melissa also posts videos and articles on her site, which she describes as “a dedicated space for cultivating creative and spiritual intelligence.” If that interests you, take a look at The Signal & the Spiral.
If you subscribe, please let Melissa know you found out about it from me!
Thanks for reading. If you aren’t already subscribed, please do so and recommend this Substack to a friend.
~ Answer to Preview ~
From February 25 to March 12, 2023, my husband and I were on a Holland America cruise that went to several places in New Zealand and Australia. Fiordland National Park is on the South Island of New Zealand. People can visit the mountainous rainforest lands and/or sail through the fiords, known as sounds.
On March 4, our ship sailed through Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound (so named by explorer Captain James Cook because the mountains were so tall, he doubted his ship would get enough wind to sail back out), and Milford Sound (where scenes from the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed). John and I were lucky enough to have a cabin with a balcony at the aft (back) of the ship that offered a panoramic view. It was raining in the morning went we passed through Dusky Sound. By the time we got to Doubtful Sound, the rain had stopped and we were rewarded with this rainbow reflected on one of the mountains. Only the people at the back of the ship could see it, so we were truly fortunate. Sailing through this majestic scenery was truly an AWEsome experience!
For more information about Fiordland, look here.
So long for now, and don’t forget to amuse your Muse!
~ Martha
