Gail Carson Levine Takes A Character Political... And She's Joined By Other Children's Book Authors and Illustrators

Would you take one of your characters and put them out on social media saying who they would vote for?

In a recent message for Authors and Illustrators for Children, Gail Carson Levine, author of Ella Enchanted, did just that.

Gail Carson Levine's message that Ella of Ella Enchanted would vote in the upcoming U.S. Presidential Election

Gail wrote:

“Some of you may have seen my "Ella Would Vote" piece on social media in 2018, which I am releasing again. If you haven't, the idea is that Ella of ELLA ENCHANTED, once she threw off the curse of obedience, would never fail to exercise her options, and she would always vote. I'd love it if all the writers and illustrators in AIC would write something for the characters they've created along the same lines of "___ Would Vote", because we write or draw characters who have opinions and agency, even if they're kids or animals.

Our characters are likely to hit a soft, unarmored place in our now grown-up readers, or in parents who are reading our stories to their children. We can end by saying that we (and our characters) plan to vote for Biden-Harris.

Many writers and artists are worried about the possible effect on sales if they bring a character into the political arena. But look at what we are facing! It’s time to stand up for our children’s future...”

And it's not just Gail! Dan Gutman joined in, posting:

I hope that ALL the characters in my books would vote if they were old enough. It’s our civic duty. But I know one character for sure who would do ANYTHING to make sure he cast his ballot--Judson Moon from “The Kid Who Ran For President.”

And Iza Trapani, posting:

"Gabe & Goon & Vole & Troll would vote because they learned that friendship is more important than differences!" says @IzaTrapani. "I'm voting for #BidenHarris to rescue & reunite our country!" Thank you, Iza! #SaveDemocracy #ForOurChildren #BlackLivesMatter #Equality #AIforC2020

And Alex Flinn, posting:

"Kyle in Beastly would #vote for #BidenHarris because he'd want a president to end this pandemic & make it safe to go out. During his quarantine, Kyle developed kindness & compassion. He knows how important it is for those in power to care about others." @alex_flinn #AIforC2020

What's Authors and Illustrators for Children? As they explain on their website,

WE ARE OVER 1,000 AUTHORS & ILLUSTRATORS
DEDICATED TO A FREE, TRUTHFUL, AND SAFE AMERICA FOR ALL CHILDREN.
Authors & Illustrators for Children (AIC) is an organization of children’s book creators and associates committed to vote, campaign, and speak out for candidates and policies to create a safe, healthy, and inspired future for children everywhere.

You can find out more by following the hashtag #AIforC2020 and at the organization's website, https://aiforc.org/

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Listen to SCBWI's Newest Podcast: A Conversation with Gail Carson Levine

Gail Carson Levine’s first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a Newbery Honor Book. Levine’s other books include Ever, a New York Times best seller; Fairest, a Best Book of the Year for Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal, and many others. In this conversation with Theo Baker, Gail shares about her career, her process, and some of the lessons—and techniques—she’s learned along the way.

Listen to the episode trailer here.

Current SCBWI members can listen to the full podcast here (log in first!)

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-conference Interview: Author Gail Carson Levine

Our series of TEAM BLOG interviews with Annual Summer Conference faculty continues as Martha Brockenbrough features award-winning author Gail Carson Levine on her WWA SCBWI blog.

Gail will be offering a conference keynote address, SWEAT AND MAGIC, and will give a workshop on INFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FICTION WRITING.

Here is a bit from Martha's interview with Gail:

"There's something so magical about Gail Carson Levine's stories. Her first, Ella Enchanted, reimagined Cinderella; in it, Ella is cursed to be obedient--an absolutely genius touch. That book won a Newbery Honor Book in 1998, and eventually became a movie starring Anne Hathaway.

You could call Gail Carson Levine the queen of fairy and princess stories. Later works include Fairest, a beautiful twist on Snow White, as well as several works in the Disney Fairies series...:"

Click here to register for the Annual Summer Conference.