We have a special treat today. I interviewed one of our own Groggers, author Sue Heavenrich! Congratulations to her and co-author Alisha Gabriel on their new book FUNKY FUNGI: 30 ACTIVITIES FOR EXPLORING MOLDS, MUSHROOMS, LICHENS, AND MORE, published by Chicago Review Press. Read our interview about co-writing a nonfiction book for kids!Tina: How did you come up with
the idea for a book about fungus?
Sue: About ten years ago I
drove off to a Highlights Foundation workshop with a composition book and a
handful of pencils. The workshop focused on writing nonfiction for kids, and
I’m sure I’ve got all the notes somewhere. One thing I remember, though, was
heading down a trail with Alisha (my co-author) and stopping to take photos of
some mushrooms. As we walked and talked, we realized we both had ideas for
books about fungi. I invited Alisha to join my critique group and then, during
the pandemic lockdown of 2020, she emailed me. Remember that cool mushroom from
Highlights? she asked. Let's work on a fungus book together.
Tina: How
long did it take to research and write?
Sue: At the beginning of June
we pitched our book idea to the editor at Chicago Review Press, and asked if
he’d like to see a proposal for the book. He replied ‘yes’ very quickly, so we
set to work writing a proposal. A month later (July 2020) we submitted a
proposal containing a query, a synopsis, a detailed outline of the chapters, a
list of hands-on activities, as well as a completed introduction and first chapter.
He took a few weeks to read it, but we dove into doing preliminary research.
Our book, Funky Fungi comes out on June 21, about two years after
we reached out to the editor.
Tina: You
co-wrote this. How did that work? Did you assign chapters or sections?
Sue: We each took primary responsibility for specific
chapters, or sections within a chapter – topics we were particularly interested
in. For example, I love the idea of fungi turning insects into zombies, so I
dove into bug-related things. Agriculture, too. Alisha was intrigued by
forensic mycology and how mycelium is used to make textiles and building
materials.
We shared sources, sent periodic updates, and shared
drafts of each chapter as we went. When she sent me a chapter, I’d read through
it, add comments or questions, make revision suggestions, and send it back. Revisions
were a back-and-forth thing – and I feel like things went a bit easier with two
sets of eyes (and two writer-brains) focused on the manuscript.
After a few back-and-forths, we’d connect by phone to
read through the whole chapter. One person would type out the line edits as we
talked, and then read them back. Our goal was to keep the author voice
consistent throughout the manuscript.
Tina: How
did you come up with your activities?
Sue: Most of the activities grew out of our experiences at
summer camps, teaching science (me), exploring mushrooms in our backyards, or
questions we had. Like: is it possible to make compost in an old soda bottle? Turns
out it is. Alisha wanted to make a microscope; I wanted to dye a T-shirt with
mushrooms. As we brainstormed a list of potential activities, we also knew that
we wanted to include art and writing along with science. And we wanted the
activities to be affordable and something anyone could do.
Tina: How did you find a mycologist to interview?
Sue: As a freelance journalist, I wrote for a county paper.
I was always on the lookout for local science news, and met Dr. Kathie Hodge
while working on an article about insect-invading fungi. So when we started
thinking about the book, I reached out to Kathie for an interview. She is so
fun to talk with, and I have gained a better appreciation for fungi from that
connection.
Tina: What
is your favorite fungus & why?
Sue: Oh, man! That’s like asking what’s my favorite kind of
chocolate! I have a lot of favorites: bristly lichens that grow on tree
branches; tiny mushrooms with thread-like stalks that grow in my lawn; the
squid-like staghorn fungus that grew beneath a tomato plant in my garden; coral
fungi – oh, and the mushrooms in my yard last summer that folded up like tacos.
Tina: What
is your favorite mushroom dish?
Sue: Prior to working on this book I would not eat
mushrooms. It was a texture thing. I’d pick them off my pizza and out of my
stir-fry and give them to my husband. But as Alisha and I worked on our book,
my hubby said, “how can you write a book about fungi and refuse to eat them?”
So he fried up some baby bellas in olive oil and I tossed them with some
stir-fried veggies and …. M-m-m! Changed my mind.
Tina: Did you have to obtain
the photos for this book?
Sue: Yes, we were responsible for finding photos. In
addition to the usual places to find photos, I reached out to naturalist
friends whose fungus photos I’d seen on Facebook. I am so grateful for their
generosity in sharing the cool mushrooms they found on their walks. Alisha and
I scoured our photo collections, too.
Tina: I
like the term “citizen scientist.” Did you coin that term? Or Where did you
find it? Can you tell our readers what a citizen scientist is?
Sue: “Citizen science,” now called “community science” is
used to describe projects that involve the public in collecting data for
research projects. The idea is that a scientist working alone can only collect a
certain amount of data, but if families and classrooms got involved then more
information could be collected. Noticing which birds come to your feeder in the
winter is one thing, but if hundreds of people keep track of birds that visit
their feeder you have a bigger data set. I’ve collected data for Project Feeder
Watch, and Monarch watch, where we tagged monarch butterflies and reported
where we found them. For the past decade I’ve been collecting data for the
Great Sunflower Project (pollinators), and last summer I participated in a
BioBlitz, posting photos to iNaturalist. Data collected for Project Bud Burst
has contributed to scientists’ understanding of the impacts of climate change.
There are lots of projects waiting for people to get involved. Here are two
places to find projects:
https://www.citizenscience.gov/catalog/#
https://scistarter.org/finder
Tina: What’s
next for you?
Sue: I’m excited to have another picture book coming out in
the fall of 2023 with Sleeping Bear Press, The Pie that Molly Grew, illustrated by
Chamisa Kellogg. I have some ideas for new book projects, so I’ll be doing some
research and taking photos. Of course, I’ll be in the garden. I’ve never
planted kohlrabi before, and I’m interested in seeing how it grows here in
upstate NY. It looks like something one might find in the Herbology class at
Hogwarts!
Sue
Heavenrich a biologist and former high school science teacher. She shares
hands-on science activities and reviews STEM books on her blog, Archimedes
Notebook, and for more than 20 years wrote the science column for Ithaca
Child. Her books include 13 Ways to Eat a Fly, illustrated by David
Clark, and Diet for a Changing Climate: Food for Thought, with co-author
Christy Mihaly.
Sue Heavenrich is represented by Heather
Cashman at Storm Literary Agency
website:
www.sueheavenrich.com
blog:
Archimedes Notebook (archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com)
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SueHeavenrichWriter
Sue’s co-author, Alisha Gabriel is an elementary music
teacher and adjunct professor at Southwestern University. Not only has she used
her writing skills to win four grants to benefit her students, but she’s played
flute and piccolo for video games – and
even a TV commercial! Her books include Good Sports: Elliot Mack,
Quarterback, and Silento: Breakout Rapper
Alisha Gabriel is represented by Heather
Cashman at Storm Literary Agency
Website:
https://alishagabriel.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/alishagabriel.flute
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/alishagabriel
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/alisha_c_gabriel/
