Don Tate is the award-winning author and the
illustrator of many wonderful books for children. In addition to
children’s books, Don also licenses his art, My Peepz, a group of African American
characters, is marketed to ‘tweeners and has been a hit in the calendar market.
Don has worked as a graphics reporter and as a
publication designer. In addition, he was the art director at an
advertising and market research firm and a graphic artist at a print
shop. He also flipped burgers in high school and swept floors at the
mall! He was
born in Des Moines , Iowa ,
and currently resides in Austin ,
Texas with his wife and son. In
his spare time, Don is a gym-rat, having competed (in better fit days) in body
building.
You can connect with Don on Facebook or his website at www.dontate.com. Here are
some of Don’s fabulous books:
It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started To Draw, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, (Lee & Low
Books, 2012)(ages 4-up) was his debut as an author, and won the Lee & Low
New Voices Award and the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor in 2012.
Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton,
written and illustrated by Don Tate, will publish in September of 2015.
The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch (Eerdmans Publishing, April,
2015), written by Chris Barton has received a starred review from Publishers
Weekly.
The Cart That Carried Martin (Charlesbridge, Nov. 2013), written by
Eve Bunting, is a Junior Library Guild Selection.
Hope’s Gift (Putnam Juvenile, 2012),
written by Kelly Starling Lyons, is a Winter/Spring Okra Pick by Southern
Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA).
Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite (Charlesbridge, 2011), written by Anna
Harwell Celenza, has been recognized in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times holiday
guides.
She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story (HarperCollins, 2010), written by
Audrey Vernick, is a Junior Library Guild selection.
Ron’s Big Mission (Dutton, 2009), written by Rose Blue
and Corrine Naden, is a Junior Library Guild spring 2009 selection.
Summer
Sun Risin’ (Lee &
Low Books, 2002)
Say Hey: A Song of Willie Mays (Jump at the Sun, 2000), illustrated
by Don Tate.
Trade Books:
Black All Around! (Lee & Low Books); The Hidden Feast (August House, 2006)
The Legend of the Valentine(Zondervan, 2002)
Don is one of my idols. His art is
beautiful and we love his books at our house! Though I’ve not yet met him in
person, he’s been wonderfully friendly and approachable. He didn’t hesitate to
agree to participate in our little Soiree, and I can’t thank him enough!
And now, I’m proud to
present…. Don Tate! (Booming applause…….)
How did your interest in writing start and what inspired
you to write your first book?
After illustrating books for many years, some of my writer
friends suggested that I write, too. At the time I felt unconfident about my
ability to write (and about punctuation and grammar and proper English and so
on). Instead I started blogging about my journey as a children’s book creator, figuring so what if my participles dangled
in an informal blog post. My writing friends read the blog, enjoyed my writing,
and encouraged me to put that energy into children’s book manuscripts instead.
When I got past my fear of words, I wrote my first book, IT JES’ HAPPENED: WHEN BILL
TRAYLOR STARTED TO DRAW (Lee & Low Books).
How long did it take you to see your work in print and did
you have an agent before you published?
I’m very lucky. I saw my work in print
immediately upon graduating college—I worked for a print
shop! It wasn’t books, but makes no difference. There’s nothing like seeing
your creations in print. Soon I took a job at a local educational publisher as
a book designer. Because I could illustrate, I was also given the opportunity
to illustrate book covers, posters, all sorts of educational aids. After many
years of developing myself as an illustrator of books for the educational
market, I snagged my first trade contract with Hyperion Jump At The Sun. Andrea
Pinkney was my first editor and, no, I was not agented at the time. After a few
book were published, I was approached by an agent.
As a member of a multiracial family I've noticed a very
deep need for more diverse characters and books for children. How do you choose
subjects that include diverse characters/story lines and how are these
manuscripts generally received by publishers?
As an African American illustrator, I was advised early on
in my career by editors, agents, publishing industry professionals that my foot
in the door to publishing would be by filling a niche—illustrating manuscripts
by and/or about African Americans. I followed that path and it has been a good
one for me. When reading a new manuscript or choosing a subject to write about,
I prefer stories about real people, little-known but inspirational historical
figures who have overcome great obstacles. My stories have been well received
by publishers, I’ve sold (my agent, Caryn Wiseman has sold) just about
every one that I have written.
Do you have a favorite character or book from your work?
Whatever I’m working on currently is my favorite—it better
be! But honestly, all of my books have special meaning for me. IT JES’ HAPPENED was my first authored book, and it won an Ezra
Jack Keats New Writer Honor Award. That gave me the confidence to keep writing,
so I’d have to say that IT JES’ HAPPENED has an extra
special place in my heart.
Where or when do you get or have gotten your best
inspiration for stories?
From writer friends. I belong to several critique groups.
Several of the books that I have written happened because a writer friend
suggested a subject. With IT JES’ HAPPENED, it was author Dianna Aston
who suggested I write Bill Traylor’s story. With POET,
author Chris Barton suggested I write about George Moses Horton. My mom, who is
always looking to inspire me, mailed a book to me about black historical
figures. Paging through the book one day, I came across the name of William
Still, known as the “Father of the Underground Railroad.” That became my next
book.
Have you ever really disliked something you wrote that
others loved?
No, but I find myself editing my printed words all the
time. I’ll read one of my books at a school, and I’ll come to a word and think, “Hm, why did I choose that
word? And wouldn’t another word work better?” I’ll read the book with the new word.
When you are working on a manuscript, do you direct your
characters or do they direct you?
Because I write nonfiction, and everything needs to be
based upon facts, my characters direct me. I dig for facts, and present them as
truthfully—and artfully—as possible.
Do you work on more than one genre or manuscript at a
time?
I always have several projects in the works, in differing
stages. Right now, I’m completing illustrations on one book.
I also completed thumbnail sketches for the next book. I’m expecting an editorial letter any day now for two other
books I’ve written. And I will soon work on revisions for a short
story that will publish in an anthology.
How do you organize your research, manuscript drafts, etc.
With my first book, there was a learning curve. I did not
organize my research very well at all. And towards the end of the process, I
had a big mess to clean up. With succeeding books, I use Google Docs, I keep
notes attached to my word processing file, browser bookmarks, etc. Pinterest
has become a huge research tool for me. When searching visuals, I create
Pinterest pages and pin sources that I can refer to later.
Is writing/art your only career? If not, what else do you
do professionally?
Bookmaking is my full-time career. But I’ve discovered that speaking is a big part of the
bookmaking, so I do a lot of speaking at schools, conferences, bookfairs.
If you could be a superhero, what would your powers be and
why?
I’d fly. When I sleep at night, in just
about every dream I have, I can fly.
What an interesting post! I would love to think that most everything I write will be published. Congrats to Don on a soaring career!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Kristi. He's such a fascinating man and so very talented!
DeleteWhat an interesting post! I would love to think that most everything I write will be published. Congrats to Don on a soaring career!
ReplyDelete