Debut You is an interview feature on Our Stories Matter blog. Debut authors who have released or have upcoming releases in 2023 are given six questions to answer about themselves and their book. Currently, the questions are the same for all authors. We hope you enjoy getting to know Rasha Hamid and can offer your support. Go here for past Debut You features.
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Describe yourself in five words, then expound on one of them.
Black, autistic, educator, maker, and activist.
I consider myself a maker. I tend to jump from medium to medium. I’ve been an amateur photographer, collage artist, poet, songwriter/performer, and more. Regardless of the medium, I’m always working to share and reflect on the beauty I notice in the world and to center those whose voices aren’t always uplifted in our society.
Explain your book’s journey—how long did it take—from idea to publication?
I’d been taking bird photos for at least a year, and I had thousands. In 2020, that racist incident with Christian Cooper and Amy Cooper happened in one of Central Park’s best birding areas. I’d already been thinking about a birding book, but that incident helped clarify what I wanted to convey. I started drafting text and illustrations for How to Bird in 2021. I connected with Free Spirit Publishing through a Twitter pitch contest called #PBPitch in October 2021. From that time, it’s taken almost exactly two years to go through the process of editing and illustrating to get How to Bird out into the world.
Belief in oneself is important; besides you, who has been your cheerleader(s) throughout this process?
Many of my current and former colleagues were super excited about How to Bird and even used draft copies to support some of their work with their classes. My husband, Mohamed, and his family (his father collaborated with me on illustrations for my first book, Kadisa كديسة!); my son, Jibreel; my mother, Naomi; and my sisters, Toni, Randa, and Reem, have been so supportive of my creative endeavors. I also received so much great feedback and encouragement from my editor, Alison Behnke, my publicist, Amanda Shofner, other team members at Free Spirit Publishing, and the birding community! So many of my fellow birders saw and heard me talk about my work on this book and encouraged me to publish it.
Understanding your audience is essential. What do you know for sure about the audience you are writing for?
I know that everyone can bird. I’m writing for readers living in cities who might not know how much beauty is hiding in plain sight—or behind a leaf! I know children love to explore and learn about the world around them and that books can be windows to experiences they might not have had—and mirrors that show that Black, Brown, and disabled children enjoy nature, too! Too many books about nature fail to include us.
Tell us about your book.
How to Bird is an instructional text at heart. The book teaches readers how to get started with birding as a focused activity. How to Bird is illustrated with photo collages that include my bird photography, as well as my photographs of students and old family photos. Representation matters, so the children pictured represent many cultural backgrounds and abilities.
YOU did it, congratulations! Your story is going to be read by children or teens, educators, parents, librarians, book bloggers, etc. How do you feel, and are there any other projects in the works—that you can discuss?
How to Bird is actually my second book—but my first being put out by a publisher. I crowdfunded to self-publish my first book, Kadisa كديسة, a lyrical picture book about some of the beautiful places in Sudan. How to Bird has been a completely different experience. It’s amazing to get such positive feedback from librarians, educators, birders, and more! I have another book called Hello, Beech Tree coming out in 2024, also with Free Spirit Publishing. It’s a true story about my class in Brooklyn. I can’t wait to share it with the world!
How to Bird
Rasha Hamid | Free Spirit Publishing | October 10, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Rasha Hamid attended New York City public schools before earning a bachelor’s degree in Africana studies and education at Vassar College and a master’s degree in special education at Bank Street College of Education. She has developed her practice in classrooms in East Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Khartoum, and Brooklyn for over twenty years. Rasha considers herself an educator-activist: someone who works to make the world more just, joyful, equitable, and sustainable through the education of students and teachers. She began creating picture books with her classes to fill the need for books reflecting her students, their experiences, and their passions.
Connect with Rasha Hamid: Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Website
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