Debut You is an interview feature on Our Stories Matter blog. Debut authors, who have released or have upcoming releases in 2020, are given five questions to answer about themselves and their book. Currently, the questions are the same for all authors. We hope you enjoy getting to know these new authors and can offer them your support.
Describe yourself in five words, then expound on one of them.
Excited, focused, learning, determined, and honored.
I’m excited to start my career as an author. I have so many stories bottled up inside me. I’m focused on telling inspiring stories for kids. Since I’m still new in this journey, I’m constantly learning about myself as a writer. I am determined to push the boundaries of black narratives for kids. I think it’s important to paint worlds that kids haven’t seen before. I think being an author and being one of the few black voices writing for kids is an honor.
Explain your writing procedure, such as how you come up with ideas, carve out time to write (or, if you can write anywhere at any time during the day), deal with writer’s block, or anything particular or peculiar.
I come up with ideas based on things I know or am interested in. I find inspiration everywhere, even in my sleep (I have a little notebook filled with dream-ideas by my bed). I like to write in the morning and redraft/edit in the afternoon. I can only write where there is COFFEE, lol. I love to write at local coffee shops or in my tiny home office. I am often writing (at a minimum) 3-4 different things. At the moment, I am redrafting the next book in The Noisy Classroom series, I am working on a poetry book, I have two TV scripts I’ve been workshopping, and I am mid-way through a YA book. With all these projects in the works, I don’t often get writer’s block, but if I am ever stuck, I just shift projects and continue writing.
Balance is the key to successful living. How do you balance the act of writing with other priorities, such as your job, family or fun activities, and self-care?
I balance by keeping (and sticking to) a schedule. I live by digital and print planners (something I learned as a teacher). I make sure to write things down and check them off when completed as well as limiting the time spent on projects so I can have time to do other things. I have the luxury of working as a consultant and freelancer so I can create my own schedule, and I maintain the same protocol with work: setting limits to when I am responding to emails, taking calls, etc.
Understanding your audience is essential. What do you know for sure about the audience you are writing for?
When I am writing for kids, I rely on my experience (and degree) in education. I’ve been working in the field of education for 15+ years. Most of my stories for kids are pulled from my time working with kids, which helps with voice and character development. It also helps that I work as an educational consultant at the moment, so I am usually around kids and teens often.
Tell us about your book.
My debut book is called, The Noisy Classroom. It’s about my class, in a sense, and the students that were in my class. The book follows a third grader as she is about to start school in Ms. Johnson’s noisy class. We see her worry and plan to run away to Antarctica because her new class is ‘odd’ and very different from the class she’s known in the past.
The Noisy Classroom (Alison Hawkins, Illustrator, West Margin Press, Picture Book, 32 Pages, May 5, 2020)
Angela Shanté is writer, poet, editor, and educator, with a Masters in Elementary Education and an MFA in Creative Writing. She has taught elementary school for ten years. In her own classroom, she believes in having fun, playing games, moving around, dancing, and enjoying the education experience, even if it occasionally gets loud. Angela lives in Los Angeles, California.
Connect with Angela Shanté
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook |YouTube (The Noisy Classroom Trailer)
