Debut You is an interview feature on Our Stories Matter blog. Debut authors, who have released or have upcoming releases in 2021, 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 Madison Moore and can offer your support. Go here for more “Debut You” features.
Describe yourself in five words, then expound on one of them.
Driven, creative, athletic, excitable, and adventurous.
Something that I love about myself is my ability to find joy in a wide variety of things. It’s really easy for me to get excited about doing something, and I pride myself in trying to notice small moments of any normal day that might bring about some happiness or curiosity. There is no shortage of things that I’m excited to read about, learn about, or experience, and it makes every day contain at least a smidge of delight.
Explain your book’s journey—how long did it take—from idea to publication?
My book had a bit of an unusual publishing journey. I am an associate editor at Albert Whitman & Company, a children’s publisher based out of Chicago. Most of our books come from submissions (both through literary agencies and individual creators), but we also do some in-house idea pitching. In late 2019 and early 2020, right before the pandemic started, I was doing some research on the history of sports for a potential editorial pitch. I was thinking about how the majority of the players in the NBA and the WNBA are people of color, but basketball was invented by a white person in a white space. I knew that there had to be an interesting history in that discrepancy. So, I started researching and found an incredible story. I pitched the book to my co-workers at Albert Whitman, and they were immediately as hooked by the history as I was.
So, I started writing! The writing and research process was about three months long. I was very energized and inspired by the “bubble” NBA games and the visibility of the Black Lives Matter movement in sports during that time. Then, after the manuscript was approved by AW through the normal acquisitions process, I signed a contract in August 2020, about a year before the book’s release. Everything was fairly straightforward from there, though we did switch illustrators, bringing on board the wonderful Lonnie Ollivierre, a few months in.
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?
Balance is so tricky! The flip side of being so excitable is that there are SO many things that I want to spend time doing. I work full time as an editor but also care about dedicating a lot of time to writing, illustration, other forms of art, myself, my friends, my family––it goes on and on. Especially with many activities returning to full speed this summer (compared to 2020), I won’t say I’ve unlocked constant balance in my life. But I let myself take things one day at a time. I set to-do lists that reflect all these different things with the hope I’ll get to dedicate a bit of time to each part of me every week. I don’t always get everything done, and I sometimes push myself too far, but being intentional with my time has helped me a lot.
Understanding your audience is essential. What do you know for sure about the audience you are writing for?
I know firsthand how much basketball can be an essential, exciting, and everyday part of a child’s life, especially a Black child. So, I know that my audience for this book will take learning about this legacy as something personal; the history that I’m telling affirms and celebrates Black excellence across generations. I can’t wait for young readers to celebrate that alongside me.
Tell us about your book.
More Than Just a Game is a picture book that celebrates the history of basketball from a Black perspective, revealing how it changed Black communities and how they made it into the sport it is today. When the sport was first invented, it wasn’t easy for Black people to play. They couldn’t enter segregated YMCAs or attend privileged colleges. So Black Americans made their own spaces, playing in dance halls before the dancing started and eventually forming teams all over the country called the Black Fives. More Than Just a Game rejoices in the cultural revolution of Black musical styles, the domination of unbeatable Black teams, and the Black communities that turned basketball into something joyful and social, a legacy that continues on today. The book also just received its first review––a star from Kirkus!
Madison Moore is an artist, maker, and writer. She’s a graduate of the University of Chicago, and an Associate Editor at Albert Whitman & Company. In her free time, you can find her swimming in Lake Michigan or playing professional ultimate frisbee. Bonnie’s New Old Outfit, her sophomore release, is due out in 2022.
More than Just a Game: The Black Origins of Basketball
Lonnie Ollivierre | Albert Whitman & Company | September 15, 2021 | PB | 32 Pages | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Connect with Madison Moore
Website | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
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