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Connie Porter
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Connie Porter, author of all six books about Addy Walker in the American Girls Collection, knows a lot about family. After all, she is the eighth of nine children. She blends a love of history and her talent for writing about family relationships to bring Addy to life in the time of the Civil War. We recently asked Connie about her American Girls books and here's what she told us.
Kids Reads: When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
Connie Porter: I really started writing when I was 14 years old and my parents gave me a typewriter. It was a very big sacrifice for them at the time, since we had nine kids and did not have a lot of money. I started writing poetry --- very bad poetry, but you have to start somewhere.
Later I attended Albany State in New York, and graduated with a degree in English. I also earned a master's degree in creative writing and taught high school for four years. All of these things were important on my path to writing my first book, ALL-BRIGHT COURT, which was for adults and was published in 1991. Soon after that, I was asked to work on the Addy books.
Kids Reads: How is writing historical fiction books, like the Addy stories, different from other kinds of writing?
Connie Porter: The biggest challenge of the Addy books was trying to explain a very complex idea --- slavery --- to younger readers. I also wanted the books to be entertaining; I don't want to bore kids to death with information.
Kids Reads: What kind of research did you do for the Addy books?
Connie Porter: I traveled to Philadelphia and visited lots of museum exhibits and I was very lucky to work with an advisory board (a team of experts) made up of educators, historians and museum curators. They provided me with lots of information and I could ask them all sorts of questions when I needed to.
No matter where you live, I would encourage you to visit any museums, monuments or historical sites in your town. It's amazing how much you'll discover.
Kids Reads: How did you create the character Addy Walker? Is she modeled on anyone you know in real life?
Connie Porter: I didn't have a specific person in mind when I created her. But Addy was a chance for me to give a voice to someone who would not have had a voice in her own time. I also started thinking about my ancestors and all the brave and hardworking women in my family who had gone before me. I wanted these books to be a tribute to them, so I dedicated the first Addy books to my grandmothers.
Kids Reads: What is your favorite thing about writing the Addy books?
Connie Porter: The books have given me the opportunity to visit schools and go out and talk to young people about history. I want children to see that it is important to be connected to the past. With Addy, I'm glad that I've helped children see history come alive.
When kids see themselves as part of history, it means more to them. One great example is the recent home run race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. I like telling kids that they are a part of this historic event --- it's a story they can tell their grandchildren.
Kids Reads: What advice do you have for kids who might like to be writers?
Connie Porter: My best advice is to tell them to read --- I think it's even more important than writing at first. When I was a kid I didn't write all the time; at that age I was just living and having fun. You need to have some adventures so you have things to write about.
It's important to take silent time to be reflective, to read, and to engage your imagination. Books help you do that better than any movie or TV show. With books you learn to make words come alive in your own way.
--- Interview by Shannon Maughan
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