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| Janell Washington (photo: Class Style Productions) |
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On Monday, January 30, Janelle Washington won the 2023 Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award for her illustrative debut, Choosing Brave (Roaring Brook Press), written by Angela Joy.
Congratulations! Choosing Brave is a picture book about how Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till helped spark the civil rights movement. How did you get involved in this project? What did you think about the text the first time you read it?
I got involved in this project after receiving an e-mail from Roaring Brook Press editor Connie Hsu in March 2020. Connie told me she could envision my paper cuts and silhouettes bringing Mamie's story to life and asked if I would be interested in reading the manuscript. I responded yes, and she e-mailed it to me. I printed the manuscript and read through it; after one reading, I was in tears! I absolutely loved Angela's style of writing. I felt like I was reading the words of a song or poem. While reading the text, I started to visualize potential art for the book and knew I wanted to be a part of bringing Mamie's story to life.
Your artist statement on your website says, "Using paper as my medium, I unearth forgotten or untold stories that highlight the struggles and perseverance of Black people in America. I explore themes of history, identity, family, and feminine beauty in Black culture." Did this story feel like a perfect fit for you?
Yes, this story was a perfect fit, especially as my debut book! I grew up knowing about Mamie and Emmett's story, but the focus was always on what Mamie did, not so much on who she was outside of being Emmett's mother. I strongly felt that the information Angela unearthed on Mamie needed to be read by everyone, and I was honored to be a part of telling her story.
Did you have an immediate vision for the illustrations? Did it feel to you like the text lent itself to a specific kind of look?
I did have immediate visions for some of the illustrations. Some of the text is very descriptive; I could envision what was happening in and around Mamie's life while reading the manuscript.
The text did lend itself to a specific look. At the beginning of sketching, there was text I had issues figuring out the placement of the art for. I didn't want the art to overpower the text, so I had to regroup and focus on allowing the art to tell its own story while keeping the focus on Mamie. Doing this allowed me to simplify the art and created a ripple effect where Angela went back and changed some of the text so it would work with the illustrations.
You used a very limited palette for Choosing Brave. Why is that?
I used a limited palette for Choosing Brave because the focus was on Mamie's story rather than her life's background noise. Learning more about her, I also felt like her life lacked a lot of colors. She grew up a child of the Great Migration, so she was leaving the scariness of the South. Her father walked out of her life at a young age, and she married a problematic man; she had many troubles in her life. Even watching documentaries of her, she didn't smile that much, so I wanted each color I used to have a special meaning. In Choosing Brave, Mamie and Emmett's love and connection to each other are strong. I used colors that represented them and showed their bond. The primary colors, red for Mamie and blueish green for Emmett, not only represent each person, but the meaning of the colors changes and moves throughout the story to go along with the feeling of the text.
Your statement also says, "My work represents the act of understanding and appreciating those that came before me, giving space to their struggles and achievements while highlighting the joy and beauty of being Black in America." How does it feel to win a Coretta Scott King Award for a book about Mamie Till-Mobley?
It feels fantastic! I am so honored to win for my first illustrated book! Last year I attended ALA in Washington, D.C., for the first time with the Macmillan team and attended the Coretta Scott King Breakfast. Sitting at the table with Angela and the team listening to the winners speak, I felt proud and happy for everyone. Before this, I didn't even know that there was a CSK breakfast, and just being there I felt like I was a part of something bigger than myself. While there, I even dared to think that it might be me on the stage one day. So, to come full circle so quickly is surreal!
Your illustrator's note at the end of the book talks about all the research you did to get into the right place to create the art for this book. Would you tell our readers more about that research and its importance to your process?
As a paper-cut artist, I love research; this is the first step I take for any art I create. Focusing on research before sketching helps me mentally pinpoint what is essential to the design. I re-read the manuscript several times, underlining important words and descriptions, and Googled keywords to help me see the bigger picture. For example, Googling the words whistle or wolf whistle led me down a rabbit hole that eventually got me thinking about what is sound and how to show sound. Doing this research gave me the idea of using the sound wave connected to the train to show Emmett moving from one location to another. In a way, researching is almost like paper cutting before cutting. I gather all my information and "cut away" to determine the artwork's overall composition.
Are you working on anything now?
At this point I am in conversations with my agent, Adriana Dominguez, focusing on what type of books I would like to illustrate, what stories I would like to tell and hoping a manuscript that will connect with me like Angela Joy's writing will make its way to me. Outside of that, since I am a fine artist, I am currently creating paper-cut art for my August solo show focusing on mental health.
Is there anything else you'd like to tell Shelf Awareness readers?
Let's continue to amplify stories like Mamie Till-Mobley while also standing up against the forces that create circumstance where a story like Mamie's must be told. --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness