Podcast – Lesa Cline-Ransome: Finding Voice in Picture Book Biographies
A good writer tells a story, a great writer brings the reader into the story. That’s what Lesa Cline-Ransome does and in our book, she’s a picture book biography rockstar!
One of the best ways to render that sense of immersion is capturing the authentic voice of your characters—especially when writing picture book biographies. Award-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransome, author of Before She was Harriet and many other iconic titles, shares exactly how to do that with her own method of asking questions of yourself and your characters.
Lesa’s books have received numerous honors and awards including NAACP Awards, Kirkus Best Books, ALA Notable, CBC Choice Awards, two Top 10 Sports Books for Youth, and an Orbis Pictus Recommended Book. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York with her husband, and frequent collaborator, James Ransome and their family. Visit her at www.lesaclineransome.com.
Listen here:
Want to more of Lesa’s insight into finding the voice of your subject? Get lifetime access to her full Summit presentation SPEAK THEIR TRUTH: CONVEYING THE VOICE OF PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY SUBJECTS on our Picture Book Summit Teachable site:
When writing picture book biographies, how do you balance the authentic voice of your subject with your authorial voice? How much artistic license is acceptable when writing about a person from the past, and how can sources help capture the voice? Renowned picture book author Lesa Cline-Ransome will answer these questions and more.
This keynote presentation contains a 60-minute video and transcript. Get ready to take your biographies to a whole new level!
Jane E. Ruth
March 15, 2023 at 8:41 amWonderful insights from voice per Lea Kline Ransome. Helped me to understand more what voice is, since I struggle with that aspect of writing. How do I know my voice ?