Interviews and Media
I chatted with “Mutually Inclusive” about how and why I wrote the picture book Walking for Water: How One Boy Stood Up for Gender Equality (ill by Nicole Miles, Kids Can, 2021). Here’s the link. And here’s an excerpt:
MI: What was the research process like for this book? Did you get to travel to Malawi or meet Victor in your research?
SH: No, I wasn’t able to do either, however in order to ensure the story was as authentic as possible, I reached out for help to many people. For example, I connected with journalist Tyler Riewer who generously answered as many as my questions as he could about his experience meeting with, and talking to, “Victor” in his village.
Malawian-born journalist Victoria Maele read and authenticated several drafts of my manuscript and answered many questions about content details. Malawian professor Lucinda Manda-Taylor read the final manuscript and reviewed the illustrations, focusing on ensuring the visuals accurately reflected life in a village in this specific part of Malawi. Wherever they found mistakes or discrepancies in the story or illustrations, we changed these details.
Professor Sam McChombo, an expert in the Malawian language Chichewa, checked to make sure my usage of Chichewa words in the story was accurate and helped create the book’s pronunciation guide.
Read the Q and A for more.
—Click here to read a Q and A in which I chat about how reading picture books has helped me discover who I am as a writer; and how I use picture books as mentor texts to learn more about craft.
—Click here to read an interview with Susan Hughes on her new picture book Carmen and the House That Gaudi Built.
—I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Mustafa Sherif, an urban planner in Sweden, about writing my picture book biography Walking in the City with Jane: A Story of Jane Jacobs (Kids Can Press, 2018) for his youtube and podcast series urbanistica. Hope you'll find it informative! Here are the links: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0d0Tn8pWF0; Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/…/109-en-jan-jacob…/id1503039952… ; Online podcasts: https://citylifeurbanistica.libsyn.com/109en-jan-jacobs-for…
— I was interviewed on the Global television morning show about my nonfiction picture book Walking in the City with Jane: A Story of Jane Jacobs (Kids Can, 2018) by hosts Liem Vuong and Carolyne Mackenzie in May, 2018. Here's a link to the video.
— Click here to read Deborah Kalb’s Q and A with Susan about my two picture books Walking in the City with Jane: A Story of Jane Jacobs (Kids Can, 2018) and What Happens Next (Owl Kids, 2018).
— Click here to read Interview with Susan Hughes: Prolific Canadian author finds success in the U.S. by P.J. McIlvaine, in Children's Book Insider, July 2016, pp 14-16.
—- Click here to read KidLit Spotlight: Looking to Children's Authors to Change the Schoolyard Status Quo, an article in Quill and Quire by Trilby Kent about bullying which features What Happens Next and quotes from Susan.
— Click here to read a print interview with me about The Puppy Collection #1: Bailey's Visit
Click here to listen to me introducing and reading a section of Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World
Click here to listen to another CBC audio interview with me. In September 2012, five avid young books readers were chosen to be on the CBC Radio Halifax book panel. They met three times to chat on air about Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World, which was nominated for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. Susan was interviewed by the children's book panel at Word on the Street on a sunny Halifax afternoon.
—- Click here to read a print interview with Susan about Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science
Click here to listen to audio of Susan introducing and reading a section of Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science
Watch a Video interview with Susan about Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science
Recorded on May 16, 2012 at the Festival of Trees at Harbourfront