Ep. 7: Barking Up the Right Tree

Episode Summary

Tracey Baptiste and Amalia, Age 12

5/26/2020

Things are a little different this week. On this special quarantine episode of our podcast, Story Seeds creator, Sandhya Nankani, sits in for our regular host Betsy Bird to facilitate a virtual field trip between creative rockstar Amalia (age 12) and New York Times best-selling author, Tracey Baptiste. Listen along to their video chat collaboration as Tracey helps Amalia grow a story seed about an athletic girl named Joy and her magical relationship with an oak tree in her backyard. Then, sit back for story-time as Tracey reads aloud "Joy's Challenge," the original story she wrote, inspired by their conversation. Click here for complete episode notes.

Like most people who have had to shelter in place or socially distance this spring to stop the spread of COVID-19, Amalia and Tracey, though homebound, show us that creativity can continue to bloom, even while in quarantine—and that collaboration can be successful, whether it is in-person or virtually!

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This Episode Features

Amalia, Age 12

Hometown … The Garden State, AKA, New Jersey

I am … Part Canadian-Trinidadian and part Greek

My superpower would be … invisibility because I think we don’t have enough time at recess and it would be exciting if we could stay out a little longer

Snack combo I like to mix together … Oreos and guacamole

A personal fact about me that made it into the story … I have broken my arms three times

Tracey Baptiste

Hometown … The Garden State, AKA, New Jersey

I am … Trinidadian

My latest books are … The Jumbie God’s Revenge which is the third installment of my creepy Caribbean series The Jumbies

Snack combo I like to mix together … cherries with salt and pepper

A personal fact about me that made it into the story … Like Amalia, I love climbing trees!

Bonus Episode

On our bonus author interview episode, host Betsy Bird is back and chats with Tracey Baptiste about her quarantine virtual collaboration with 12 year old Amalia on the story "Joy’s Challenge." They also talk about Tracey and Amalia’s common Trinidadian-New Jersey connection, and how to find ways to stay inspired while at home during the pandemic. Plus: Tracey, author of the New York Times best-selling Minecraft: The Crash and The Jumbies adventure series, shares a few trusty writing tips and a personal creativity hack! Click here for episode notes and transcript.