ODE TO JOY

CLOTHILDE EWING is a seasoned communicator with a background in journalism at CBS News, producing for The Oprah Winfrey Show, working in politics, and serving as VP of Strategic Communications at The Chicago Community Trust. She was inspired to start writing children’s books after reading a New York Times opinion piece by Denene Millner, titled “Black Kids Don’t Want to Read About Harriet Tubman All the Time.” Her goal is for people to see more children of color in books that are not defined primarily by race or struggle but by belonging and joy. A Syracuse University graduate, she lives in Chicago with her husband and two children.

Greatest risk you’ve taken as a professional? Hands down, saying out loud that I planned to write children’s books. Becoming an author meant putting myself out there in a way I had not before, making me feel extremely vulnerable. Early on, I planned to become a reporter, but when I found I could be a producer instead, I was sold. I have played a behind-the-scenes role most of my career, so being out front was something very new to me.

Most rewarding part of what you do? When I began writing, I didn’t realize how nerve-wracking yet rewarding it would be to read my own stories to kids. Young children are brutally honest, but connecting with them feels like magic. It is one of the things that I really appreciated when I visited Reading Power, a one-to-one literacy program, and read to their students. The children were visibly thrilled to enter a room filled with books and adults who were eager to support them on their reading journey. Despite nerves, I always leave school visits energized and more hopeful about the world than when I entered.

For more information, visit clothildeewing.com. Readers can purchase Stella and Roger Can’t Wait To Grow Up and Ewing’s other books at their local independent bookstore and online. To learn more about Reading Power, an organization Ewing supports, visit readingpowerinc.org.