Closing Keynote with Brian Selznick
After Breakout Session 3 & 4, and a great networking coffee lounge, we rejoined Sarah Baker to introduce our closing keynote speaker, the incomparable Brian Selznick, an "extraordinary storyteller and artist" whose innovative blend words and images has captivated us with all. His transformative, and expansive picture books and illustrated novels have changed how we think of storytelling and it was a privilege to listen to his keynote.
What's Wrong?
When asked about what he wanted to speak about, the theme of "What's Wrong?" popped into his mind. Given the state of the world that can make us feel helpless and scared, he couldn't help up think "what's wrong," but soon found himself thinking on a much smaller scale about his own life and work and times that he felt something had "gone wrong."
He realized that every time something had gone awry, and he found himself in a state of grief, loss or confusion, down the line, the very thing he thought had happened ended up becoming the beginning of something new. Though he can't control what happens to the world, and often what happens to him personally, he knows he can try to control how he handles it. He does this by reflecting and turning his life into a narrative, which we so often do as humans.
"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards." -
Søren Kierkegaard
Brian then took us on a journey, "backwards," through three books he has made over his thirty seven year career to help drive home the theme of "What's Wrong?"
Through these books, we looked at a few moments of "wrongs" that turned into moments "most needed," pushing him toward something new.
We began with his book Kaleidoscope, a book he developed at the height of the pandemic. He was trapped in NYC while his husband was trapped in San Diego and the uncertainty of seeing each other weighed down on him. To the point where he couldn't fathom creating anything. Then he saw a sign written by a child placed in their window— "Let's Make Art," which got him going again.
He started with old postcards that he had, drawing, carving and interacting with. He soon started to explore abstract art, tired of painting what he saw, and started painting what he felt. Eventually, he discovered that these abstract paintings were his teachers and that they existed within his instinct, side-stepping thinking. So he tried to follow his instincts.
Around this time, Brian was also working on another illustrated novel inspired by gothic novels for about five years that just wasn't quite working. But after those four painting, Brian revisited it, and separated all the things he loved from what he didn't love in the writing. He cut almost 96% of it and a new life for his work began. This left him with random things but those things became a series of short stories, exploring his feelings of separation and loneliness during the pandemic.
Some of the stories stopped randomly, which felt wrong but he trusted his instinct, let it happen, opening a new world of narrative in his work that leaves you with questions, rather than answers. Then, slowly he made connections for these stories and then made illustrations to elevate this new exploration of his expression. In acknowledging the part of his story that wasn't working, and then letting them go and focusing on what it was that i love, and trusting my instincts, he was able to create his book Kaleidoscope.
Kaleidoscope being built out of the books before it, Brian next explored The Invention of Hugo Cabret, taking us just a little further back.
Also born from a series of things that he was told would be wrong or he was afraid would be wrong or felt wrong turned out to be the things that led to his great discoveries. In the spirit of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian's "inventions" were built on the history of all of the books that came before him that he loved.
His good friend, the late Maurice Sendak, after reading a care package of Brian's books, told Brian that "you can draw which isn't true of most illustrators but none of these books show the potential in you that I see in you." Basically, "make the book you want to make, make the book that tells the story that you want to tell." This made him think...what is a story that I could write? Again, he visited an idea he had years prior.
"A thrilling picture book not only makes beautiful single images or sequential images, but also allows us to become aware of a book'a unique physical structure, by bringing our attention, once again, to that momentous moment: the turning of the page." - Remy Charlip
The story grew and grew and after doing tons of research, he found a real automaton at the Franklin Institute that was broken in a basement where when introduced to a real mechanical genius who became a big inspiration for Hugo, introduced him to the institute where he fixed the automaton. This automaton was able to draw six different pictures and three poems in two languages.
After that experience, Brian realized that "when you're really following your instincts, and you're allowing the world to come to you, again and again, the exact thing that you need happens to show up, but you'll have to be ready for it."
Which segued to The Houdini Box, his very first book.
The Houdini Box began as a project he did in college, when he was a freshman. Growing up he loved Houdini, so with Houdini as the class prompt, he wrote a story about a kid who wanted to meet Houdini, something he would have loved to do as a kid. When he was about 24 or so, post graduation, and after another series of door shutting in his face, he decided to revisit the thought of being a children's book writer and illustrator, something he rebelled against and revamped his freshman year project.
He started to mail them to different editors and he was approached by one editor who wanted to publish the book but Brian would have to change parts of the book. Brian did not budge and ended up turning down the editor. Knopf ended up publishing the book and his clear vision was able to be published in the way he saw the narrative. But it was a lesson in standing up for what you know is right with your work but also to recognize when another's idea is better.
"What's wrong can be the doorway to finding exactly what's right. and it's even better when we can walk through that doorway together." - Brian Selznick
Brian Selznick is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including The Invention of Hugo Cabret, winner of the Caldecott medal and the basis for the Oscar-winning movie Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese. His book Wonderstruck was made into a movie of the same name by Todd Haynes. His book Big Tree, inspired by an idea from Steven Spielberg, was named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times. The Grammy nominated audiobook of Big Tree is narrated by Meryl Streep. His newest book Run Away With Me is his first Queer young adult romance. Brian and his husband divide their time between San Diego, California and Brooklyn, New York. WEBSITE: www.thebrianselznick.com INSTAGRAM: @thebrianselznickthebrianselznick.com
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