
Debbie: Neal, please tell us a little about yourself.
Neal: I grew up in Michigan and have always enjoyed children's literature, with a special fondness for children's poems. Now I write my own poems for a variety of children's magazines and anthologies. I also write stories, draw pictures, and teach cartooning to kids.
Debbie: Please tell us about your poetry.

Debbie: Other books or projects on the horizon?

Debbie: Upcoming appearances?
Neal: My "appearances" are mainly at elementary schools where I teach my cartooning workshops. I run three or four afterschool classes a week -- each at a different school in the Metro Detroit area -- for any kids who want to sign up and draw pictures. I also run classes for libraries, scouting groups, and other interested organizations. (These are drawing classes, not poetry.) You can contact me through my website to set one up: www.neallevin.com
Debbie: Do you have a favorite Michigan library?
Neal: I visit the Bloomfield Township Library, which is a mile from my home, at least once a week. It has excellent collections of adult and children's books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs, as well as computers, printers, and scanners.
Debbie: How about a favorite place in Michigan?

Debbie: Do you have a Michigan event or happening that you love to attend?
Neal: I spend my summers at Camp Walden, a summer camp for children outside of Cheboygan, where I get to combine my skills of writing and drawing by putting together a daily newspaper. Most of the kids are from Michigan or the Midwest, but a lot come from other states and countries, and many of the staff are British.
Debbie: A few fun Michigan people we should all know about?

Debbie: Something you'd like a non-Michigander to know about Michigan?
Neal: Mammoths and mastodons once roamed this state during prehistoric times, and the American mastodon is the official state fossil of Michigan.
Debbie: Last question. Some folks in Michigan refer to themselves as Michiganders, others as Michiganians. For our ongoing vote tally: are you a Michigander or a Michiganian?
Neal: Michigander, for sure. That's what everybody answers, isn't it?
Debbie: Neal, we'll add you to the Michigander column! Thank you so much for joining us today!
4 comments:
Fun!
Great to see Neal here!
Great interview! I'll bet your cartooning workshops are super fun.
Wonderful to read about Neal, an important contributor to Fun For Kidz Magazine!
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