It’s not every day that someone goes to space, let alone creates a quilt that unites so many!
Dr. Karen Nyberg is a retired NASA astronaut, mechanical engineer, and textile artist. She flew two space missions, including a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station, where she sewed a quilt block and a small dinosaur toy for her son in her free time. Today, she creates art quilts inspired by her life and family and designs fabric based on her photographs of Earth. Through her books, she encourages young readers to blend science, creativity, and imagination as they pursue their dreams. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.
Ann McCallum Staats is the award-winning author of over a dozen children’s books, mostly nonfiction. A former teacher, she has taught in three countries and at three different levels (elementary math, college English, high school English as a Second Language). Her very first teaching gig was in a one-room school in northern British Columbia, Canada. Ann’s book research includes interviewing incredible people (Most recently, a senator, astronauts, and jet and commercial pilots) and conducting field tests such as scuba and sky diving. Ann’s first book “The Secret Life of Math,” won ForeWord Review’s Gold Book of the Year and she hasn’t stopped since. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.
A QUILT OF STARS is a picture book all about astronaut Karen Nyberg’s experience in space. It tells the story of how she came to be there, but also explores her passion for sewing and her creativity. Together these two threads weave together a biography unlike many I’ve seen before. This is the perfect combination of STEM and art (or STEAM, as we educators like to say).
Welcome Karen and Ann!
Me: Can you both talk about your creative journeys? How did you get started writing? How did that lead you to the work you’re doing now with books for kids?
Karen: My creative journey has mostly been through sewing and textile art. I learned to sew when I was very young and made my first shirt when I was eight, which happened to be right around the time NASA was beginning to accept women into the astronaut program. Sewing and making things have been part of my life ever since. Today I work primarily as a textile artist, and I would happily spend all day in my studio if I could.
Writing is much newer for me. I had wanted for a long time to share the story of sewing a quilt block while I was living on the International Space Station, and especially what happened afterward, when people around the world joined in through the Astronomical Quilts! Block Challenge. Partnering with Ann on A Quilt of Stars gave me a way to tell that story for children. I’m excited to now be able to share it with kids and, hopefully, encourage them to pursue the things they dream about doing, too.
Ann: I’ve been writing for a long time, ever since I set out to write a book to motivate kids to love math. I was teaching elementary math at the time and the parents of my students kept telling me how much they disliked the subject. There was such a negative stigma. My first book The Secret Life of Math shares how people all over the world came up with different solutions to solve similar problems. I followed that one with two math fairytales and then my Eat Your Homework series. These days, I usually have several projects on the go at once and in a variety of genres. Before A Quilt of Stars I wrote Fantastic Flora: The World’s Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants. I’m passionate about writing and have found that it’s a powerful way to reach kids and encourage them to always be curious.
Me: Ann, how did you first hear about Karen’s story? What made you want to write a book about her? How did this story become one that was a co-writing experience?
Ann: I was writing a YA book called High Flyers: 15 Inspiring Women Aviators and Astronauts. I came across Karen’s profile online and reached out to her. I ended up interviewing her for High Flyers, though I mostly focused on her journey and determination to become an astronaut (which is incredible!). The idea of the quilt project she began in space tugged at me though, and when we reconnected later, we both realized how this significant undertaking needed to be told in a picture book. The metaphor is that our diverse world is a like a patchwork quilt of shared humanity. A Quilt of Stars is a story of connectedness highlighted by the fact that people from all over the globe participated in the Astronomical Quilts! Block Challenge. I was thrilled to work with Karen to tell this story and was excited that she agreed to be co-authors.
Me: I absolutely love the story arc here and all the elements that are included. The text is so skillfully woven together. Who came up with combining space and sewing together? Was that always there from the beginning? What about the aspects of problem solving and the togetherness of everyone on earth?
Karen: Space and sewing came together pretty naturally because sewing was already something I loved to do. When I knew I was going to be living on the International Space Station for six months, I wanted to bring that part of my life with me. I brought a small sewing kit and used it to try quilting in space and to make gifts for my son and husband.
What started with quilting in space eventually grew into a worldwide community project when NASA invited people to create their own quilt blocks and send them in. More than 2,400 blocks came in from about 30 countries and were assembled into 28 quilt panels. To me, there’s a connection between that project and the perspective I gained looking at Earth from space. Our planet is made up of an incredible variety of landscapes, places, people, and cultures, yet we are all part of one world. The quilt project reflected that in a very tangible way. Every block was unique and came from an individual person and place, but together they became part of something much larger.
Ann: We both knew that we wanted to focus on the story of the quilt challenge because of the nearly overwhelming impact it had when Karen and NASA invited the world to participate. We decided on a picture book because we felt that it was the best way to combine the science and art that makes the heart of this story. Karen has always been a creative person and began sewing as a young girl. She also has a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. So for Karen, science and art have always been a part of who she is. I think this is an incredible motivator for the rest of us. As for problem-solving and togetherness, yes, there were apparently quite a few challenges to sewing in space (I keep imagining two pieces of cloth that I’m trying to sew together that keep floating away from each other!). By inviting the world to contribute to the quilts—there were ultimately 28 of them—a powerful message of unity and hope mirrors the idea of the interwoven regions of Earth as seen from the cupola.
Me: Let’s talk about research. Since Karen was involved in the writing process, was there still research to be done for any aspect of the story (i.e., the timeline, the back matter, teacher resources, etc.)?
Ann: There was lots of research for me, of course, since I’ve never been part of the space community. Karen and I talked a lot because I really wanted to understand her experience as much as I could. Since this is a true story, we had to make sure that everything we included was factually correct. Interestingly, when we were asked to look over the illustrations to make sure they were correct, too, we also found several instances where we had to ask for revisions. For example, one of the food packages was labelled incorrectly and Karen also pointed out details about what her family looked like when she was a little girl. Making a book is a team effort for sure!
Me: The illustrations by Alida Massari are beautiful. I love the color palette she chose and how she weaves things in and out of Karen’s hair. Were there any illustration surprises for you? Any favorites?
Karen: I loved seeing how Alida interpreted the story and brought it to life through her artwork. I was especially drawn to the color palette she chose. It feels just right for the book. It’s hard to choose a favorite illustration, but the spread with the dinosaur I made for my son in space is definitely one, along with the one that includes photos of my family. It was fun to see our current dogs included, even though they obviously weren’t around when I was in space thirteen years ago! Another favorite is the illustration of all the sewing supplies floating around me. It captures some of the fun and challenge of trying to sew in microgravity.
Ann: I love all of Alida’s illustrations and was more than thrilled when we finally got to see the sketches. The publisher contracted her to do the artwork without our input, which is standard practice in this industry. So, it was a very pleasant surprise to get to know her style and see the images come together. I have two favorite illustrations. One is the very first spread where Karen is a little girl looking up at the stars and thinking about the possibility of going to space someday. It’s the beginning of a dream that later became reality. To me it represents the idea that there are no limits to what a child can dream about doing—and then set their mind on making happen. The second illustration that especially resonates is the one where Karen is looking at Earth from the cupola of the International Space Station. Imagining what it would be like to see our world from that perspective—especially how it’s a patchwork of people and places—takes my breath away.
Me: What is something that surprised each of you in the creation of this story?
Karen: I was surprised by how long it takes to make a book! From the time we signed the contract to the book actually being released was about two years. I had no idea the process took that long. But seeing everything that happens along the way, from editing to illustrations to all the details of putting the final book together, I understand why.
Ann: This is the first time that I’ve co-authored a book, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Karen was amazing to work with, though. Whenever we went back and forth, it was a pleasant and productive experience. I remember going over the PDF of illustrations together. It was so fun to share the almost-done book together after all the work we’d put into it. One other thing that surprised me was the tenaciousness of Karen. She comes from a tiny town where there are few outside opportunities, especially with something as ‘astronomical’ as joining NASA.
Me: Do you have any advice for new or aspiring picture book writers? Or advice for those that might be considering collaborating together on a project like this?
Karen: For me, one of the biggest lessons was the value of collaboration. I came to this project with a story I really wanted to share, but I was new to writing for children. Ann brought the experience of knowing how to shape that story for a picture book audience. I think a good collaboration is about recognizing what each person brings to the project, trusting each other’s strengths, and being open to where the process takes you.
Ann: Just like Karen’s journey is one of perseverance—a little girl dreaming of space to doing all it took to become a full-fledged astronaut—writing a book takes a lot of persistence, too. We did a lot of drafting before getting it right. My advice to aspiring writers is to find the heart of the story you want to tell and then tease out the best way to share it. Writing (at least for me) is a marathon versus a sprint, so keep moving, work steadily, but also take breaks.
Of course, working with someone else means there are two brains building one story. Working with someone is a gift—embrace the fresh perspectives and ideas.
I love that. Thank you both for stopping by my blog today.
Dear readers, this book publishes at the end of the month. You can see the book trailer here! It’s a fascinating true story that you won’t want to miss.