Show Notes
“When you're a kid, you have so little control over things. To be the big entity controlling the smaller entity, whether it's dolls or [toy] soldiers or whatever it is, they do what you tell them to do. They become the story you are making.” — Brian Selznick
We all want to feel in control, mold our lives and experiences, and shape the world into something we can hold. But control is slippery; one moment, it can steady us, the next, it slips away.
Brian Selznick—#1 New York Times bestselling author, illustrator, and Caldecott Medal winner—has spent his career playing with this tension. From "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" to "Wonderstruck" and, most recently, "Run Away With Me," Brian believes that it's his job as the author to control the reader's experience, forcing page turns and placing illustrations in a particular order, all while acknowledging that control is ceded to the reader once a book is in their hands.
In this episode, Under My Thumb: Brian Selznick on Control, Brian reflects on his lifelong pull toward control in life and art—what drives it, how it shapes his work, and when the need to let go becomes inevitable. He shares his fascination with all things miniature and opens up with unflinching honesty about his complicated relationship with his father, spanning life and loss. He also reveals a formative influence you might not expect, and a most extraordinary afternoon with Ray Bradbury. Settle in for a fascinating, moving episode with one of the great creators of our time. *** For his reading challenge, Brian has curated two lists: one exploring queerness in literature over time and the other celebrating the power of the page turn. The latter is about his commitment to books, experimenting with form, and the balance of control between writer and reader. Peruse selected titles and Brian's complete reading challenge for free at thereadingculturepod.com/brian-selznick This week's Beanstack Featured Librarian is Chelsea Pisani, a rockstar children's librarian at Maple Valley Branch Library in Akron, Ohio. She shares the story of how one student, also with a keen ability to take control, is spreading his passion for reading among his peers by setting up his own book club. Show Chapters Chapter 1: Who Holds the Reins? Chapter 2: Size Matters Chapter 3: It's All Under Control Chapter 4: Merwin and Louise Chapter 5: The Martian Chronicles Chapter 6: A Most Extraordinary Afternoon Chapter 7: Reading Challenge Chapter 8: Beanstack Featured Librarian
Links The Reading Culture The Reading Culture Newsletter Signup Follow The Reading Culture on Instagram (check here for a video that will show off Brian's incredible miniature collection) Brian Selznick Brian Selznick Instagram Where the Wild Things Are Guernica The Borrowers Ray Bradbury The Martian Chronicles Dandelion Wine The Houdini Box (read aloud - check out the page turns) Beanstack resources to build your community's reading culture Jordan Lloyd Bookey Akron Summit Public Library Case Study about Akron Summit Public Library and featured librarian Chelsea Pisani Host and Production Credits
Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey Producers: Mel Webb, Ryan Sutton, and Lower Street Media Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Mel Webb, Ryan Sutton, Jordan Lloyd Bookey
More from The Reading Culture
Three years strong, y’all! We’re back with our favorite tradition: The Reading Culture Yearbook.
“When we are making books, we are making little homes for our readers that they can return to hopefully again and again and again, just as we return to books and find a sense of home, we return to the person we once were, when we were reading that book.” — Sophie Blackall
“The library is where I felt, I'm safe here. I have friends in Encyclopedia Brown, Junie B. Jones, Amelia Bedelia, Stanley Yelnats, and all these various characters. I think that's the beauty. That's the sanctuary, the sacredness of that physical space.” – Mychal Threets Mychal Threets grew up among the stacks and, from a young age, experienced the magic and shelter of the library. Today, he is a librarian, a social media sensation, a mental health advocate, and the new host of the beloved show Reading Rainbow.
“It's important that my perspective stays flexible because my perspective could need updating, it could need to be changed based on new information.” — Nic Stone
“It’s that old expression that I love, which is ‘wherever you go, there you are.’ So you never really get out of the limbo, because the limbo is you.” — Erin Entrada Kelly There are seasons when life slows down, even as our minds continue to race. When we find ourselves caught somewhere between motion and stillness, haunted by what came before and reaching for what’s next.