Q&A with Johanna Emeney

Johanna is one half of the author duo (along with illustrator Sarah Laing) who worked to immortalize the remarkable life of Sylvia Durrant (aka ‘The Bird Lady’), who ran a bird rescue service for 35 years and helped over 140,000 sick and injured birds, in their latest book Sylvia and the Birds.

Q: How did you come to write Sylvia and the Birds? Did you know Sylvia personally before you wrote the book?
A: The idea for the book came to me very quickly, really, and once it did, I knew I had to do it. When Sylvia retired, she gave several media interviews. One saw her describe her feelings about having been a state ward: ‘You knew who you were: you were nobody.’ Having brought many birds to Sylvia over the years and marvelled at her knowledge and know-how together with her generosity, I just had this overwhelming feeling that her story had to be told. It was the right thing to do for a special person. And with so many of our taonga birds in danger from predators and climate change, what better time to share Sylvia's wisdom with the younger generation.

Q: How did you research this book? Did you spend a lot of time interviewing Sylvia?
A: I had a number of wonderful visits with Sylvia, and I read a lot of bird books. I also visited many bird photography sites, Instagram accounts and Facebook groups to find the talented photographers and artists with whom we collaborated. I talked with extremely interesting people like Te Kaha Hawaikirangi who is Pou Tikanga at Napier Port, and who helped to ensure that the building of the new Quayside area, 6-Wharf, was done in consultation with the mana whenua of the rohe as well as kororā experts. I also got to meet exceptional people like Elaine Dow, who was the young matron at The Wilson Home when Sylvia worked there in the 1970s. Elaine revolutionized the home, making sure that the children who were mentally and physically capable of doing so attended local schools and mixed with the local community. A visionary educationalist and disability activist, Elaine came to the launch of the book, and Sylvia was so pleased to see her again.

Q: Can you talk about your collaboration with the illustrator Sarah Laing. What came first - the artwork or the text? Did you give one another advice/guidance?
A: I initially asked Sarah if she would "do a few drawings" for the book. However, once she'd had a look at the material and started drawing, she couldn't stop, and we soon realised that we would have to write the book together to do it justice. Sarah had the amazing ability to intuit what I had envisaged, and so much more. Often, I would write a sort of script first, and then Sarah would draw comics from it, but sometimes, I would just write some facts and let Sarah have a free hand with the material, for example some of the predator material. I learned very quickly how nuanced Sarah could be just in one frame as well as how long it takes to tell one episode of a story in comics. Sarah and I have been friends for many years, but this collaboration has helped me to know her a lot better and to have even more respect for how incredibly talented she is.

Q: There are varying styles to the book from comic to photographs to information boxes. Who decided on the design? What input did you have into the design?
A: From the start, I wanted the book to feel a bit like a bumper book of biography and birds. I wanted it to be multi-modal and attention-grabbing as well as attention-holding. Sarah agreed with this annual-type approach, and what we ended up with is this great mixture of comics, scrapbook and activities. Nicola Legat was very good at seeing where cuts could be made, although we argued to keep a few things we felt strongly about, and she was great at keeping Sylvia's story all in one piece whereas Sarah and I had divided it at one point. I knew from the start that we had to have Charlie (the young environmental activist who once volunteered for Sylvia) in the book, and I think he lends it a great symmetry. Charlie is the future.

Q: You usually write poetry, what were the unique challenges of writing Sylvia’s life story? How did your experience as a poet shape your writing?
A: When you write poetry, you concentrate a lot on voice, so that was helpful in writing an "I"-Sylvia. I had verbatim snippets from interviews, so I could use little cadences and turns of phrase to make her authentic but at the same time her language had to be accessible for children of around 7 or 8 who might pick up the book. There are some "hard" words in the book, but I believe that kids love a challenge. They love a new big word or two.

Q: What have you loved most about writing this book? Is there a favourite part of Sylvia’s life story that is special to you?
A: My mother was a foster child who was taken in by not-very-nice people. She was not treated kindly or shown love until she met my father's family. I have always taken this part of my mother's history to heart, and Sylvia's status as a state ward resonated with me. This was a story I'd heard before: a little girl who didn't have nice things and who didn't feel special. I suppose that I wanted to make her feel special.

Q: Do you have a favourite bird?
A: Spur-winged plover all the way. They are weaponised and furious if anyone messes with their young.

Q: I loved reading Sylvia and the Birds and feel like it would appeal to people of all ages, not just children. Do you agree? Was the ideal reader for the book discussed as part of its publication?
A: Thank you! I've heard from a lot of adults that they liked it, too! One friend told me it was the first book she's read cover to cover in years! We did want it to be a book for a wide range of young people, but what we didn't really expect is that adults would respond to it so well, too. I did notice that as I was writing parts of it, I was learning a lot, so I suppose there is a lot for us oldies to learn from it, as well, and Sarah and I put some good jokes in there for older readers. The two kererū are like a couple who have been married for quite a long while. They bicker and quibble but clearly love each other!

Sylvia and the Birds by Johanna Emeney and Sarah Laing is out now. We are hosting an Author Talk with Johanna and three other talented Children’s and Young Adult authors in November, check out more info on that here!