I find that, in speech, I reach down into what my characters are about. I also have a flair for the dramatic, and my years working in the theatre have influenced the way I write."
"I Often Felt Somehow Different"
Bat-Ami continued, "In many respects teaching is very important to me. I don't want to tell people what to think, but I love posing questions and guiding my students into new thoughts.
"As a child, I often felt somehow different. Given my background, I was different, and so I find my characters to be sensitive to difference--slightly outside looking in on many worlds. I've also thought it very important to have an empathetic imagination. I want children to feel worlds that aren't necessarily their own and yet, also, to delight in worlds they have.
"My second book grew out of my experiences on what one might call a 'marginal' block. On that block, though, I found deep community, and so I wanted to tell children how what is outside (poverty) sometimes masks a real richness of people pulling together. This book, When the Frost Is Gone, was written because I needed to believe in harmony. I still do.
This is a free page. This page contains 197 words. This
biography contains 3,464 words (approx. 12 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Biography with our Miriam Bat-Ami Access Pass.
