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I suspect that while he was teaching, Phil Bildner was a once-in-a-lifetime-instructor—an unforgettable teacher who
had an intense interest in his students' success and who imparted gifts that extended beyond the classroom. Bildner is no
longer working as a teacher, but this summer he answered a plea from some former students and agreed to chaperone a group of
them on a trip to New Orleans to help with clean up and repairs in the Lower Ninth Ward. He shared some of their experiences
on his blog, The World According to Phil Bildner.
Bildner writes
about the things he loves, and his interest in young people comes through in his books for children and young adults.
The Edge of the Forest: Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
Phil Bildner: I grew up on Long Island, but I consider myself to be a city boy. I've lived in New York City for
almost 20 years now, and I call Brooklyn my home.
The Edge of the Forest: I'm interested in your journey from lawyer to teacher to children's author. When and how
did the writer in you evolve? What drew you to writing for young people?
Phil Bildner: I started writing for kids after I became a teacher. While teaching, we did writers' workshops in
class. When the students wrote, I wrote as well. When we all shared our work, I was part of that process.
In addition, when I changed careers from attorney to teacher, I had to go back to school and take a whole bunch of
education courses. Some of those classes weren't very...well, let's just say I liked to sit in the back of the room and
write.
I always tell my students (and everyone) to write about what you know and write about what you love. That's what drew me
to writing for young people. Young people (and their interests) fascinate me.
The Edge of the Forest: Shoeless Joe and Black Betsy was your first published book and it won the
Texas Bluebonnet Award in 2004. What did that book's success mean to you?
Phil Bildner: Winning the Texas Bluebonnet Award in 2004 for Shoeless Joe and Black Betsy opened up so
many doors for me. It put me on the radar—librarians, book sellers and publishers now knew my name.
Personally, the award was so special because kid readers chose my book. Kids liked my book!
The Edge of the Forest: In Shot Heard Round the World you caught a moment in time when a whole community
lived and breathed for one game. In The Greatest Game Every Played, it was the 1958 NFL championship game. What drew
you to these particular stories? What is it about sports that inspire you as a writer?
Phil Bildner: With The Shot Heard 'Round the World and The Greatest Game Ever Played,
I was able to write about three of my favorite subjects—sports, history and New York City. In the process, I wanted
to share with readers (and hopefully convey) how sports have been (and will always be) part of society, community and
family.
The Edge of the Forest: Tell us about your new series with Loren Long, Barnstormers: Tales of the Travelin' Nine?
What are your plans for it?
Phil Bildner: Barnstormers is my dream project. I get to work with Loren Long, who is an amazing
illustrator, and together we get to create a timeless middle grade chapter series. We have a publisher that believes
in our project and has committed to nine books. It's humbling and exciting.
We believe Barnstormers has something for everyone—it's mystery, fantasy, history, adventure, and pure
baseball. It's also very accessible (we wrote it with the Bluebonnet audience in mind) with short chapters and lots of
illustrations.
The Edge of the Forest: What kind of research or resources did you use to recreate the world of baseball
during this time period? I know your students used to help you out with research sometimes.
Phil Bildner: In terms of research, at the beginning of Book 2, I acknowledge some Little Leaguers from
Louisville. I connected with a team there, and they helped me with some of the fact finding. I also contacted the
Louisville Slugger Baseball Museum as well as the Churchill Downs/Kentucky Derby Museum.
For Book 3, we traveled to Chicago and visited various sites. We focused most of our research on the Great Fire and the
World's Fair Expo of 1893. Book 3 is a little darker than the first two, but the baseball action gets amped up even more.
The Edge of the Forest:Tell us about your writing routine. Do you have an office, a favorite writing spot? Computer vs. long hand,
music or quiet? Has working on a series changed your writing routine in any way?
Phil Bildner: My writing routine—there is no routine! I don't have an office. I
sit at a large table and spread myself out all over the place. Sometimes I write at the computer, sometimes I write
down ideas in a journal. I love writing on the subway. That's my favorite place to write (that is, when I'm able to
get a seat). But sometimes I'll get so engrossed in what I'm writing that I'll miss my stop (like yesterday and the day
before yesterday). I also like to write on the roof of my building. I live in a loft which is housed in a converted ping
pong paddle factory.
Writing Barnstormers has changed my writing routine considerably. I have many more deadlines to meet, and often
times, I'm expected to turn around drafts and rewrites very quickly.
When I write, sometimes the iPod is on (this week the shuffle is Arcade Fire, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and
Modest Mouse), but other times, I need for it to be quiet.
The Edge of the Forest: I've watched you in action during school visits and I was impressed with your high energy
and your intense focus on the kids. You establish a rapport with them very quickly. What do you get out of school visits?
Does contact with readers help you creatively? Do traveling and school presentations take away from your writing time?
How do you balance your time and energy?
Phil Bildner: I love doing school visits. Since I'm no longer teaching, I miss hanging with students terribly.
Doing school visits gives me the opportunity to stay in touch and reconnect.
For me, school visits are exhausting. I pour all my energy into them, and during those periods, the writing takes a back
seat. It has to. I want to energize students about books and reading. In order for me to do that, I feel as though
I need tunnel vision. That needs to be my only focus.
I'm pretty good about budgeting my time. When I know I have school visits on the horizon, I try to get all the other work
out of the way.
That way I can have my fun with the kids.
You can learn more about Phil Bildner and his books for young readers at his website.
EXTRA: Don't miss Camille Powell's review of the Barnstormers series here
Phil Bildner's Books for Young Readers:
Shoeless Joe and Black Betsy, illustrated by C.F. Payne. Alladin, 2006. ISBN: 0-6898-7437-5.
The Shot Heard Round the World, illustrated by C.F. Payne. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing,
2005.
ISBN: 0-6898-6273-3.
Twenty-One Elephants, illustrated by LeUyan Pham. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2004.
ISBN: 0-6898-7011-6.
The Greatest Game Ever Played, illustrated by Zachary Pullen. Putnam Juvenile, 2006.
ISBN: 0-3992-4171-X.
Barnstormers Game 1, illustrated by Loren Long. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2007.
ISBN: 1-4169-1863-9.
Barnstormers Game 2, illustrated by Loren Long. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2007.
ISBN: 1-4169-1864-7.
Barnstormers Game 3, illustrated by Loren Long. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2008.
ISBN: 1-4169-1865-5.
Playing the Field. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2006. ISBN: 1-4169-0284-8.
Busted. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2007. ISBN: 1-4169-2424-8.
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