Today we’d like to introduce you to Karol Ruth Silverstein.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a ‘70s kid growing up in Philly, I’d watch reruns of The Monkees every afternoon and dream of someday living in Hollywood and making art. I was never really settled on what kind of art—I acted in plays, sang in the school chorus, considered comedy, first idolizing Carol Burnett and later Monty Python, even dabbled in circus arts. I just knew I wanted to entertain and assumed my grownup life could be like a Monkees episode.
My life took a long detour between those halcyon days of childhood and my current status as a determined and disabled, award-winning children’s book author. I basically had to lose myself to eventually return to the destiny I had always craved.
When I was about 8, a darkness crept into my otherwise idyllic and privileged life. My parents went through an ugly divorce, which didn’t involve violence or legal battles but featured enough hostility to cause irrevocable scars. I ate my pain, gained weight, and was bullied mercilessly. Then I lost weight…but was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis and right back to being bullied soon after. I spent a decade being angry, hurt and lost.
Interestingly, it was when I crossed the threshold from having a chronic illness to having a disability—and identifying as disabled—that my life shifted back onto the path I aspired to as a child. I spent a month in a rehab hospital after having knee replacement surgery at 21. I was recovering from the operation but essentially also learning how to be a disabled person in the world and reaffirming what was most important to me—creating a life I could be inspired by and proud of. I started undergraduate school with a vengeance, studying English, communications and TV production. A ne’er-do-well in high school, I was the Type A uber-student in college. I graduated Magna Cum Laude and set my sites on grad school. Naturally, I only considered schools in Los Angeles and somehow talked my way into one of the few remaining spots as a Producing Fellow at the American Film Institute.
Man—was I in over my head! But I persevered, and I learned A LOT. I worked in production for a few years after AFI—fun and informative—but I realized on was on a career track to become a Line Producer, which not only didn’t inspire me but was also killing me physically. Six-day weeks of 16-hour days and rheumatoid arthritis do not mix! I wanted to be on the creative side of things rather than the business side, and screenwriting seemed the obvious path. I just needed to learn how to write screenplays. So, I shifted focus and did just that.
I had a modicum of success at screenwriting—just enough to keep me going and believing that it could happen for me—though the “big break” always seemed to elude me. I tended to write family films, often focused on young female protagonists whose journeys to figure out who they were going to be in a world of shifting circumstances were not unlike my own journey. The problem was: Hollywood was not particularly interested in stories about young girls finding themselves. Particularly in the ‘90s.
At some point, someone—and I can’t remember who which kills me—suggested I consider adapting a feature-length family screenplay I’d written into a children’s novel. I began looking into the world of children’s books—a homecoming of sorts as I was an avid reader as a kid—and absolutely fell in love. Amazing things were happening in the children’s literature space and I wanted to be a part of it. I had a whole new craft to learn, and I set my mind to it.
It took me years of writing, revising, taking classes, building a community of other children’s book writers to lean on for feedback and advice, and many hours volunteering for my local chapter of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. And eventually—finally—my wildest dreams started coming true. I signed with an amazing agent. She sold my nearly-impossible-to-sell young adult novel Cursed to Charlesbridge Teen. With my editor Monica Perez’ invaluable assistance, I created a book I was really proud of, which went on to win the Schneider Family Book Award. Given by the American Library Association, the Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Though my disability has often been an empowering force in my life, navigating the world as a disabled person is often difficult and frustrating. Rheumatoid arthritis is an extremely painful disease—more painful than many people realize. It can also be disruptive to everyday life and career goals. I’ve had sixteen major surgeries, most of which required lengthy periods of recovery. Still, I’ve managed to live a full and meaningful life. And happily, there are newer medications available that are likely to spare those newly diagnosed with arthritis from endless pain and surgeries.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a children’s book author who writes in all genres of children’s literature, from picture books through young adult novels. I also write screenplays. Dramedy–hard-hitting topics told with lots of humor–is my sweet spot. I love to champion misfits, underdogs and that weird kid nobody wanted to sit next to at lunch. Spoiler alert: I qualify as all of the above! I’m a firm believer that all kinds of kids deserve to be seen and to have their stories told. My books will always include a diverse cast of characters, with an emphasis on disability/chronic illness, and will generally include cats. Just kidding. But not really.
Check out my books using the following links:
CURSED (YA Novel), https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781580899406
STUCK! (HELP PLEASE!) (board book), https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781623542856
KEEPING IT REAL WITH ARTHRITIS (non-fiction anthology, all ages), https://tinyurl.com/yc346uy2
What makes you happy?
I love to sing and do so daily. The thing is—my voice is merely blissfully mediocre, and there’s so much freedom in that! I have no ulterior motive when I sing, no pressure to improve, no unspoken hope that I could do something with my voice beyond simply lifting my spirits and having fun.
I also derive great happiness from my cats (even when they’re being annoying!). I can’t imagine life without them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.karolruthsilverstein.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krsilverstein2019/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKarolRuthSilverstein
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KRSilverstein
Image Credits
All photos taken either by me or friends/family.
