We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Waxman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My first outing as an author was a children’s sex education book, What Is A Girl? What Is A Boy? It was published in 1976 by a small California press, then immediately published in Canada, Australia, Israel, and years later, Japan. It was then snatched up by a big New York publishing house and reprinted in higher quality and marketed widely. That edition was given a star review in the School Library Journal and was featured in Ms. Magazine and People Magazine. I was interviewed on radio and TV. I had hit the zeitgeist!

Today libraries won’t have it on their shelves because it does not include gender fluidity. It is no longer right for the times.

Meanwhile, after my father died, I self-published A Helping Handbook — When A Loved One Is Critically Ill. I wrote it to honor my father who was an actor, writer and poet. I used his poetry in the book — booklet, actually; it’s only 46 pages.

I printed 100 copies, threw a party, and gave away all the copies. One of those copies found its way to a doctor at Kaiser Permanente. One day, I got a call from an administrator at Kaiser ordering 1,000 copies! I realized that there was a need for the book. I hired an assistant to help promote it and fulfill orders. Today, that book is in hospitals and hospices all over the country.

The point is, a writer writes. One never knows where our words will land and if those words will always be relevant. But it’s important to honor one’s work by finishing it and getting it out there, even if “there” is a handful of friends. I have written screenplays, poems, plays, novels, short stories, and articles. I’ve written pieces that have been hand-stapled, sewn together, and several that have been self-published on Amazon. More than once I’ve created a book for one specific reader!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My parents were theater artists and writers. From my earliest memory I was writing, drawing and creating plays. Creativity is at the core of who I am. So even when I set out to do the practical thing — get a teaching credential — I ended up not only earning a credential, but also making art: for my master’s thesis in Human Development, I wrote a children’s book, What Is A Girl? What Is A Boy? The success of that book landed me a contract with another publisher for another book and I was suddenly off and running!

I soon partnered with another writer to write screenplays. Our first sale gained us entry into the Writers Guild of America, which made it possible to be paid a fair price for subsequent scripts.

Meanwhile, my interest in young children and my passion for theater inspired me to become a founding member of We Tell Stories, a theater for children, which not only gave me a place on stage but also provided the opportunity to work with children as an artist-in-residence in schools throughout Los Angeles. Later, I co-founded The Wims, a theater company of women improvisors. I then ran workshops for adults interested in improvising. Those workshops took me to Hawaii, Alaska, Nicaragua and the Netherlands.

Mine has been a meandering path of creative work. But no matter what artistic project I’ve been involved in, I’ve always taught either theater and/or writing to adults and/or children. And though I am proud of my artistic accomplishments, I am most proud that as a teacher, I’ve been able to support the creativity of others.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

An artist must have a strong spine because rejection comes with the territory. It’s hard to bounce back after a solid, “No.” After many years as an artist-in-residence, I wrote Muse in the Classroom, a 225 page account of my experiences in the classroom, along with lesson plans and examples of student work. I was thrilled when I was offered a contract.

The publisher, however, wanted me to delete the personal accounts and make a “how to” book that would conform to others in a series of instructional books for teachers. If I had been desperate for the royalties, I might have accepted the offer. Fortunately, I wasn’t desperate. And because I felt that the heart of the book was the personal story, I declined their offer. My agent tried, but wasn’t able to place the manuscript elsewhere. I loved the book and wanted to honor the work I’d put into it and the work of my students. I made the decision to self-publish and, though the readership is small, it is a book I am proud of and happy to hold in my hand.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I have always enjoyed drawing and painting, but have never wanted to enter the marketplace with my work. The intersection of Art and Commerce can be hazardous! I’ve endured the problems encountered there with my written work, but have enjoyed the purity of painting without thoughts of promotion.

For the marketable books and screenplays, I’ve been fortunate to have had good agents along the way to deal with the world of contract negotiations. This has left me to enjoy the most rewarding aspect of being creative — being in touch with the human experience, being tuned into the natural world in all its beauty, and never being bored because there is always a story to be told or a scene to be painted. Furthermore, I’ve been blessed with meaningful collaborations with other artists throughout my career.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.stephaniewaxman.com/

Image Credits
Mark Waxman