lolalovemm2.jpgThree of my most favourite things are; blogginz, books and NYC.

So you’ll totally understand when I tell you that I have fallen head over my pink Converse in heart with the AMAZING NYC-based, book blogger, Maria Selavy.

Her blog, Leaving Shangri-LA, is my absolute go-to site for all things YA and book-related - it’s incredz.

Not only does Maria read books and share her latest reads of fabulousness with us all, she’s also working on her very own writer-girl projects AND she’s the super-talent that has created that unbelievably beee-yooout-iful illustration of Lola - isn’t it just swoonsville?

If you love books, you’ll be wanting to make Rie you’re BFF, like, now. Err…excuse me, there’s a queue, and it starts behind me, ‘k?!!


Describe Rie in five words…
Book-loving, soul-searching….hobbit. (Yes, hobbit. I’m 4′9′’ and most of my students are taller than me! Also, I give other people presents on my birthday.)

You’re studying to be a library-girl - that’s awesome - when did you decide that’s what you wanted to do?
When I was a senior in college, my grade adviser told me that because I love books and working with kids that I should be a librarian.

Of course, I laughed in her face. However, I didn’t know then that everything Dr. G says has a habit of coming true sooner or later. (She’s just like Ron Weasley!) When I was volunteering that summer at my old grammar school, fixing up their library, I realized that doing that sort of work made me the happiest I’d been in a long time. When the principal told me that the president’s wife had gifted my university with 40 library science scholarships, I jumped at the chance and applied. Even though I didn’t win, a few twists of fate allow me to attend under a work-study arrangement.

Being a librarian will allow me to do all the best bits of other jobs I’d considered in the past. I get to educate children without being in a classroom. I can work in an archive and develop exhibits, just as museum curators do. There are all sorts of exciting multimedia and PR projects going on, which take advantage of my undergrad study of media arts. And best of all, there are all sorts of opportunities to do activist work.

You’re a self-confessed bibliophile - I love that - what was the first book you remember reading as a child?
The very first book I read on my own is called Just Shopping With Mom, by Mercer Mayer. Now that I think about it, that book had some of the things I like best in writing–food, clothes, and family drama. When I got a little older, I loved Pippi Longstocking, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself and Ramona the Brave, as well anything about dinosaurs or the ocean!

When and how did you know you had a passion for the book pages?
My father and mother read to me as soon as I could hold my head up, so I’ve grown up in a family of book lovers. Working with books as a career really clicked for me when I was in the midst of a slightly disastrous study abroad session and realized that as much as I adore creating, reading about, and exploring visual artwork, books are my true love. My ultimate dream is to be an editor/author some day, just like Charlotte Zolotow or David Levithan. (Lots of publishing folk get their start in libraries–if you’re considering it, that’s not a bad way to get your foot in the door.)

What’s your most favourite book that you could read over and over and never get bored?
I have a photographic memory when it comes to writing, so I’d say Girlosophy by Anthea Paul–what beautiful words and photography. And if I did eventually get bored, I’d start drawing the girls!

How do you think books can help you in your teen years?
Grace Llewellyn, a righteous babe and radical educational theorist, says “No matter how strange my thoughts or hopes, I can always count on literature to mirror them, and assure me that I am not alone.” In my social misfit teen years, reading kept my soul alive and taught me about the great big world out beyond high school. When you find your passion, everything starts falling into place. Reading inspiring books is one of the ways you can discover that which makes your soul happy, whether it’s beautiful photography, word crafting, cooking up a fantastic meal or digging for dinosaur bones in Arizona.

You review some ah-mazing books on your blog, where do you find them all?
Everywhere! I read a lot of book blogs to stay on top of what’s being published; Fuse #8, Bookshelves of Doom, and Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast are my favourites. If an author I like has a blog, I’ll keep an eye on what they read and recommend. Amazon.com is fun too, for the user-created lists of books to read if you like certain topics or writers. I have a few sources of Advanced Reader’s Copies, so I keep my eyes peeled for funky titles.
Of course, sometimes a pretty cover can sway me. I found some of my favorites that way!

You love Francesca Lia Block too, she makes us giddy with her words, why do you dig her and her writing - what’s your fave FLB book of all time?
Her punky modern fairy tales spoke to me in a way none other had. I wouldn’t be the Rie I am today without her beautiful, ugly, scary, tender and wild characters. Reading her books opened my mind to possibilities that hadn’t been there and all sorts of music, books, movies and ideas that widened my rather narrow worldview. Her beautiful phrases and images are icing on the cake. My favorite is the first I read, Girl Goddess #9. It is the perfect book for me; tiny, whimsical and sometimes tragic tales about the power of love and art. “Dragons in Manhattan” is my favorite short story out of the collection–not in the least because it’s set in my city!

You live in NYC, we’re jealous, what are your fave NYC-inspired books and why?
This is a great question, because I specifically collect children’s and YA books set in NYC!

The above-mentioned “Dragons in Manhattan;” I daydream about living in a tiny but lovely apartment and reading poetry over dinner someday. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is heartbreakingly real but transcendent and neccessary for anyone who wants to be a writer. Roller Skates is the fun tale of a Edwardian girl left to explore the city under the care of two indulgent old maids having adventures with everyone from fruit sellers to newspaper reporters. Born Confused features scenes set in our diverse, dynamic art culture; ditto Cupcake. For the fairy foklore lovers, Valiant is gritty urban fantasy set in worlds formed in abandoned pockets of NYC. Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist captures something of what it’s like to be a young creative type during one unforgetable night in the New York rock scene. And of course, Auntie Mame is a classic for all glamorously eccentric women, or those who want to be one someday.

Because we love any excuse to talk about NYC, can you show us round your city, Rie style? Where should we eat? What should we do? where should we hangout? Any NYC secrets to share with us?
My favorite stomping ground is Union Square. You can hop down a few blocks for the best falafel with pesto hummus at Chickpea, up to 5th Ave for cheap and delicious vegetarian snacks at the East/West Cafe, or over a block for gingersnaps and a chai latte at Joe. On your way, you’ll pass the Union Square Greenmarket, which houses more than a few artists. If you ever wanted to pick up a sock puppet portrait, paper crane earrings, or fractal-printed shirt, that’s your place. If you’ve got a crowd, head over to Max Brenner and get chocolatey desserts you can poke a stick in and light on fire. Otherwise, head on down Broadway for comics at Forbidden Planet and every book you never knew you wanted at The Strand. (Other awesome NYC bookstores are the St. Mark’s Bookshop, Book Off, Kinokuniya, and Bluestockings. If you love kid-lit like me, Books of Wonder is a must-visit.)

Walking around a bit in either direction will find you such treasures as The Iron Fairies in St. Marks Place, or Tah-Poozie on Greenwich Ave. Ricky’s is your Gala Darling-endorsed beauty supply stockist, and an awful lot of fun to browse. I am one of those silly Lush addicts, and it seems you can’t throw a stone without hitting one nowadays. By the time you’re finished wandering, take a train uptown to Alice’s Tea Cup for delicious sandwiches, every tea you could possibly imagine, and the best scones in the city. (They have shadowbox tables and waiters in fairy wings–how could I not love this place?) Hopefully you’ve caught one of the nights the museums are open late, and can pick up a little people-watching at the Metropolitan Museum of Art or sketching at The Museum of Natural History. Something exciting is going on every night of the week; I recommend that college-aged-and-over natives (as well as those planning an extended visit) sign up for the Nonsense NYC mailing list to keep up on all upcoming weird, cool, creative events.

What tunes would be on a Rie soundtrack?
1. “Open Your Heart”-Lavender Diamond
2. “Alleluia”-Dar Williams
3. “You’re No Rock’n'Roll Fun”-Sleater Kinney
4. “Light of Day”-Joan Jett (the goddess of rock, and don’t you forget it!)
5. “Little Plastic Castle”-Ani DiFranco

You’re working on your own book projects - so exciting - care to share the deets?
I finished my first book ever, a picture book entitled Dear Mrs. Winterbloom. It’s all about a little girl learning about art and life, set against the vibrant arts culture of NYC. I’m also writing the script of a paranormal graphic novel called What Exit?, which draws on little-known local folklore as well as classic horror tropes. That one’s being illustrated by my incredibly talented friend Krista V. When my friend Heather graduated, I wrote her the chapter of a four-girls-with-a-schtick novel, a la the Babysitter’s Club. She wrote me the second chapter, and we decided that it actually has enough potential to continue as a serious writing project. Kiss the Pages is about four library pages saving the world over the course of one summer, with love drama, fairies, and literary references woven in.

Quick fire-round: What’s your favourite:
Food: Samosas
Magazine: BUST magazine!
Website: Etsy.com
Item of stationery: Brush-tip pens
Smell: Blooming jasmine, sniffed in the Roman sunshine

What’s your motto for life?
“Clear-eyed I made my choice/Free-will I chose my way”~Jeanette Howard Foster

The colour pink. Discuss.
Pink is like a teenybopper in a thift shop dress and combat boots–it looks sweet and vulnerable, but there’s passion beneath it that you’d never expect.

Go visit Rie at her site of book wonder: Leaving Shangri-LA