“Like insects crawling under rocks, ideas are everywhere”. Henrique Moreira and Grant Snider in Conversation

We need a proactive term to describe kismet in children’s literature circles. Unfortunately, when I try to rustle up something on my own, I come up with “kidlitsmet” which I think we can all agree is just awful. Nonetheless, while the name may elude me, the principle is sound. Just this past Friday I had the pleasure of reviewing a delightful work of poetry out in November called Beware the Dragon and the Nozzlewock by Vikram Madan. And in that very review I happen to say, “When I said earlier that Madan had managed to straddle the line between poetry and comics, I probably should have made it clear that he’s not the only one doing so. Earlier this year we saw an even more blatant combo with Poetry Comics by Grant Snider. Comics, it seems, are beginning to realize that they can reinvigorate old literary tropes and techniques that have been withering away as of late.”

I’m a big fan of Poetry Comics, as it happens, and so the universe decided to grant me a boon. None other than the illustrious Gina Gagliano wrote me the following:

“I’m working with LQ author Henrique Moreira, who did the comics-picture book hybrid The First Day of May (which has gotten many starred reviews and also some great awards at Bologna). In talking to Henrique, I learned that he was a fan of author Grant Snider, who just had a book come out from Chronicle, Poetry Comics. I think both of their work is super, and has a lot in common!”

Gina went on to say that recently the two creators got into a conversation together. Would I have any interest in running the piece?

Would I? Baby, this is the kind of conversation I live for.

Join me, then, for a talk in which comics, picture books, meditation, orthodontics (I’m not kidding about that) and more are discussed by two artists working in the field with some incredible insights and results:

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Grant Snider: What can comics do that a traditional picture book can’t?

Henrique Moreira: In comics, you can put many panels with different scenes in the same page, and this can create movement of time. Picture books can show movement of time as well, but they aren’t as dynamic as comics. The key is the panels, and the rhythm that they can create in the story.

I read online that besides being an illustrator, you are an orthodontist. Are there any similarities between the dentist work and the author of comics work?

Grant: Placing braces on teeth feels a lot like drawing panel borders: it requires concentration, precision, and repetition. It sets the stage for an ideal final product. Luckily the comics page is less squirmy than a patient in the dental chair. Most days. . . .

What is your favorite shape?

Henrique: I never thought about my favorite shape before, I don’t think I have one. I consider that all shapes are beautiful and necessary to the universe.

Do you have moments of inspiration/ideas while working on your patients’ teeth?

Grant: Not often. But it does seem like the second I stop trying to “solve” an idea that’s been lingering, I find a breakthrough. My day job is a nice break from creative work that lets my subconscious start sorting through creative roadblocks. And when I have a break between patients, I return to my notebook to doodle.

Your drawings have an excellent sense of motion, the characters move about the page and panels like a dance. How do you capture movement in your stories?

Henrique: I try to capture the movements using the sequence and rhythm of panels and also the shape of the object/character that is moving. I can stretch or repeat the character’s shape multiple times to show movement.

Some of your comics hint at the idea of mindfulness and meditation. Do you meditate? If yes, how did you start and how has it impacted you?

Grant: I have tried to mediate—and failed repeatedly. So for now long runs and walks outdoors without my phone are my preferred form of meditation. Sometimes I walk with only my thoughts, terrifying as this can be. Other times I bring a notebook and write or draw what I see. Either way I’m led to a mindful stillness that approaches a feeling of meditation.

Which materials did you use to make The First Day of May?

Henrique: To create The First Day of May I used paper and pencil to do the first sketches and my computer to do the final lines and color. 

How do you think ideas are born? Where do ideas come from?

Grant: Like insects crawling under rocks, ideas are everywhere. It takes a bit of effort to lift up each rock to find the right. To paraphrase artist Milton Glaser, the question shouldn’t be “Where do you get your ideas?” “Where don’t you get your ideas?” is more like it. 

What are your favorite picture books that use elements of comics? (Mine include Tuesday by David Wiesner and Father Christmas and The Snowman by Raymond Briggs.)

Henrique: I like The Snowman by Raymond Briggs as well. I don’t remember reading other picture books that used comics elements in my childhood. 

Grant: What music do you listen to while creating (if any)?

Henrique: Oh, I listen to many types of music, it depends on my mood and what stage of the project I’m in. The spectrum goes from classical music to heavy metal. Each type of music is a frequency that can help me or not to do what I want. Sometimes silence is the best thing. 

Grant: Any other questions you wished someone had asked you about your book?

Henrique: Yes, someone could have asked: why do you like to make silent books?

And I would have answered: I have always been a very quiet person since I was a child. I think I enjoy communicating with others using drawings rather than words.

Why do you think humans feel the need to create and share stories or books?

Grant: Without stories, how would we understand each other? I’m so glad that writing and drawing are a simple, effective way to link one hidden inner life with another. Through words and pictures in poems, comics, novels, picture books, and every other form in between, we begin to see the world from outside our own limited perspective.

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Well, certainly through my limited perspective, that was a lovely talk. I’d like to thank Gina Gagliano for bringing these two wholly original creators together. Thanks too to Henrique (Levine Querido) and Grant Snider (Chronicle Books) for discussing their work, their inspirations, and their processes. You can find Poetry Comics out this spring from Chronicle Books and The First Day of May out this spring as well from Levine Querido. And pairing these two books together? Sublime!

Filed under: Conversations