>> Abigail Sears: Hello everyone. It is a pleasure and I will welcome you again to the 2023 National Book Festival. My name is Abigail Sears and it is both a privilege and a joy to stand before you here today. You know, as a remote collaborator with the library over the past two years, it is my first time here at the National Book Festival in person, and I could not be more excited. So let's give a hand to the library itself. [applause] Thank you all for one. So I have always adored books, so naturally, I spent the majority of my childhood in libraries and at bookstores, and that is where I first discovered Ruta Sepetys. And Ruta's words have this universal resonance that shine a light on the voices of the silence. And we are so thankful to have her here today with us. Her remarkable achievements include being honored with the prestigious Carnegie Medal, as well as the Josette Frank Award for fiction. Additionally, she was bestowed the cross of the Knight of the Order by the president of Lithuania for her work. So here today to talk about her newest novel, ""You The Story"." Let's give her a warm welcome. Thank you. [applause] So also sharing the stage with me right now is the incredibly talented Alexa Patrick, a vocalist and poet of great artistry. Alexa currently holds the role of Programs director at the non-profit writing program and publishing house Shout Mouse Press. You can see on her t-shirt. Her collection of poetry, "Remedies for Disappearing" was recently chosen by Elizabeth Acevedo as this year's August book pick, and we are so happy to have her here as well. [applause] We also want to thank you all for coming. We are honored to have you all here today with us as well. So how this is going to work is Alexa and I will conduct both our interviews and then we will open the floor up for questions. So as we're talking, you guys can be thinking, brainstorming, and then come up to the mics right after. But we truly extend our heartfelt appreciation to each and every one for being here today. So with that, let's begin. Thank you. [applause] I'm going to turn here. I've got a question. So I will preface that Ruda has not heard any of our questions. These are completely being thrown at her. >> Ruta Sepetys: I'm nervous. I'm excited. But I really thought like at the end of the day, I told Alexa and Abigail, oh, we're going to have like ten people. It's going to be a conversation. Thank you all so much after this long day for being here. It means so much. [applause] >> Abigail Sears: So I want to start pretty simple here. So I'm curious, in your new book, "You the Story". What are those -- what are the core messages that you want your readers to take away? What are those key terms, key passages that you really want it to reflect in your writing? >> Ruta Sepetys: A couple of key takeaways. First, that every human being has a story, and second, that writing well, I believe, is less about how you were educated or the extraordinary experiences you've had or where you've worked. Writing well is more about our emotions and our feelings and how we express them, that authenticity and that resonance. And so with that in mind, if you have felt deeply, you've lived deeply and you have the tools to be a writer. And so that's, I would say, my takeaway. >> Abigail Sears: That's amazing. Thank you. So with that, I want to involve the audience a little bit, if that's okay. So if y'all can be a part of this interview, we would love your help. So I'm going to say two statements. And if you could raise your hand, if you would agree with them, that would be great. So my first one is how many of you identify as a writer? Raise your hands if you do. All right. We got a few in the crowd. Yeah, of course. All right. How many of you have a story to tell but aren't really sure where to start or don't consider yourself a writer at all? All right. We have quite a few more hands. So I'm curious, what do you make of this? >> Ruta Sepetys: I make actually, that with the second question that really every hand-- there could have been more hands up. The other thing, though, that I'm really hoping with this book, "You the Story" is to help all of you realize the fundamentals of finding your story and expressing your story. I know you have stories to tell that you might say, well, oh, I didn't even think of that. Because I'm an author of historical fiction, those are my novels are historical novels, when I do my events, the conversations turn so quickly from conversations about history to conversations about personal history. And I hear these incredible stories and I say, have you written that down? And people say, oh, no, I'm not a writer. Right. Okay. But have you written it down even to archive it? Why? Because I think every adult in this room wishes that our family or that we had archived or better archived our families or our ancestor's stories. And so it's I am this is my plea. I think hopefully by the end everyone is going to raise their hand and say that they're a storyteller. >> Abigail Sears: Amazing. Thank you. So "You The Story" is really this culmination of a how to manual and how to write, as well as personal stories from your childhood and your whole life. And so I'm curious when writing that, how did you integrate your personal stories into kind of a how to guide for audience of all ages? >> Ruta Sepetys: The structure of the book that you're speaking to, this structure, that was one of the most challenging parts. Those of you who know my novels know that I interview hundreds of people, true witnesses to create my fiction. And I'm creating composite characters. I'm weaving together experiences. And through that, I've learned that knowledge of story, it facilitates human understanding. It facilitates global dialogue. And so I had to find a way in this book to weave some of my own stories as examples. I mean, if I'm going to say, oh, it's very important that we share our stories, I had to have the courage and find the courage to share some of my own. And when you read the book, you will realize like, I am just a glorious fiasco of a disaster of a person, but in a really fun way. And so what I decided to structure this and weave some of my own in what if I could create a book that combined craft and the essential foundational elements of storytelling with the essential truths of the human journey? If I could pair these, which we'll get into the H's, if I could pair these. So that's how I structured the book. It's so accessible and I hope it's friendly. And some of you might say this is pretty simple, but as we progress through the book, I'm layering in experiences from my own life in essays, in different storytelling formats, and hopefully in the process of doing that, encouraging the reader to say, oh wait, I relate to that. Maybe I could have something. So that to your question, the structure was really important to be able to achieve what you're speaking about. >> Abigail Sears: Thank you. Thank you so much for that. So you mentioned the H's you have in your book, which are, if you've read it, a big part of the novel. So if Alexa, you want to take it over, I know you have a few questions based off of that. >> Alexa Patrick: Yeah. Thank you so much, Abigail. Well, actually, my first question for you was, how was your flight to DC right now? >> Ruta Sepetys: Okay, thank you for asking this. So in the book I explain that backstory, this compost of personal experiences, we all have a compost of personal experiences. That makes up who we are and how we react to things. And what Alexa is referring to is that the first flight that I ever took as a child, the engine went out, the landing gear exploded and crash landed; my very first flight as a four-year-old girl. And that created a backstory for me that is layered into my entire life. And when someone who doesn't know me might have said yesterday, oh, hey, how was the flight from Nashville to DC? Just the fact that I made it. I'm here. So thank you for asking that. And you know, again, when we know each other's story and our sensitivities and backstories, it can help facilitate feeling seen. And I feel like, okay, you see me, >> Alexa Patrick: I see you >> Ruta Sepetys: and you know tomorrow like and being a touring author taking 200 flights a year, that's a white knuckled ride, you know. >> Alexa Patrick: And I'm so happy that you made it here safely. Oh, my gosh, what a blessing. But it's funny that you mentioned that the most difficult part of writing this book was the structure of it, because I also think it is the most impressive part of the book. There is so much intentionality in the structure of this book and all of its layers and what I mean by intentionality is that there's so much care not only for your own writing and your own story, but for the reader and for making it accessible to readers of various backgrounds. It's just I appreciate it so much. There are so many gems that you have and all these gems are so delightful. And I find that these gems not only decorate my work as a writer, but they also decorate my work as a human out in the world with other humans. >> Ruta Sepetys: They're related. your work is a poet, Alexa, is related to your journey as a human. >> Alexa Patrick: Yeah. And I find that really what this book does is I mean, it's talking about writing through just humanity and feeling. And like you said, this beautiful quote that I'm like, should I get this as a tattoo? But if you felt deeply, you you've lived deeply. That's such a wonderful quote. And there are a lot of feelings in this book. You all have read it, yeah? >> Ruta Sepetys: No, not yet. It's pretty new, maybe. >> Alexa Patrick: Okay, well, listen, we're about to find out. There are a lot of feelings in this book. And specifically the H's, these H's that you return to, hilarity, humiliation, heartbreak and hope. And so what we're going to do, we're going to travel through each of these feelings, different moments that you have in the book. And then I'm going to ask you some questions about these feelings. >> Ruta Sepetys: And those are, as we said, tied to the essential truths of the human experience, which is really juxtaposition, right? >> Alexa Patrick: Yes. >> Ruta Sepetys: Humiliation and hilarity and love and loss and all of these things. >> Alexa Patrick: And sometimes the difference between which is just like time. >> Ruta Sepetys: Yeah, true, true. Altitude, a buffer of time, different altitude, how we're looking at our experiences, how we're framing our experiences, the perspectives, yeah. >> Alexa Patrick: Yes, okay. So we are going to get into one of these little chapters here. We're going to start with hilarity. I'm going to have you read from page 36 the brown chapters. Let's see, are you all ready? I don't know if you are. >> Ruta Sepetys: Again, no, this is like live without a net. I said, oh, will you email me the questions and the -- No, we don't do that. [laughter] okay. So the Brown chapter hilarity. Just for a little bit of context I was quite a dramatic child. And at the age of 12, I decided that my life was taking a new direction and I might need a makeover of my bedroom. Yeah, and so I had gone to my parents to tell them that my life, my room needed to represent my life at this moment. I can't believe you chose this one. >> Alexa Patrick: As the opener nonetheless. >> Ruta Sepetys: Right. I read "Ethan Frome" when I was 12. Around the time I made the proclamation that no one understood me. I had felt that way since I was nine, but formally announced it to my family when I was 12. We refer to that time as the Brown chapter. I confess to my parents that upon turning 13, my new chapter in life might just require a makeover of my bedroom. Could I pay for it, they asked. Children of immigrants we don't get freebies. I had saved my nickels, had a humble budget and was willing to use it. Okay then. Always eager to encourage expression and creativity, my parents agreed to explore the idea. My father, an artist, offered to sketch out a few designs for my new den of despondency. Brown, I insisted; everything, everything must be dark brown. Like chocolate, said my mother. No, like poop, I told her. [laughter] Brown like poop, everything must be brown like poop. Brown like poop. Can you imagine the 13-year-old character I'm describing? I insisted that even the insides of the drawers be painted brown. Metaphor galore. Oh, hilarity. But interesting, though, how it's also tied to humiliation, the H's because imagine, I was that kid in the neighborhood. Remember the girl who lived in the poop cocoon? Remember the girl who lived in the fudge chamber? And what was this-- moment of expression became moment of humiliation but now from a different altitude. Interesting that I could giggle and laugh while I was reading it, which tells me that was once a deeply felt experience, maybe is now moving towards a healed experience, you know, my brown chapter. [laughter] >> Alexa Patrick: Yeah. I mean, you refer to your youth a lot in this book with a lot of very hilarious maybe now in hindsight, hilarious moments. And I'm curious. My question for you is, what do you think the function of youth is in the writing process? How might youth benefit a writer? >> Ruta Sepetys: Oh, thank you for asking that, because it's a misconception often that I'm a novelist of adult historical fiction who happens to appeal to students and teens, and that's why we have to moderate. It's such an honor to have a student moderator and an adult moderator. I'm considered a crossover author. My books are read by both. But I promise you, I am an author of young adult fiction. My goal is to work for students in teens and why I think that as young people, we have an unfiltered sense of emotional truth. Things that happen to us in our youth are things that stay with us, they're imprinted upon us for the rest of our lives. I mean, they are right for better or for worse. As adults, sometimes we spend a lot of hours trying to undo what may have happened in our childhood. But also, I think young readers have such a sense of emotional truth and justice that they read this differently. So I think that being able to recognize foundational elements of story when you're young might help us as we move through this. And I'm not talking about stereotypical put things in, you know, this is in boxes or this is -- no, but to say to realize that all these elements setting, characters are dialogue that you have, that a day is a story, A year is a story, and a life is a story. I think that can help us frame the story that is our life and the narratives that we come up with, the stories we tell about ourselves and how we tell those stories. >> Alexa Patrick: Yeah, and I'm thinking also just about your parents and your father specifically in that moment. I feel like if I told my parents that I wanted to paint my room brown, I might have gotten like, what, no, no. You know, go back to your room and sit and think about why you want that to happen. But the very fact that you all sat down and came up with a plan and I mean, it's very silly, but it's also it's super validating as well. And it makes space for also you and whatever emotions you were feeling at that time. Like that is very significant for an adult to be able to make space for those things to just exist. >> Ruta Sepetys: I do not take that for granted. I don't. Just for context, both of my parents endured traumatic and difficult childhoods. My father fled from his country of Lithuania when he was four years old. He spent nine years in refugee camps, enduring and seeing really difficult things before when he was a teenager in 15, he was able to leave the camps. My mother was the youngest of 11 children. Her father died before her second birthday and the family was plunged into poverty. My mom had to leave school at 15. But despite all of this, my parents decided that we can't choose our hardships, but we can choose how we face our hardships and how we narrate then the story that is our life. So my parents had a sense of wonder about everything and this gratitude about everything, which was exciting but also problematic because yes, they did give me a lot of space to have this sense of wonder. But as a result, I loved everything and everyone. And as a little one, I would -- when something was really lovely or beautiful, I would tremble with excitement. I'd be like, ha, and I didn't know. I didn't know about stranger Danger. I didn't know that you don't tell a random man at a gas station, you are so beautiful. [laughter] And then you have that moment of dawning and of learning of what can happen. So it was great to have that space, but boy, there were stumbling blocks and I still go through that like I want to -- Oh, no, I shouldn't say that, I shouldn't do that. >> Alexa Patrick: But even though stumbling blocks blocks our stories, right, and so I'm excited to get into some of the other kind of beautiful fiascos that you get into here. Let's move into humiliation. >> Ruta Sepetys: I worked in the music business for 22 years. I don't know where she's going with this, but just to kind of, you know. >> Alexa Patrick: Yeah, well, I mean, I think I want to stay in this youth space a little bit more. >> Ruta Sepetys: Even harder, okay. >> Alexa Patrick: Okay. I was wondering if you could read "The Year of the Witch". >> Ruta Sepetys: "The Year of the Witch." >> Alexa Patrick: "The Year of the Witch" Page 154. >> Ruta Sepetys: And she's so prepared, right? >> Alexa Patrick: I am. >> Ruta Sepetys: Here is the one about-- >> Alexa Patrick: She knows everything dog eared. I'm ready. >> Ruta Sepetys: This is in a section of the book in the -- You know, I don't even know what this is. If it's a prospective. oh, dialogue. No, this is in research. right? So this is in research. When I am interrogating my process and really interrogating my memories and I break down a process for you, let's just take a man, a memory or a selection of memories and sort of go back and see if you might see them differently. And this is in a section called Valentine's Doomsday Memories. In elementary school, each class had a Valentine's Day party. We taped small paper bags to the back of our chairs and circulated around the room, dropping petite envelopes with valentines in each sack. Then we returned to our seats and ate cupcakes and other treats while reading our stacks of cards. A few weeks earlier, a small bump had sprouted on my chin. Imagine my complete mortification when my Lithuanian grandmother announced it’s a wart. Get me a vodka and a knife. [laughter] Fortunately, my parents decided to take me to a dermatologist rather than let granny carve me up. The appointment, however, was a few days after Valentine's Day. I wanted to wear a band-aid on my face for the party, but my parents assured me that was not necessary. No one will notice. You can barely see it. All children are beautiful. Well, I was so excited to tear into that bag of valentines hanging from my chair. I had seen the class cutie putting names on his valentines in green marker. I quickly sifted through my small envelopes and found the one labeled Ruta in green. My heart fluttered. I had chosen a special valentine for class cutie, one with a glittery moon and stars on it. Maybe he had chosen something special for me. Something I could show my best girlfriend and squeal about. I opened the envelope. The Valentine had a picture of Scooby Doo on it, written in green ink under Scooby was, to witchy wart face. I looked over at Class Cutie. He was sitting with all of his friends. They all laughed and pointed at me. Total, complete devastation, holy humiliation, deep cut in elementary school. I immediately faked a huge laugh and nodded at the boys. Their faces quirked with confusion. I put the Valentine back in the bag and swallowed a bite of cupcake past the lump in my throat. On the way home from school, I threw the valentine in the bushes because I knew my parents, would be sad if they saw it. That was the day I learned the hard truth. To other children, not all children are beautiful. >> Alexa Patrick: Oh, my gosh. [applause] >> Ruta Sepetys: But you honestly though, now again and we know there are memories worth returning to and some memories aren't worth returning to. No, truly, there are some. Protect your head and your heart always. But what I found was that when I was sifting through my compost, as I call it, of experiences to write about, there were some that had hurt me so deeply and now I was roaring about them. And I doubt class cutie remembers to which you wore at face. But he was the popular boy, and I was the Lithuanian version of Anne Shirley little Miss Summer sausage braids and Class cutie But now you know what I love? that I can not only laugh about it, but I could read that aloud to a big room and laugh about it. I mean, so thank you. Thank you. [applause] >> Alexa Patrick: Also, we should find class cutie. We should find and we should let them know. Well, right. >> Ruta Sepetys: You know what, though? Actually, some of my friends who have read "You The Story", it's interesting that they didn't even know that story. They knew who Class Cutie was immediately. And they said, oh, my gosh how did you-- I was like, I was not going to cry in front of him. >> Alexa Patrick: Oh, my God. >> Ruta Sepetys: No way, but yeah, class cutie. >> Alexa Patrick: Yeah. Well, so I'm curious about, like why did you find it important to choose or to share those moments of humiliation? What's the function of embarrassment? >> Ruta Sepetys: Yes, I think it is extremely humanizing. We can look at these moments of failure or humiliation as a suckhole of soul death or we can look at them as a failure of exploration. And I want to do that because I think it's very human. And when I am writing my novels, one of the questions I get so often is these characters, they feel so real. How is it that you make these characters feel real? And that's because real human beings, we hurt, we love, we have moments of humiliation. We have moments of hope and hilarity. And so in giving voice to human beings who never had a chance to tell their story in my historical fiction, make it human, bring people to the page and keep them there. And that is what allows you as readers to use your greatest gifts of empathy and compassion to look through someone else's eyes and consider their heart and say, this is not a statistic. This is a human being. And as human beings, we are humiliated and we hurt. And I think that-- and also, if we can share that, I don't know, I think it facilitates human understanding. You guys know a little bit about me more -- a little bit more about me than you did before you entered the room, maybe, you know. >> Alexa Patrick: And also, I think and yeah, just inspires others to tell their own truths, the truths that they felt were embarrassing or that they didn't want to see the light when it's just like, oh wait, other people have had experiences like this, like, maybe I can share mine too. And maybe this is a book, maybe this is a story. And I also want to return to what you were saying a little bit earlier with some stories or some memories aren't worth returning to. I'm curious about what you think the function of safety is when returning to your own memories. I work a lot in a poetry space with youth, and a lot of times, they'll want to go back to traumatic times or traumatic periods. And it's like, well, let's take a moment where like, how are you actually feeling? Is this a safe place for you to return to or do you need some time to actually sort it out in your own life? But can you talk a little bit about what is the function of safety in writing? >> Ruta Sepetys: I will talk about that from the standpoint of a novelist, because I am not a therapist, I am not a counselor, and I think it would be irresponsible of me to address that in a different way. So I think that writing can be tremendously healing. Writing also provides a framework through which we understand the world and we understand ourselves, but also build narratives about ourselves. And the caution that I would say is that if you don't feel comfortable discussing what you're actually writing about in a public forum, then I would say absolutely write it for yourself, but maybe it's not for publication yet. There are stories we write and there are stories we publish, and they're not always the same thing. They're not always in the same category. So I think for ourselves, it can be tremendously healing and especially, like I say, to determine how are we framing the stories we tell about ourselves, these narratives that develop when we're young. I'm not good at math or I'm not creative or I'm clumsy. I often wonder when I work with young people, where does that come from? Is that something that someone told you or is that something that you're telling yourself. And when I interview the witnesses and survivors for my novels before the interview, I say, I'm going to ask you a question that when we get together, maybe you can give me the answer. If a book was written about your life, what would the title be? And then I asked them if a book was written about your family's life, the overall family, what would the title be? And that gives me a framework of a lens that we're looking through and also helps me know how to approach that interview. I really believe sometimes we don't know how we're going to react. I didn't know how I was going to react digging into some of these memories. >> Alexa Patrick: Well, I think it's really wonderful that you bring up how cathartic and how healing writing can be because another one of your H's is heartbreak. Another one of your H's is heartbreak. And I mean, heartbreak is a universal feeling, right? We've all been through it, whether it be a Valentine's Day- >> Ruta Sepetys: disaster. >> Alexa Patrick: I'm so mad at him [laughter] but it could be a Valentine's Day disaster. It could be something the love of your life. But there is still the possibility of healing. You know, one of the moments where I see heartbreak come up in this book is when you're talking about-- you're recalling memories from your family and from your parents specifically, and then watching your parents grow older and then your father specifically lose his memory and this juxtaposed against you recalling these experiences that you've had with your father. And so I'm curious about how you feel writing can serve or facilitate healing as it pertains to loss and heartbreak. >> Ruta Sepetys: I hope that because I want to say, Oh, I know, but I hope that in my case, as Alexa explained, I lost my father twice. He had a vascular form of dementia that was brought on through his career as a soccer player and lost him to dementia. And part of the exercise was reading to him about his own life. And although it was very painful as I was writing this and reading it occurred to me that I am so devastated and I hurt so deeply and I feel such loss because, man, I loved deeply, I lost hard but that's because I loved hard. And what's more important than the capacity to love? Isn't that the essence of our human experience? And yes, it sucks and it hurts, but wow, that makes me feel like I am so alive, right? So I don't know, I get choked up thinking about it, but it's not a pain. It's a gratitude, if you will, like, wow, to be able to feel this, it's great. >> Alexa Patrick: And again, there's this kind of like, cyclical thing that's happening because with the loss of a loved one this loved one is also someone who has made space for your voice to exist. There are so many times when your father in this book made space for you to, like, share what you were feeling. Be silly, be like wonderfully chaotic -- >> Ruta Sepetys: My novels are based on his history. My novel is based on my mom's history. >> Alexa Patrick: Yes, yes. >> Ruta Sepetys: Yes. This inspiration. >> Alexa Patrick: Yeah. And so I think it's just it's really lovely to see someone underscore the and celebrate the folks who allowed them to share their own stories and share the stories of others and that's just something that should be uplifted and celebrated and so I thank you for that and I think your father for that. >> Ruta Sepetys: And I thank them for giving me permission as well to share their story. That's a part of this, right? You know, what right do we have to history and story other than our own and I think that's a big responsibility. And I'm grateful that my parents were so generous to say spill it all out. >> Alexa Patrick: I love it. And so, I mean, also with that, there's a perspective shift the way that you did that. Where it's like it's loss but it's love, it's love. And so I think that also mirrors the final H which is hope. How we can just based on a perspective shift, we're able to see things differently. We're able to see the light surrounding it. And I think that you do that so beautifully throughout this entire book as you are just gathering and recalling these experiences, these memories. It's not lost on me that the last chapter of this book is about courage. Can you tell me why that is? >> Ruta Sepetys: I feel that any creative endeavor requires creative courage because even if we don't think that our intention is to put ourselves on the page or into the painting or into the dance or into the poem, We do, we're there, and that can be a vulnerable experience to turn yourself inside out and share these crazy experiences like I do in the book and say, here I am for better or for worse. But what does that do? I think it's important these endeavors because when I know when I read something and I find an element in it that resonates with me, either about my own experience or about my feeling, suddenly the world is less lonely. And right now, I think we need more than ever to connect with each other. I promise you we are more alike than we are different. And in sharing our stories, we find those common threads, those stories that bind us together. And so that's why I think it takes courage but I think it's worth it, I think it's really worth it. >> Alexa Patrick: It is, it is. And I mean, even in that response, there's a -- I think a word that keeps coming up for me is discovery; is discovering each other, discovering all the different layers of humanity and discovering ways that we can better coexist and better love >> Ruta Sepetys: discovering perspectives, discovering the intersection of our perspectives. That's what my novels are all about. These characters from very different backgrounds and this intersection of perspective, That's where we learn, where we truly learn, you know, I think, yeah. >> Alexa Patrick: And you have these really wonderful sections in this book that punctuate the ends of each chapter. These uncover and discover sections, oh, so good. And for those of you that might not know, at the end of each chapter, there's an uncover discover section, maybe four or so different paragraphs that will teach you about myriad things. >> Ruta Sepetys: And contextual. There are writing prompts, there are recaps. But speak for my younger readers when I'm mentioning my mom's wedding gift from Jimmy Hoffa, younger readers, I need to have a uncover and discover who was Jimmy Hoffa. What's the latest on Jimmy Hoffa? >> Alexa Patrick: What's he up to? >> Ruta Sepetys: Tie this together, exactly, yeah. >> Alexa Patrick: But then it's not only like who is Jimmy Hoffa, but then there is a prompt after that that encourages you to research. So there's a call that comes from this book that asks the reader to dig deeper and to be curious. And so I'm curious about, like, one, how did you decide which little snippets to add? And also why, like I need the why and I want the how. Like it wasn't just a -- did you have a whole bunch of words in a hat or? >> Ruta Sepetys: No, it was definitely intentional. One of the sections of the book is devoted to research because I do a lot of research as a historical fiction novelist. So part of them were sneaky research prompts to even let people know like, yeah, you're doing the research, you want to know, and you might even be Googling. Why was Jimmy Hoffa invited to my parents wedding? You know, I mean, who knows? There are these sneaky research problems. But no, many of them were because I'm referencing things of a time period. My vintage is beyond most of yours. And so you might not know when I'm referencing the Partridge Family or people like this stories to uncover and discover. It was really a historical, like a time period timeline thing. >> Alexa Patrick: I love that. And you see what I mean when I'm talking about how intentional like, every single layer of this book is. it's just so impressive. And so I'm curious about your experience personally when you were writing this book, what did you uncover and discover in your process of writing? >> Ruta Sepetys: I uncovered, first of all, how fortunate I am to have come from a family of siblings, parents, aunts and uncles who celebrated failure. Because now when I'm working with students and young people that the idea of failing is absolutely I mean, it seizes people up and no, I'm not going to -- Whereas I discovered that I have failed more in life than I can count. But the response to that was so nurturing and was so that I didn't see it as I don't know. I didn't see it as the suckhole of soul death, as I did see it as a forest of exploration, even though my mom said, Yeah, well, that failure with your SATs, you're not going to get into college anywhere. And I was like, oh, but there were creative programs that I could then explore. I think I'm one of the only novelists who originally started college in an opera program and then changed my major to international finance. I mean this, right, the >> Alexa Patrick: Juxtaposition. >> Ruta Sepetys: Juxtaposition, the ability to pivot and learn from it. And so I think that to embrace failure, I learned and I-- in moving along with life, that wasn't something that as a young person, as a child, as an early adult, that I said, wow, I really know how to-- I embrace failure. No, but as I wrote through it, I thought, oh, yeah. >> Alexa Patrick: Yeah, okay, wonderful. >> Ruta Sepetys: Thank you. >> Alexa Patrick: That was our ages. Can we give it up for the ages? [applause] And then I have like an overflow list of questions that just came to me that didn't cleanly fit into the ages. >> Ruta Sepetys: I don't know if we're -- >> Alexa Patrick: I didn't see any -- Two minutes of just a Q&A, and then we open up to the audience >> Ruta Sepetys: No, just for the session. [laughter] >> Alexa Patrick: I didn't see any of the signs. I'm so sorry. >> Ruta Sepetys: Don't you worry. >> Alexa Patrick: Yeah, well, then that sounds like we have room for maybe one audience question. My goodness. And I believe that you can come up here to the microphone. >> I adore your books, all your historical novels. >> Alexa Patrick: Thank you. Let's say like between "Shades of Grey" / "Ashes in the Snow", the ending, I like told everybody about it. I was like, they have to read it. It ends so well. So I was wondering, in all your historical novels how you end it, Because I always I love the tire book with the ending is always my favorite because it's always realistic, but like bittersweet. So I was wondering what your thought process was through that. >> Ruta Sepetys: Thank you. The question is about in case some of you didn't hear about endings and thank you so much for your compliments on my books and not because I wrote them, but because they represent human beings who sometimes believe the world had forgotten them, didn't believe anyone would care that their story had slipped through the cracks of history. So the endings she's asking. She said she enjoyed the endings. Now some people say, I threw the book. I was so frustrated. How do I come up with the endings? In interviewing these people, I ask them, tell me, tell me, what's the most important to you? What do people not understand? And oftentimes they ask me, do not give this a Hollywood ending. Do not put a bow on this. We understand that readers want something satisfying, but that would diminish the struggle of our parents, of our grandparents and what they went through. It's okay if people have to sit for a moment. I mean, I'm making it sound like they're really they're not that tragic. But there's a nuance there, a juxtaposition, an intersection that makes you think, hmm, I hope propels you to research. I hope that after you finish the book, you say you say, oh, I need to research this. So that's why it's at the request of these my partners on the books. Do we have time for one more question? >> Alexa Patrick: Please come to the front. >> Ruta Sepetys: And I am signing books after and I can answer questions at the signing. >> Hello, I'm such a huge fan of all of your books. I have every single one except this one. And you've signed three of them for me, so I'm really happy to have them. >> Alexa Patrick: Thank you. And I've been-- I'm probably one of the young readers that's been very inspired. It was a really big aspect of why I decided to study history now. And I'm currently writing a history thesis very much in the lines of studying like an occurrence of violence that occurred in my own country of Ethiopia. And I know that you write so much about, like these really painful moments in history and interviewing people who are going through this pain. And I'm interviewing some of my own family members who have gone through this pain right now. And I read a book by Donald Donham called "Staring at Suffering." And one of his quotes was, how do you write? How does an analyst write about violence without it becoming a pornography of violence? And that was a question that I had for you. How are you able to write about these occurrences of violence and what tips do you have for me when I'm having to write about-- like it's a much closer occurrence of violence events happen in my country like last year. So like, how do I write about this, especially when it's so close to home in a more like it's an academic paper, But how were you able to reconcile with these occurrences without like diminishing the story? >> Ruta Sepetys: And diminishing the human beings who experience that story. First, thank you for your kind words. How old -- what grade were you in when you first discovered my books? >> I was 14, I'm 21 now. >> Ruta Sepetys: And for me, I'm writing for you. And I'm honored to write for you and work with you. And so thank you for that. And your question is so thoughtful because it can become using the words you use misery porn or it can become violence porn or it can be --and that dehumanizes the people who have already experienced so much. So I want to go to your question about the interview. You are interviewing people and when you're interviewing a family member or someone when you're writing a memoir, I learned the hard way early on. When I wrote my first novel "Between Shades of Gray," which is the experience of my father's family, who was sent to a death camp in Siberia, I had the audacity of thinking that I knew what I needed to know. Approaching these stories and these human beings, we can't even fathom what they might have to share and what we might need to know. And so you might have a list of questions. And I beg you to also ask sense memory questions, because in asking them, let's say I'm fictionalizing this, that you're interviewing someone and they say, well, I was you know, I was at my grandmother's house and I say, take me there, take me there. Let them tell you the story in their own words, and they will take you to their grandmother's kitchen. They will tell you what was cooking, what the pattern on the curtains was like, what it felt like in that kitchen. And that will allow you to tell a human story that is detailed, nuanced and respectful without being gratuitous. There are times that in order to convey and emphasize the impact of a dramatic situation, you are going to need to challenge yourself as a writer and ask them, what is the story that has been told that you don't think needs to be told? What is missing? What's most misunderstood about this? If you titled this book, what would the title be? And then as you come to these moments where there is violence or brutality, like I say, challenge yourself. I wrote a book, "Salt to the Sea", which is about a refugee evacuation during a I mean, a brutal rape and pillage scene. And the survivors wanted it to be intense. And there are sixth graders who read this book. Come up with a way that you can convey that intensity without being gratuitous. For example, in "Salt to the Sea", I said in describing the rape and pillage scene I described, there was a woman in a ditch and her skirt was knotted high. Adults can visualize a woman with a skirt knotted around her waist amidst this scene. Young readers who that might not be in their consciousness doesn't need to be in there, might not need to be in their consciousness. So how can you as a writer involve the people you're interviewing? And as you're doing it, make note not only of where their energy shifts, but where your energy shifts. If you're emotional, if you have those moments I call heart hops during research, your readers are going to have those. So come up with a way to notate as you are interviewing and researching where you have those heart hops and then look back at your research when you've got your draft. Are those in the book because that's representing the humanity. And first of all, we need the story of Ethiopia, please, please. If there's anything I can do to help encourage you, creative courage, do it, do it. So thank you. And thank you for volunteering. I see your volunteer for the festival. Thank you for volunteering. [applause]