VERMONT VOICES: Katherine Paterson
every family should stay home for Christmas, because kids don’ t want to go to their grandparents. I had that privilege, we always got to celebrate in our own home. They should have that privilege. Last year, my son John asked me to come for Christmas, and I had a lovely time with them.
Megan: Your creativity is not limited to writing. I understand you did some acting when you were in college, and when you were little, you thought about being a movie star. You’ ve also written some plays.
Katherine: I saw National Velvet, and thought I looked exactly like Elizabeth Taylor. I loved acting! I was asked to do a stage version of Bridge to Terabithia. I had no real experience writing plays, but my friend Stephanie Tolan had done plays, and her husband was a theater producer. Stephanie wrote it with me, and we had so much fun. We’ ve done five plays, and a lot of them have music.
Megan: You grew up in a missionary family, that’ s why you were in China. You then became a missionary in Japan. Did that experience inform your writing?
given. There’ ll be some essays from out-of-print books, and I’ m still giving speeches now.
Megan: It must feel good to keep writing.
Katherine: Two things happened very close together. My editor of 40 years and my husband of 51 years died. Those were my two main supports as a writer. I thought, that’ s fine. I really love to read. I’ ll just read. I don’ t have to write anymore.
I was telling my friends about this- and one of them said I should write about it, so I did. I had forgotten how much I loved to write— until I wrote that novel.
Megan: You moved to Vermont in the early 1980s. What brought you here?
Katherine: In 1986, my husband came to be the pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Barre, and I just followed along. I said,“ Okay, one more move, but this is it.” I’ d been coming up to Lake George, New York, since we got married in 1962. John visited there as a single, young pastor, and then brought me here on part of our honeymoon. We often would take the summerferry to Vermontwith the family for special meals and sightseeing. That was myintroduction to Vermont, over 60 ago, never dreamingI’ d live here. I have a wonderful apartment looking out at the mountains. It’ s lovely.
Megan: You were true to your word, that was your last move. I find the natural beauty of Vermont to be inspiring, has that been you’ re experience?
Katherine: Absolutely. Coming from China in wartime, you’ re a total outsider, and outsiders tend to be observers. My first three books are set in Japan. I eventually wrote one set in China. I think it does good things for your brain to be bilingual early.
Megan: Are you working on anything right now?
Katherine: I’ m working on a book of essays, mostly they’ re speeches I’ ve
But then a Cuban friend of mine invited me to Cuba. I learned about the Cuban literacy campaign of 1961 from Mary Leahy, former Senator Pat Leahy’ s sister. 700,000 volunteers, young women between the ages of 12 and 18, taught farmers and their families how to read. After one year, the United Nations declared Cuba the first fully literate country in the Western Hemisphere. I thought that was astounding. When I came back,
Katherine: Yes, of course. I began writing books set in Vermont after I moved here. I’ ve lived here now for 38 years, and I have plenty of friends. People have asked me, now that I’ m retired, would I move some place warmer? No, I love it. I don’ t want to go anywhere else! n
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