Janet Ruth Heller

Janet Ruth Heller is president of the Michigan College English Association. She has published three poetry books: Exodus (WordTech Editions, 2014), Folk Concert: Changing Times (Anaphora Literary Press, 2012), and Traffic Stop (Finishing Line Press, 2011). The University of Missouri Press published her scholarly book, Coleridge, Lamb, Hazlitt, and the Reader of Drama (1990). Fictive Press published Heller’s middle-grade chapter book about sibling rivalry, The Passover Surprise (2015, 2016). Her children’s book about bullying, How the Moon Regained Her Shape (Arbordale, 2006; 6th edn. 2018), has won four national awards. 

Twitter: @janetheller1949 

Favorite non-reading activity?

My favorite non-reading activity is taking long walks in my neighborhood, in a park, in a botanical garden, in a city, or in a forest. When I hike, I feel relaxed, and then, I get ideas for writing projects. For example, one day I was walking to work at the University of Chicago on a spring day. I got congested and realized that my allergy to tree pollen had caused my discomfort. This is the genesis of my poem “Primavera” about being allergic to the spring. Also, animals that cross my path may inspire poems, essays, or stories.

I have made new friends by chatting with people who are outside when I walk. Some of these individuals now hike with me occasionally.

While I walk, I often figure out a way to solve a problem in my life or in my writing. I may decide to consult a friend about how to handle conflict with a colleague. I may think of a new image for a poem or a possible ending for a story.

Is there a genre of music that influences your writing/thinking? Do you listen to music while you write?

I enjoy most forms of music, especially classical music, opera, musicals, and folksongs. I have attended many concerts, and I have sung in choirs, performed in musicals, and chanted prayers and Bible portions in my synagogue. For eleven years, I took piano lessons, and this taught me a lot about sounds and rhythm. I have written poems about some works of music, such as Leonard Bernstein’s Mass. I like listening to folksingers like Jean Redpath before I write. The simple style of narration in ballads appeals to me because I want to communicate clearly to my readers.

Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?

I used to collect stamps and pennies. My father was a stamp collector, and he wanted his children to share this hobby. I began collecting stamps when I was six years old, and I continued until I was nine. I wrote about this hobby in The Passover Surprise (Fictive Press, 2015, 2016), a middle-grade chapter book about sibling rivalry. Lisa and Jonathan, the two children in the story, both collect stamps. Their father sets up a competition to see which child will spend more time on this hobby during a certain month. The award for the winning child is a huge new stamp album.

I also collected pennies from age ten to eighteen. I got too busy for this hobby when I went away to college, and I eventually gave my collection to my nieces and nephews.

What do you worry about?

I worry that many aspects of modern life are unfair and unjust. Some people have very hard lives, while other individuals have a much easier time getting what they want and need. Because of this concern, I have gotten involved in many nonprofit organizations that reach out to those in need. I already mentioned my volunteer work for the YWCA. I also am a founding mother of the Rape Crisis Center in Madison, Wisconsin, which helps anyone targeted by sexual harassment and assault. I am the past president of the Ladies’ Library Association in Kalamazoo, a charitable nonprofit organization promoting literacy, education, and culture. The LLA gives free books to poor families, gives notebooks to children taking writing classes from Read and Write Kalamazoo, and assists foster children who are in college.

What brings you great joy?

I enjoy interacting with children very much. I am the oldest of five children, and I tried to be a good big sister. I designed treasure hunts and other activities for my siblings. Two of my first jobs were serving as a recreation director and camp counsellor for children. More recently, I have loved being an aunt for my many nieces and nephews, and now a great-aunt for my great-nieces and great-nephews. I taught religious school classes for children aged eight through thirteen and served as the principal for two such schools. I have done creative writing workshops in many elementary and middle schools and also read and discussed my award-winning fiction picture book about bullying, (Arbordale, 2006; 6th edition 2018). Teachers tell me that their students are more likely to report bullying and to assist other children after I have spoken to classes about such abuse.

I also write many poems about children, including students, relatives, and strangers. I used to volunteer to babysit for children at the YWCA in Kalamazoo while their mothers got counselling after domestic abuse. I really loved working with these children and hoped that their lives would improve. I wrote a poem about one boy whom I supervised.

I began creating children’s books for my nieces and nephews. I have now published two books for children, How the Moon Regained Her Shape and The Passover Surprise. I have written eight more manuscripts for children’s books that I am trying to publish.

I like going to schools, bookstores, libraries, fairs, and conferences to read my books, talk to children about literature, do creative writing workshops, and do anti-bullying activities.  I also conduct workshops for teachers and adults.