Often books have one or two paragraphs about the author, which are called blurbs. In fact, there are people who specialize in writing blurbs. It is a tricky job because the blurb writer wants to provide as much interesting information as possible about the author in one or two paragraphs.
For your first writing project, you will be interviewing a classmate and using your interview notes to create a blurb.
Looking at a Model of a Blurb
We looked first at two different blurbs for the same author, E. B. White. Here are some things we noticed about them:
- where born
- awards
- job
- accomplishments
- education
- when he died
- family
- quote from the person that tells something special about him/her
The Interview
You will be assigned a partner. Each of you will interview each other. Later in the year, you will be doing a larger project involving interviewing an immigrant. This is a much shorter interview, but you should be sure to listen carefully, take good notes, and allow your partner to say as much as he/she wishes in answer to each question.
Here’s my interview of Ms. Stokien:
What is your full name and where do you live?
Julia Stokien. Lives on Upper West side of Manhattan.
2. Where were you born? Do you have any interesting family stories about your birth and/or early years?
Born at Lenox Hill Hospital. Grew up in the country about 1 1/2 hours from NYC. 4 younger sisters all with names beginning with J. Lots of animals — sort of a mini farm.
Tell me about your family.
I have a mother, father, stepfather. Sister now live all across the country. Married. Has two daughters. Emma is a hs senior. Katie is a junior in college. Husband is James. Lot of Js!
Tell me about any pets, hobbies, and favorite in-school and out-of-school activities.
Two cats, wants a dog. Babysat a bulldog last winter. Loves to do different activities in NYC. Movies, museums, hanging out with family.
Tell about some of your favorite things:
Book I’m reading — Letters of E. B. White.
Is there anything else you would like to tell me?
Been a teacher for almost 30 years. Been at Dalton since 1988. Was a 4th grade teacher before coming to Dalton. Now a 6th grade HA and Middle School preceptor (learning specialist).
Now it is your turn. Interview your partner.
Next up — the first draft of the blurb!