The following is an interview with Jennifer Shoop (creator of Magpie) regarding the recent release of her book, Small Wonders: A Field Guide to Life’s Quiet Joys, through Quarto Books. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Shoop about her creative process in bringing the meditative collection to life on the page, her advice for readers in search of their own restorative journey, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the recent release of Small Wonders: A Field Guide to Life’s Quiet Joys! What can you share with us about the genesis behind this meditative collection?
Jennifer Shoop: Thank you so much! This book is an extension of the daily writing I’ve been publishing on my blog, Magpie by Jen Shoop, for the past decade, and if I could summarize that body of work into one phrase, it would be: “Pay attention.” The book, like my blog, is all about noticing – really dialing in on the everyday, in its finest grain details, whether that’s the daily repetitions of motherhood, the birds and trees in our backyards, the tiny, fibrous ways people let us know they love us. I think we often overlook these places because they are ordinary, but they have been sites of incredible meaning and hope for me.
BD: How would you describe your creative process in bringing these stories, essays, and poetry together for a complementary collection?
JS: I am disciplined as a writer. I am at my desk in my little second-floor studio from 9-5 nearly every day, trying to shake hands with the blank page no matter how uninspired I feel. I do this because I’ve learned that inspiration will not always find me, but I can control my level of dedication; I can show up. And writing is a practice! I write about this in the book, but the only way to shrink the gap between my ambition and my ability is through practice. And, frankly, I am consistently surprised to find a lot waiting for me at the other end of the blinking cursor. Out with it!
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums and genres. How do you feel this book might connect with and impact readers (especially in these challenging times), and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it might inspire?
JS: I think a lot of us are looking for hope – for the silver lining, the green light. I really wrote this book to surface the tiny wellsprings of reassurance that we can find in our immediate, everyday lives. I’m talking about the angels disguised as neighbors – the ones who leave a lasagna on your doorstep or help your child up after he’s fallen off his bike – and the flora and fauna in our backyards that consistently serve as a live model for accepting change with grace. There is a lot of hope to witness there.
BD: What makes Quarto Books the perfect home for Small Wonders?
JS: Quarto is an author-forward, design-conscious imprint and couldn’t have been a better fit for this book, which is in a certain sense unwieldy because of the range of topics I cover (I talk about everything from foxgloves to diaper bags to ex libris plates.), and also invitingly visual. The publisher worked so thoughtfully with me to pair my writing with evocative, textural photography and never tried to clip my wings on the subject matter. It was a match made in heaven.
BD: For readers who may be feeling the need to unplug, what is your advice for the best way to start on their restorative journey?
JS: There’s a mantra I write a lot about: Strive to be the lowest heart rate in the room. On a practical level, I chase this north star by doing compassionate body scans a couple times a day (Can I relax my shoulders from my ears? Can I release my tongue from the roof of my mouth? Where am I holding tension!), keeping reassuring mantras close at hand (on an iPhone note and in my many notebooks), imagining the women of substance I look up to in my own life (the big sister figures who seem to always stand still in the center) and asking “what would they do?”, and finally, getting outside. Nature is the best tonic for a busy ego. I love to witness my own smallness just by standing outside for a few minutes. There are all of these enormous natural rhythms going on about their business that are completely disinterested in my pocket-size worries.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about Small Wonders and your other work?
JS: Please join me in looking closely over on my blog, Magpie by Jen Shoop! My readers – I call them Magpies – show up in the comments daily to share thoughts, insights, funny and quirky discoveries. We talk about books, relationships, motherhood, language, grief, everything. The community is a soft landing. Come notice with us!
