Mo Willems on The Necessity of Art

The interview opens with W. Kamau Bell welcoming Mo Willems (and later his wife Cher) to the podcast.

Kamau explains that he has never fallen out of love with children's books, even as an adult. The conversation quickly moves into a rich discussion about the nature of picture books.

Willems describes them as songs rather than novels, meant to be experienced repeatedly, and argues that the reader supplies 51% of the book's meaning. He emphasizes that a writer's job is not to convey an idea but to recreate the discovery of that idea.

Willems then explains his creative process, describing how he separates creative time from reactive time and stays unreactive until after lunch. He discusses his "idea garden" notebook and the practice of auditioning characters before assigning them to stories.

He reveals that each book begins with a philosophical question he does not yet know the answer to, and that "The Pigeon Needs a Bath" grew from his personal resistance to doing things he loves. Mo's wife Cher joins the conversation, and the couple discusses their collaborative dynamic, describing themselves as co-philosophers who work out ideas together at the dinner table.

The origin story of "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" is shared, including how Cher first tested it with kindergartners in a library and the children responded with enormous enthusiasm. The interview closes with the Willems recommending local food pantries and regional food banks, as well as DonorsChoose, as causes they support.

Willems ends with a reflection on generosity during difficult times. Find and support your local food bank, and donate to DonorsChoose at Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions.

Music by Chris Dowd. Distributed by Pushkin Industries.

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