SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: A Rainbow inside My Body
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.katherinekottaras.com/
CITY: Los Angeles
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME: SATA 322
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Daughter of Ted and Eleanor Kottaras; married; children: one.
EDUCATION:University of California, Irvine, M.A.; Point Loma Nazarene University, M.S.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and educator. Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA, associate professor; also taught at the high-school level.
AVOCATIONS:Gardening, woodworking, crafting, hiking, drawing.
MEMBER:National Council for Teacher Education, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Children’s Literature Council of Southern California.
AWARDS:Ally of the Year, 2019, and Above and Beyond Award, 2021, Learning Faculty Fellow, 2023, Community Excellence Grant, 2024, all from Pasadena City College.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
E. Katherine Kottaras is the author of the young-adult novels How to Be Brave and The Best Possible Answer. The first of her books centers on Georgia, a Greek American girl who feels uncomfortable in a body that is deemed “overweight” by society’s standards and has lived her life in fear of stepping out of her comfort zone. That changes when she loses her mother to kidney disease. “Reeling from her mother’s death,” summarized a Book Twister website contributor, “Georgia has a choice: become lost in her own pain, or enjoy life right now, while she still can. She decides to start really living for the first time and makes a list of fifteen ways to be brave.” “Georgia’s father,” said Amy Cummins in the Voice of Youth Advocates, “neglects to perceive her crisis because of his own grief and the impending failure of his restaurant.” “As she begins doing the things she’s always been afraid to do—including pursuing her secret crush—she discovers that life doesn’t always go according to plan,” wrote a Review Diaries contributor. “Sometimes friendships fall apart and love breaks your heart. But once in a while, the right person shows up just when you need them most.” “Georgia finally understands that her list is … not what being brave means. Not even slightly,” stated Swati Hegde in Geekie Chic. “And then she proceeds to make amends, stops wallowing in self-pity and wins back her friend and makes a date with the guy she likes. Score.” Angie Manfredi stated in Library Journal: “She develops as an artist, deals with her grief, finds a new friend, experiments with drugs and embarks on a tentative relationship.” How to Be Brave, stated Molly Horan in Booklist, is the “perfect book for anyone trying to figure out what they want their life to look like.”
Reviewers appreciated Georgia as a character and enjoyed Kottaras’s debut. “Georgia’s realistically profane voice aptly captures her personality, carrying the novel,” stated a Kirkus Reviews contributor; “her traverse through grief … [is] believable and satisfying.” “Georgia herself,” wrote a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “emerges as a realistically flawed and genuine protagonist.” “Everyone who has ever doubted themselves or felt ‘different’ should pick up a copy of ‘How to Be Brave,’” declared a Nerd Problems website reviewer, adding: “Kottaras writes in a poetic manner that draws you in and holds you there through the whole story. I finished the book in a day if that tells you anything. I cannot wait until Kottaras releases another book.” A Teenreads reviewer wrote: “Kottaras’ writing kept me interested the whole time, and the plot twists made me want to laugh and cry simultaneously.” A contributor to Children’s Bookwatch declared that the novel “will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to school and community library YA Fiction collections.”
In The Best Possible Answer, Kottaras tells the story of an overachiever whose perfect life and reputation are suddenly threatened when her boyfriend posts private pictures to the entire school, including a naked picture. Viviana Rabinovich-Lowe’s life begins to take a turn for the worse, as she is already facing intense pressure from her immigrant parents to achieve academically. Viviana later believes the picture may have played a role in what she perceives to be her parents’ disintegrating marriage, especially since her dad left after the scandal became common knowledge. Meanwhile, Viviana’s plans to apply to Stanford University, her dad’s alma mater, also seem in jeopardy.
In an interview on the Germ magazine website, Kottaras noted that the inspiration for The Best Possible Answer came from several areas in her life. She especially pointed out that, like Viviana, she is the daughter of immigrants. Her father immigrated from Greece, and her mother’s parents immigrated from Russia. “I am always interested in the unique pressures of being the child of immigrants,” Kottaras said in the Germ interview. Kottaras went on to note that, while in honors classes in college, she also suffered from panic attacks and anxiety, just as the character of Viviana starts to experience. Finally, Kottaras pointed to her teaching experiences in high school and college, noting she had “met many students who also feel the intense pressures of success, both from their families and from the mere need for financial survival, and who, as a result, suffer from severe (and often secret) anxiety.”
Suffering from severe anxiety and panic attacks due to the naked picture of her and the growing indication that her academic career might be in jeopardy, Viviana suffers even more after her mother decides that Viviana will not attend the Engineering Academy program she had planned to enroll in over the summer. Viviana’s good friend, Sammie, helps relieve the pressure when she helps Viviana get a summer job at a swimming pool. While working at the pool Viviana meets Evan, a college student working as a lifeguard. Sammie has a crush on him, but Evan appears to have an interest in Viviana. When Viviana starts falling for the charming and outgoing Evan, she soon finds that her relationship with Sammie is in trouble.
As the story continues, Viviana’s father suddenly returns after a six-month absence. Viviana then discovers his dark secret, namely that Viviana, her sister, and her mother are his second family. The discovery leads Viviana to question many things about life and love as she turns to Sammie to help her overcome yet another issue. “In this fast-paced novel, Vivi’s character development is complete,” wrote School Library Journal contributor Liz Anderson. Voice of Youth Advocates contributor Christina C. Jones remarked: The Best Possible Answer is “for readers who seek a story of betrayal, self-discovery, and resilience featuring wonderfully drawn supporting characters.”
(open new)In 2024, Kottaras released her first book for younger readers, A Rainbow Inside My Body: Finding Peace Through Yoga, Breathing Exercises, and the Chakras. Her coauthor on this volume was Vanitha Swaminathan, a coworker at Pasadena City College, and Holly Hatam provided illustrations for the book. In it, the authors explain the meanings of the different chakras and pair each with the color to which they are traditionally associated. At the end of the book, they provide historical information about yoga, instructions on how to do yoga, and nutritional facts related to the chakras.
In an interview with Cherokee Crum, contributor to the Young Adult Books Central website, Kottaras and Swaminathan discussed their partnership on the book, stating: “As writing teachers, we’ve collaborated on various projects before, but this was our first time writing for children. It’s been an absolute joy, allowing us to share our personal experiences and distill our perspectives into a meditation, a poem, a gift to our own children and families, which then extends out to other families as well. The experience of sitting together, learning from each other, has been one of the most amazing gifts of this project.” Regarding their intentions for readers of the book, they told Crum: “Today’s children face situations their parents, caretakers, and educators never experienced in their lives and can therefore receive only limited guidance from them. This adds to the child’s anxiety. As such, we offer this book as a gentle antidote for such situations. This soothing yogic meditation invites children to explore their colorful inner rainbow so they can better understand their feelings and respond to stress in peaceful ways. When children learn early in their lives to practice yoga and proper breathing, they are better equipped to deal with stressful situations.”
A critic in Kirkus Reviews offered a favorable assessment of A Rainbow Inside My Body. The critic asserted: “The book is a solid, easy-to-understand introduction.” The same critic described the volume as “edifying fare for future yoga practitioners.”(close new)
Kottaras told SATA: “I’ve always loved writing. I was a freak of nature during college in that my most favorite part about school was writing essays, and after I graduated, I missed writing. I started taking creative writing classes when I was 25, and then just kept writing for myself. Ultimately, after I felt like I’d finally found confidence in my voice, I sought out publication.
“Though the story is not autobiographical, much of my first book, How to Be Brave, is “true” in the sense that it was written after a difficult period of my life. After my mother passed away when my daughter was ten months old, I found myself sandwiched between the death of my best friend and the presence of this new life. It was a dark and confusing time—I wanted to drown in my grief but also knew I had to keep myself afloat for the sake of my new baby. I started writing with this in mind—I was looking forward to the life of my own daughter, thinking about what I want for her. How to Be Brave specifically started as a thought experiment to see what my relationship with my dad would have been like had my mom died first. As I started writing, Georgia became her own character with her own struggles.
“Ever since the announcement of my book title, How to Be Brave, friends, family, and strangers have all responded one of two ways: that they LOVE the title (hooray!) and then, often, they ask, ‘So, what’s the answer?’ In fact, many would whisper in all seriousness, ‘Please tell me. I’m desperate to know the answer.’ At first, I didn’t know how to respond. So, I would laugh nervously and say something like, ‘If only I knew!’
“However, I’ve come to love these questions, for the mere fact that the question of how to live life courageously is something we all ask. I’ve discovered that, yes, many people live in fear—(I still do!) and that yes, this fear prevents people from becoming their full selves. But I also know that people are braver than they give themselves credit for. The epigraph of How to Be Brave is this quote by Georgia O’Keeffe: ‘I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life—and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.’ I think that if we’re asking ourselves questions about how we can move past the fear and try to live our dreams, then we are more brave than we know. I hope that readers realize how brave they already are.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, October 15, 2015, Molly Horan, review of How to Be Brave, p. 45.
Children’s Bookwatch, December, 2015, review of How to Be Brave.
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2015, review of How to Be Brave; May 15, 2024, review of A Rainbow Inside My Body: Finding Peace Through Yoga, Breathing Exercises, and the Chakras.
Publishers Weekly, August 31, 2015, review of How to Be Brave, p. 94; September 19, 2016, review of The Best Possible Answer, p. 69.
School Library Journal, December, 2015, Angie Manfredi, review of How to Be Brave, p. 122; October, 2016, Liz Anderson, review of The Best Possible Answer, p. 111.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2015, Amy Cummins, review of How to Be Brave, p. 58; December, 2016, Christina C. Jones, review of The Best Possible Answer, p. 63.
ONLINE
Adventures in YA Publishing, http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/ (November 8, 2015), “E. Katherine Kottaras, Author of How to Be Brave, on Following the Call That Asks You to Write.”
Black Plume, https://blackplume.wordpress.com/ (November 10, 2015), “How to Be Brave Blog Tour: Author Interview with E. Katherine Kottaras + Giveaway.”
Book Twister, http://booktwisterreviews.com/ (November 3, 2015), review of How to Be Brave.
E. Katherine Kottaras website, https://www.katherinekottaras.com/ (December 19, 2024).
Geekie Chic, http://geekie-chic.blogspot.com/ (November 5, 2015), Swati Hegde, review of How to Be Brave.
Germ, http://www.germmagazine.com/ (January 22, 2017), “Katherine Kottaras Interview: YA Romance and Beyond.”
Handspun Lit, http://handspunlit.com/ (September 25, 2017), brief author profile.
Jean Book Nerd, http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/ (September 25, 2017), author interview.
Nerd Problems, http://www.nerdprobs.com/ (November 3, 2015), Kristin Downer, review of How to Be Brave.
New in Books, https://www.newinbooks.com/ (January 1, 2016), “Interview with E Katherine Kottaras, Author of How to Be Brave.”
Review Diaries, http://reviewdiaries.blogspot.com/ (November 18, 2015), review of How to Be Brave.
Sassy and Dangerous, http://sassyanddangerous.blogspot.com/ (November 1, 2015), “Sassy’s Fangirl Debuts—Interview with E. Katherine Kottaras.”
Teenreads, http://www.teenreads.com/ (November 3, 2015), review of How to Be Brave.
Young Adult Books Central, https://www.yabookscentral.com/ (August 22, 2024), Cherokee Crum, author interview.
About Katherine
E. Katherine Kottaras (she/they) is a contemplative writer, holistic teacher, multimedia artist, and homeschooling parent. As an Associate Professor of English at the community college level, she's proud of her work as a writing and mindfulness teacher for over two decades. She holds an M.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.S. in Kinesiology, with a focus on Integrative Wellness, from Point Loma Nazarene University.
FAQ
Katherine is the author of the critically-acclaimed young adult contemporary novels, HOW TO BE BRAVE (St. Martin’s Press, 2015) and THE BEST POSSIBLE ANSWER (St. Martin’s Press, 2016). She co-created YOGA ELEONORA on PillowFortTV, and she co-wrote the forthcoming picture book, A RAINBOW INSIDE MY BODY, with Vanitha Swaminathan, illustrated by Holly Hatam (Viking, 2024).
As a registered yoga teacher, an ACE-certified personal trainer, an ACE-certified health coach, and a newly-certified (2024) Embodied Equity educator, Katherine is passionate about bodily self-determination and health equity. She lives with chronic, invisible illness, and as such, she believes in holistic and inclusive approaches to expression, healing, and growth for all. In June 2023, her visual art piece, YOU WERE BORN OF LOVE, was selected by glendaleOUT for their exhibit, “MAPPING MY QUEER: Body Mapping Our Queer Identity," hosted by the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture. She's grateful for holistic opportunities to meditate on her body’s histories, presence, and healing futures through her written and visual works.
She has served as a board member for the Children's Literature Council of Southern California and as a volunteer for We Need Diverse Books. Honored as PCC's 2019 Ally of the Year and recipient of the 2021 Above and Beyond Award, she champions marginalized students. As a PCC 2023 Community-based Learning Faculty Fellow and recipient of the 2024 Community Excellence Grant (funded by a gift from MacKenzie Scott), she explores her graduate-level research on Contemplative Environmentalism and place-based community storytelling to enhance community health and connection in partnership with her colleagues, students, and community organizations during her daily work at Pasadena City College.
Interested in how storytelling can (re)connect and (re)define worlds, she believes in an inclusive, empathetic, and loving future. Outside of her work, she enjoys gardening, woodworking, crafting, snuggling with fluffy animals, hiking, and drawing on kitchen walls.
FAQ: https://www.katherinekottaras.com/faq
QUOTED: "As writing teachers, we’ve collaborated on various projects before, but this was our first time writing for children. It’s been an absolute joy, allowing us to share our personal experiences and distill our perspectives into a meditation, a poem, a gift to our own children and families, which then extends out to other families as well. The experience of sitting together, learning from each other, has been one of the most amazing gifts of this project."
"Today’s children face situations their parents, caretakers, and educators never experienced in their lives and can therefore receive only limited guidance from them. This adds to the child’s anxiety. As such, we offer this book as a gentle antidote for such situations. This soothing yogic meditation invites children to explore their colorful inner rainbow so they can better understand their feelings and respond to stress in peaceful ways. When children learn early in their lives to practice yoga and proper breathing, they are better equipped to deal with stressful situations."
Author Chat with E. Katherine Kottaras and Vanitha Swaminathan (A Rainbow Inside My Body: Finding Peace Through Yoga, Breathing Exercises, and the Chakras), Plus Giveaway~ US ONLY!
August 22, 2024No Comments
Written by Cherokee Crum, Staff Reviewer
Posted in Authors, Giveaways, Interviews, News & Updates
Today we are very excited to share an interview with authors E. Katherine Kottaras and Vanitha Swaminathan!
Read on to learn more about the authors, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: E. Katherine Kottaras
E. Katherine Kottaras is the author of two critically acclaimed YA novels, How to Be Brave and The Best Possible Answer. Currently an Associate Professor of English at Pasadena City College, she is also a certified yoga teacher, personal trainer, and health coach. She holds master’s degrees in English and Kinesiology. She lives in Southern California.
You can visit her online at KatherineKottaras.com or follow her on Instagram @KatherineKottaras.
Website * Instagram
Meet the Author: Vanitha Swaminathan
Vanitha Swaminathan was raised in Eastern India and learned mindfulness practices from her parents. Twice a year, she returns to India to help her mother with her yoga practice. She graduated from the University of Sheffield, UK, with a master’s degree in education and has taught on two different continents for over forty years. She currently lives in California with her husband, two sons, and three grandchildren.
About the Book: A Rainbow Inside My Body: Finding Peace Through Yoga, Breathing Exercises, and the Chakras
Learn yoga, breathing exercises, and mindfulness through the rainbow of the chakras!
When I need to know how I am feeling, I can close my eyes and breathe.
In an increasingly stressful world, it is more important than ever to help kids establish helpful tools to manage it. In this colorful meditation written by experts on healthy living, young readers will learn yoga poses, breathing exercises, and more through the colorful rainbow inside them: the chakras. With a playful and imaginative approach, children can find energy and better understand their feelings by focusing within. With accessible information about the history of yoga and ayurveda, A Rainbow Inside My Body reveals how when the mind, body, and spirit are balanced, we can make better decisions and respond to stress in a peaceful way.
Purchase
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
We have been working on this book since 2019. It originally started as a middle grade nonfiction book, and when our editor, Tamar Brazis, requested a picture book to share the wisdom of the chakras, we were delighted for the opportunity to adapt our vision to younger audiences. The book was first drafted in January 2020, mere weeks before the lockdowns due to COVID. As such, working on the book has been a personal balm for the soul as we navigated our own personal challenges, including multiple illnesses and the loss of loved ones. Of course, like most everyone, as the pandemic unfolded, we were also dealing with stress at work.
As we were writing, Vanitha was especially struck by the questions her grandchildren were asking. When her grandsons, Sean and Noah, asked, “Why do schools have shooting drills? Why do we have to prepare for a shooter?” her heart sank. Fifth and sixth graders having to go through shooting drills—she thought: what must they be thinking and feeling? Of course, the children must be feeling so insecure, anxious, and overwhelmed. We wondered: how do we help our kids process the realities of the world?
We have worked together as professors of English at Pasadena City College for almost eighteen years. As such, we both try to pay attention to how we handle strong emotions, and that’s where chakra work has come in. For Vanitha, calming herself down and focusing on the chakras, especially the Vishuddha chakra, plays an important role. She doesn’t want to say untrue things, so managing that is key. Since Katherine is a constant thinker, she loves dedicating her daily yoga practice to the Muladhara chakra, focusing on grounding and presence so that she can bring more embodied balance into her life.
While this decade has been a heart-wrenching decade on so many levels, we both are grateful for this opportunity to connect with readers of all ages with this particular book, with practices that invite inner peace and embodied wisdom so that we may all grow together towards love, equity, and justice. We are also grateful for our local and global communities of family and friends who have supported us during this creative journey.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
We love this question! We both adore the main character, who we lovingly call the Yogi Kid, who represents children from all backgrounds, enjoying yoga in an environment filled with birds, flowers, and trees–it is so peaceful.
We love the intentional artwork of the illustrator, Holly Hatam and how, the more you observe, the more you become aware of. We love the designs on the Yogi Kid’s dress—clouds, stars, raindrops. It’s all so beautiful, especially how the artist, Holly Hatam, illustrates the yoga poses in such a vibrant setting. The book takes young readers and their caretakers on a breath-filled journey, using simple examples to balance the mind, body, and spirit.
We also adore the authentic representation of the Yogi Kid, since they embody the history and tradition of yoga from India. Moreover, the Yogi Kid has such a universal appeal because of their connection to nature, as we can see the child meditating with the chakras in tune with the environment—the birds, trees, all of it. We love seeing young readers enjoy that, too.
Amma : Mrs. Vatsala Rajan, Vanitha’s mother, who is 97 years old and lives in India, holding a copy of our book! \
YABC: What section in the book are you most proud of, and why?
That’s a tough one because we love the whole book. We love how each chakra is represented so beautifully–our favorite part is when it all comes together on that page with the line, “I am one with everything.” Yes, that’s such a powerful line. “I am nature. Nature is me.” It feels so simple, pure, and beautiful; yet it captures the essence of why this is so holistic, complicated, and beautiful—a way of looking at how humans move through this world.
We are creatures of nature, and we are connected. The more we see that, the better we’ll navigate this planet and live with each other, seeing each other as beautiful, natural beings.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
As writing teachers, we’ve collaborated on various projects before, but this was our first time writing for children. It’s been an absolute joy, allowing us to share our personal experiences and distill our perspectives into a meditation, a poem, a gift to our own children and families, which then extends out to other families as well.
The experience of sitting together, learning from each other, has been one of the most amazing gifts of this project. Vanitha often reads our shared work and wonders, “Is this my thought or Kathy’s?” Over the past decade, we’ve grown so attuned that we can hear in each other’s voice if something’s off. It’s like we’re sisters. We’ve both been through so much with our families, and to channel all that into something beautiful together has been incredibly fulfilling.
We’ve even learned to sense when each other’s chakras are out of alignment. Vanitha recalls times when Katherine would enter the office, and she could tell, “Kathy needs to breathe.” Katherine feels it too, with Vanitha.
We uplift each other, and that’s what we love about this process. Having worked together on numerous projects on campus, we already know each other’s rhythm, and collaborating on something as meaningful as this—a fusion of our friendship, our wisdom, the wisdom of our families, and the practices we’ve inherited—feels especially profound. We are grateful that our children and grandchildren will inherit all of this too.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
We like the colors of the rainbow and the calming environment, and of course, the cute Yogi Kid there. We love that the child is both grounded in a seated pose with their hands at their heart, eyes closed, meditative, but also present in the moment. The crown chakra, the ether—it shows that the rainbow is both ethereal and grounded in reality, right? It’s a beautiful invitation. For us, when we look at this, we feel peace, for the Yogi Kid, but also for anyone who is seeking peace and connection with both self and the world.
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved? (kids’ books)
Vanitha: Perfectly Imperfect family Perfectly Imperfect Family – Books by Amie Lands, which is a book that has supported my family through difficult times. I love that the phrase “perfectly imperfect” refers to the idea that something or someone may not be flawless or without faults, but that imperfections are what make them unique and beautiful.
Katherine: I had the honor of teaching Children’s Literature last spring, during which my colleagues and I hosted a Writing for Children Author/Illustrator Panel featuring amazing local KidLit authors and illustrators from around the Los Angeles area who took the time to share their incredible stories, art, and creative inspiration community college students who are themselves, upcoming writers and artists. I highly recommend all of their picture books: To Make by Danielle Davis, Anzu the Great Kaiju by Benson Shum, Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land by Mirelle Ortega, Dim Sum, Here We Come! by Maple Lam, Lola Out Loud by Jennifer Torres, Moon’s Ramadan by Natasha Khan Kazi, and Bee-n-Bee Vacation by C.M. Potter.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book?
Having a toolkit that includes yoga, breathing, Ayurveda, and mindful nutrition—helps children and families navigate life. It’s not always easy, but the tools of yoga can make it more manageable. The concept of the emotional bank account is also crucial for caretakers; when the caretaker is able to have time to experience calm and peace, both on their own and in shared practice with their families, then they are able to respond to the inevitable emotional ups and downs of life.
While reading the book aloud during our book launch, we were struck by how eagerly everyone loved to join in on the refrain: “When I need to know how I am feeling, I can close my eyes and breathe.” Our launch felt like a community coming together to practice, much like a yoga class where we all move and breathe together.
We were fortunate to be introduced by Emma Julaud, who is a somatic therapist who integrates CranioSacral Therapy and Somatic Experiencing into her practice. She offered this wise invitation to the science of why leaning into self-regulation, connection, co-regulation, and community via the chakras can be comforting and powerful: “Learning how to self-regulate is a valuable skill, but we are wired for connection and co-regulation is essential. It is the process of my own nervous system attuning to your nervous system, in a non-verbal way, assessing for safety. Connecting with our chakras, our bodies, and our breath together offers a powerful yet simple way to reconnect with our humanity in today’s increasingly complex world and this book offers a lovely recipe for it.” We love that the lessons of the chakras are both scientific and magical at the same time–and that we get to share these lessons with young readers through a holistic lens that integrates both.
No matter the era of history, we live in a world filled with stress and anxiety wrapped in constant change. Today’s children face situations their parents, caretakers, and educators never experienced in their lives and can therefore receive only limited guidance from them. This adds to the child’s anxiety. As such, we offer this book as a gentle antidote for such situations. This soothing yogic meditation invites children to explore their colorful inner rainbow so they can better understand their feelings and respond to stress in peaceful ways. When children learn early in their lives to practice yoga and proper breathing, they are better equipped to deal with stressful situations.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Vanitha: I’m able to put myself in other people’s shoes. When someone says something I don’t like, I try to understand where they’re coming from. It helps me increase my emotional bank account and makes me feel more confident. Patience is another superpower of mine.
Katherine: My family says that my superpower is being able to connect with people, no matter their age or background. My parents owned a restaurant in downtown Chicago in the 1970s and 1980s, and they always taught me to see the humanity in everyone. My parents also faced a lot of medical issues and challenges, but they remained committed to building a community in the neighborhood, especially for anyone who felt lost or disconnected. I really love talking to strangers–exchanging stories, jokes, navigating tensions if we disagree, wondering if we can find commonality, or at least, the humanity of each other’s worldview. It’s through these moments of connection, especially through heart-to-heart storytelling, that we build stronger communities that are held up with care.
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
Vanitha:
On the morning of August 5, 2020, at 40 weeks and 1 day, our first granddaughter Nina passed away at birth. The organization Forever Footprints helped my son and daughter-in-law a lot. This is how we became familiar with the organization and my children benefited from the resources it provided.
We immediately got involved with Forever Footprints to support families suffering loss. It is our way of preserving Nina’s legacy so that she can continue to positively impact the lives of others and help them cope and hope. About Us – Forever Footprints
Katherine:
My LGBTQ+ family is ever so grateful for the work of the Trevor Project. According to their research, 86% of LGBTQ youth said that recent politics have negatively impacted their well-being, and they explain how “this emotional stress can present itself in the form of physical symptoms, including an inability to concentrate on school, lack of sleep, and nausea.” Focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth, the Trevor Project offers a toll-free telephone number where confidential assistance is provided by trained counselors. During a time when LGBTQ+ youth are under direct and constant attack, it can be incredibly challenging for families to experience inner peace. For my family, yoga has been a key source of support, in addition to mental health support like those offered by the Trevor Project.
My father experienced lifelong PTSD as a veteran of World War II who served in both the Greek resistance against the Nazis as a teenager, and, after the war, in the Greek military. I love the work of the Veterans Yoga Project and their “mission to support recovery and resilience among veterans, military families, and communities.” https://veteransyogaproject.org/
YABC: What advice do you have for new writers?
Write from the heart. What do we mean by this? Writing from the heart is about not overthinking. It’s not about being intellectual all the time. Writing from the heart is about feeling the feelings (which can be so difficult!) and then expressing what comes up during that space and time, and taking the time to reflect on how you give shape to those feelings with words.
Writing itself is a heart-centered, whole-body meditation that requires intention, surrender, and vulnerability. The fear is real, but grounding yourself in the body can help–as can yoga. Writers tend to overthink, but connecting with the stories that we carry in our bodies is vital. Writing a page every day, even if it’s not perfect, is crucial.
Title: A Rainbow Inside My Body
Finding Peace Through Yoga, Breathing Exercises, and the Chakras
Author: E. Katherine Kottaras and Vanitha Swaminathan
Illustrator: Holly Hatam
Release Date: 7/9/2024
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780593465691
Genre: Picture book
Age Range: 4-8 yrs
QUOTED: "The book is a solid, easy-to-understand introduction."
"edifying fare for future yoga practitioners."
Kottaras, E. Katherine A RAINBOW INSIDE MY BODY Viking (Children's None) $18.99 7, 9 ISBN: 9780593465691
Young yogis learn that to calm themselves, they must look to their inner rainbows.
"A rainbow inside my body / twirls / and whirls / and spins. / Inside, chakras / keep me dancing, / like raindrops / in the sun." A brown-skinned child sits cross-legged, eyes closed, next to a rainbow that links each color to a different chakra. Red is the root chakra, helping the child feel firmly anchored, like the roots of a tree. "When I need to feel grounded, / I can close my eyes and breathe." Orange is the sacral chakra; it helps the child feel inspired and creative. Yellow is the solar plexus chakra; it gives the little one confidence. The authors go through the colors of the rainbow all the way to violet, the crown chakra. In each accompanying illustration, a child performs a yoga pose and breathes deeply, surrounded by the color of the chakra and imagery from nature: soaring birds, a large yellow sun, vibrant flowers. The extensive backmatter begins with an authors' note that offers a brief history of yoga and explains chakras and ayurveda. Next, readers will find yoga instructions, with explanations of how to do various poses. Finally, the authors include a short guide to the foods and the elements associated with the chakras. The book is a solid, easy-to-understand introduction, while Hatam's watercolorlike illustrations are bright as the rainbow and effectively depict the poses.
Edifying fare for future yoga practitioners. (Picture book. 5-10)
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"Kottaras, E. Katherine: A RAINBOW INSIDE MY BODY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A793537048/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=82c6f717. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.