KATE KLISE INTERVIEW - TAKE ONE!
Director/producer, Kevin Friend and writer/narrator, Kate Klise at the editing desk.
Director/producer, Kevin Friend and writer/narrator, Kate Klise at the editing desk.
Her way with words, her smooth, inviting voice – these are just a few of several talents employed by award-winning author and writer Kate Klise to help draw viewers in and keep them engaged. Having penned thirty-plus books, in addition to her work as a People magazine correspondent, Klise was already keenly aware of the powerful impact of storytelling. Thus, when presented with the opportunity to lend her words and her voice to the compelling story of Blanche Ames Ames, she was more than up for the challenge. So, drumroll please, we are pleased to present to you……Kate Klise!
Q: How did you come to be involved in the making of this documentary? What drew you to this project?
KATE: In 2014, I spent the month of August living in Queset House, a former Ames house in North Easton, serving as writer-in-residence for the Ames Free Public Library. One afternoon the library director, Dr. Uma Hiremath, took me on a tour of Borderland. I was instantly intrigued by the home and even more by the woman who designed it, Blanche Ames. A few years later when Kevin Friend and Bill Ames began discussing a documentary about her, I jumped at the chance to write the script.
Q: From a female perspective, why is this film so important to you?
KATE: I just felt, and still feel, so inspired by the way she lived her life. I love the way she figured out what her talents were and what was important to her and combined the two to change the world.
Q: Given these politically charged times, what underlying message in the documentary would you like to see resonate with viewers, specifically youth and females?
KATE: There are so many messages you can draw from her life. Justice is worth fighting for. Women's rights are human rights. Art can make a difference. But the message I've been thinking about lately is just the fact that history has let us down. The past is filled with so many remarkable women we've never heard about because they don't appear in our history books.
Q: If given the opportunity to travel back in time, what questions would you have for Blanche? What would you like to say to her about our current state?
KATE: First I think I would applaud her for spending her final years writing a comprehensive biography of her father. Then I'd ask her why she didn't write her own life story, too. Or instead. I would've loved to read her autobiography.
Q: How do you think Blanche Ames would react to the history about to be made, with the swearing in of our first black, Asian American female, Vice President, Kamala Harris?
KATE: I think she'd be thrilled--not just because of Harris's race or gender but because of her strong support of women's rights.
Q: What words of advice do you think Blanche would have for young women who are watching this documentary as to how their voices can be heard - also how they might help further the cause of women's rights?
KATE: Find and cultivate your talents. Then put them into action and try to change the world for the better. It's the same advice I think she'd give to young men. And to me.
Q: What are your favorite lines from the Blanche Ames Credo?
KATE: I like this one: "Do your work as well as you can, and be kind."
Q: Any interesting stories on your collaboration with Producer, Kevin Friend and Executive Producer, Bill Ames that you'd like to share?
KATE: I really loved working with them. We each brought a different sensibility to the project, which served the film well.
Q: What (if any) was the most challenging aspect of your collaboration on the making of the film?
KATE: The biggest challenge was probably just deciding what to cut. We didn't have time in the film to cover everything, like Blanche's cool invention for a composting toilet. She was ahead of her time in many ways.
Q: Any key lessons learned during this collaboration?
KATE: Just the value of collaboration. Bill is such a history buff. He made sure we didn't neglect the role of Blanche's father and grandfather. Kevin has a real passion for social justice, so he made sure voting rights, voter suppression, the issues we're still battling today were reflected. My main interest was the idea of Blanche living life on her own terms and not in the shadow of anyone else.
AUTHOR BIO: Kate Klise is the award-winning author of more than 30 books for young readers. She also spent 15 years working as a correspondent for People magazine. When she's not working on deadline, Kate enjoys leading writing workshops at schools, libraries, and lately on Zoom. She divides her time between homes in Missouri and Portugal. For more about Kate visit, kateklise.com.
Q: How did you come to be involved in the making of this documentary? What drew you to this project?
KATE: In 2014, I spent the month of August living in Queset House, a former Ames house in North Easton, serving as writer-in-residence for the Ames Free Public Library. One afternoon the library director, Dr. Uma Hiremath, took me on a tour of Borderland. I was instantly intrigued by the home and even more by the woman who designed it, Blanche Ames. A few years later when Kevin Friend and Bill Ames began discussing a documentary about her, I jumped at the chance to write the script.
Q: From a female perspective, why is this film so important to you?
KATE: I just felt, and still feel, so inspired by the way she lived her life. I love the way she figured out what her talents were and what was important to her and combined the two to change the world.
Q: Given these politically charged times, what underlying message in the documentary would you like to see resonate with viewers, specifically youth and females?
KATE: There are so many messages you can draw from her life. Justice is worth fighting for. Women's rights are human rights. Art can make a difference. But the message I've been thinking about lately is just the fact that history has let us down. The past is filled with so many remarkable women we've never heard about because they don't appear in our history books.
Q: If given the opportunity to travel back in time, what questions would you have for Blanche? What would you like to say to her about our current state?
KATE: First I think I would applaud her for spending her final years writing a comprehensive biography of her father. Then I'd ask her why she didn't write her own life story, too. Or instead. I would've loved to read her autobiography.
Q: How do you think Blanche Ames would react to the history about to be made, with the swearing in of our first black, Asian American female, Vice President, Kamala Harris?
KATE: I think she'd be thrilled--not just because of Harris's race or gender but because of her strong support of women's rights.
Q: What words of advice do you think Blanche would have for young women who are watching this documentary as to how their voices can be heard - also how they might help further the cause of women's rights?
KATE: Find and cultivate your talents. Then put them into action and try to change the world for the better. It's the same advice I think she'd give to young men. And to me.
Q: What are your favorite lines from the Blanche Ames Credo?
KATE: I like this one: "Do your work as well as you can, and be kind."
Q: Any interesting stories on your collaboration with Producer, Kevin Friend and Executive Producer, Bill Ames that you'd like to share?
KATE: I really loved working with them. We each brought a different sensibility to the project, which served the film well.
Q: What (if any) was the most challenging aspect of your collaboration on the making of the film?
KATE: The biggest challenge was probably just deciding what to cut. We didn't have time in the film to cover everything, like Blanche's cool invention for a composting toilet. She was ahead of her time in many ways.
Q: Any key lessons learned during this collaboration?
KATE: Just the value of collaboration. Bill is such a history buff. He made sure we didn't neglect the role of Blanche's father and grandfather. Kevin has a real passion for social justice, so he made sure voting rights, voter suppression, the issues we're still battling today were reflected. My main interest was the idea of Blanche living life on her own terms and not in the shadow of anyone else.
AUTHOR BIO: Kate Klise is the award-winning author of more than 30 books for young readers. She also spent 15 years working as a correspondent for People magazine. When she's not working on deadline, Kate enjoys leading writing workshops at schools, libraries, and lately on Zoom. She divides her time between homes in Missouri and Portugal. For more about Kate visit, kateklise.com.
