Alice wrote the poem,
EMERALD ISLE LEPRECHAUNS
Gnome & UnGnome Facts About Alice:
Alice Carty Fulgione lives in Massachusetts with her husband, a lively shi tzu named Lily, and a fish tank filled with guppies.
When Alice, a former Kindergarten and reading teacher, isn’t visiting the gym, practicing yoga, cooking, or exploring nature’s wonders both near and far from home, you’ll find her sitting in front of her computer, writing, or revising one of her poems, short stories, or picture book manuscripts.
In addition, Alice participates in Storystorm, 12×12, and SCBWI, and is a member of both a picture book critique group and of the Writers’ Loft.
Alice was brought up in an Irish American family and her childhood was filled with storytelling. She was especially fascinated with Irish folklore. Many of her favorite tales contained magical wee folk characters. Those childhood memories inspired her to write the poem, Emerald Isle Leprechauns, which is soon to appear in Gnomes and Ungnomes.
Alice’s poetry has been included in FRIENDS & ANEMONES, Ocean Poems for Children (Writers’ Loft Press 2020), and AN ASSORTMENT OF ANIMALS (Writers’ Loft Press 2018).
Absol’s Q&A with Alice:
Hello, Alice! Thanks for being our LEGEND of the WEEK!
Can you tell us a little about how you came to be a part of Gnomes & UnGnomes?
I’m fascinated with three mythical creatures. First – Transforming into a leprechaun would be fun because I’d have my very own pot filled with gold. I’d be rich! Hopefully, children wouldn’t try to catch me because I absolutely would not want to give up any of my gold coins. Leprechauns, by profession, are cobblers, but I would prefer not to create shoes. I would rather create running sneakers so that I could easily sprint away from anyone who was trying to seize my fortune. Second – Morphing into a mermaid would also be a treat because I love everything about the beach and the ocean. Third – Becoming a winged horse, like the Greek mythological creature, Pegasus, would be ideal because I love to travel. I’d be able to flap my wings and visit all the wonders of our planet.
Except for the running, swimming, and flying parts, that’s a solid answer.
How did you hear about the Loft and come to write about Emerald Isle Leprechauns? I’ve never met a Leprechaun personally, it’s on my bucket list though, so I appreciate learning about them through your poem.
I’m a member of the Writers’ Loft and Loft members received an email asking if they were interested in contributing a poem to the new anthology. The email explained that the anthology would contain poems about mythological creatures, and I began to brainstorm ideas that I could transform into poems.
I was hoping for Leprechauns in your family tree, but brainstorming is pretty great! What’s great in your life right now that you want to share, personal or professional? Some wins?
I feel grateful for having the ability to both work and play and I try to live every day to the fullest. Writing-wise, I feel privileged to have my Emerald Isle Leprechauns poem included along with the poems of so many talented authors and illustrators in this anthology. I also had a short story published at the beginning of 2022, but all my picture book manuscripts are still pre-published. I’m happy, however, to be spending my time either revising one of my older manuscripts or creating new ones. I’m determined to whip all my manuscripts into super, duper shape, and I’m resolved to keep sending those manuscripts out so that lucky children will eventually be able to read them. I’ve also written a science fiction story, which is meant for an older audience, but I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do with that one yet.
Oooh, I hope to read them in the near future! What draws you to write for children?
My love of children’s literature came not only from listening to quality stories and poems when I was a child but also from my daily reading of a vast array of picture books to both my Kindergarten and remedial reading students. While still teaching, I enjoyed instructing my students how to express their thoughts through drawing pictures or writing words. We would often author big books together and my students would also create books of their own.
During a bout with measles, when I was six years of age, my mom handed me a pad of paper, a pencil, and crayons. I commenced authoring my very first picture book. The words were all misspelled and the pictures were a disaster, but I felt a need to tell a story. I wrote several additional books during those early years, but my mom tended to correct all my misspelled words with a red pen. I’d like to mention here, that my mom always encouraged my writing throughout my entire life, but during my beginning writing period, I’d hide my manuscripts under my bed to avoid having them covered with red marks. I also kept childhood diaries that I’m sure were filled with awesome story ideas, but unfortunately, they have all disappeared through the years. While still teaching, I sometimes wrote instructional stories and articles and currently, I’m mainly writing picture books. Anyway, I guess I’ve always had the writing bug. Hopefully, the next time I’m interviewed, I’ll be talking about one of my published, picture book masterpieces.
I bet my cheeky friends the Brownies or Boggarts had something to do with your missing diaries. Thanks for your time, Alice!
writersloftpress.com 