Debut Author & Illustrator Krista Weltner Talks About Growing Up with Dyslexia

This week, I'm interviewing debut author/illustrator Krista Weltner who is talking about her new series, Everyday Adventures with Molly and DysLEXia. The series is based on Krista's personal experiences growing up with dyslexia. 

Q. Krista, your debut picture book series, Everyday Adventures with Molly and DysLEXIa, is coming out in January. You have based the series on your personal experiences. What is one thing that you hope that children take away from the book? What about teachers and parents?

I hope children will grow in their understanding of dyslexia and themselves. I want them to feel proud of who they are and the unique strengths they bring to the table. For parents and teachers, I hope they can use my books as conversation starters. These books are great for aiding in discussions about self-advocacy, self-esteem, and personal strengths. 

Q. You are both the author and illustrator of the book. You have also created a short film called Partially Compensated which beautifully “illustrates” how you used art as a struggling learner to compensate for your challenges with reading and writing. Tell us more about how art helped you form a bridge between images and words. 

 

The title, "Partially Compensated" refers to the teacher and main character, Violet. I recognize that environments that children must learn will not always match what they need. Violet partially compensates the teacher by participating as best she can. Instead of drawing on her essay she also tries to spell out some words. The teacher partially compensates for Violet by altering his expectations and a class assignment to acknowledge that Violet is different from his other students. He allows her to draw on one section of the paper but also indicates a space in which she should try to write things. 

I think prior to sharing my film, I felt misunderstood. Dyslexia is a complex topic. I think something that can be overlooked is the emotional impact it can have on a person.  After sharing my short film I started hearing the reactions to the story from both dyslexic and neurotypical people and suddenly I felt understood. I was able to explain what dyslexia was like through story-telling. I think when we create art we invite the viewer to become a part of the story and relate what they are seeing to themselves. 

                                      

Click HERE to watch Partially Compensated

Q: How is Everyday Adventures with Molly and Lexi different than other books about dyslexia?

There are some wonderful books out there about dyslexia. I'm so grateful that my publisher, Free Spirit Publishing wanted to do a series. Most picture books on this topic are stand-alone. Because we had the freedom and space to explore Molly and Lexi's story in three books we were able to highlight things that are not often talked about. My favorite book in the series is Molly Tells the World. It's the second book. In it, Molly's class is getting a new student, Leeann. Leeann is very open and excited to tell the class about her own dyslexia and Molly is grappling with the idea of whether or not to share with the class that she is dyslexic too. In Molly's world, her dyslexia is an imaginary friend with a face resembling her own but filled with mixed-up letters. As she deals with internal conflicts she has Dylsexia "Lexi" to talk with.

Q: How do you see yourself as a dyslexia advocate in the past and in the future?

In the past, I have been an advocate for children with dyslexia by sharing my film and talking about my story. I've done this in a variety of settings, school events, charity fundraisers, etc. Something I ask myself a lot is: what does being an advocate mean to me? I don't work in education and I'm not a parent fighting for their child to receive appropriate services (These are the real heroes) But as a dyslexic artist who made it to the other side, what I can offer is insight and perspective on the experience through my work.  I am looking forward to continuing to advocate for dyslexic kids and sharing my books with the world. 

Creating my film was such a rewarding experience and the people I think it benefits most are adults like myself. But my books are for the dyslexic people who need it most, children just starting the journey. I'm looking forward to giving them something made just for them. 

Q: You are currently offering free online classroom visits to promote your new series. Tell us a little bit about what those visits entail and how teachers or administrators can contact you.

Yes! I am offering a limited number of free virtual presentations starting in November. These will be a workshop I call How a Picture Book Gets Made, and they provide a behind-the-scenes look at my book. The goal is to share the projects and hopefully inspire some young writers. These will be worked out on a case-by-case basis. Teachers and administrators can contact me via email, kweltner206@gmail.com

If you would like to follow Kirsta's work you can join her mailing list here: Mailing list

or follow her on Instagram: Instagram

See her short film here: Partially Compensated

In celebration of Dyslexia Awareness month, Krista is offering the FREE dyslexia poster above for the month of October. Follow the LINK to download and print an 8.5x11 or 11x17 poster.

Krista's series will be available in January. You may pre-order it below.

Bookshop

Amazon

Free Spirit Publishing

Thank you, Krista, for sharing your talents with us. 

Visit last week's blog post to see my interview with author, Polly Holyoke who talks about her daughter's challenges with dysgraphia and her new fantasy series.

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