A Prayer of Faith

This week’s review is a scrumptious little Valentine’s bon-bon. It’s The UnValentine, by Sam Beeson with paintings by Jesse Draper; it’s delightful; it’s adorable; and it’s something completely different. Beeson and Draper’s respective works are well married in this piece, as they both perfectly portray overwrought teenage romance tinged with a comically naive cynicism.

It’s a stand-alone piece, just one brilliant, darling, hilarious poem exquisitely illustrated with spectacular mixed-media work of original oil paintings and vintage valentines amidst candy hearts and gaudy gilt frames that would do any Victorian parlor proud. The poem tells of Lily, lost in her distaste for all things Valentine, who experiences a sudden change of heart with an unexpected note from Ray, a boy just as romantically disenfranchised as she. I can’t help but see it as something of a bound printed matter version of performance art–beautifully crafted, flawlessly executed, and yet, tantalizingly obscure. While I loved it, I honestly didn’t quite know what to make of it upon first read. Luckily, I had the chance to exchange an email with the author, Sam Beeson, and was able to ask him a few questions.

Naiah: Being a high school English teacher, you no doubt have a very present view on young lovers of all types. I have to ask, though, if there are a real Lily & Ray. Did you witness such a transformation as you wrote about here, or are they each simply an amalgam of various students–or some of your own children, perhaps?

Sam: Yeah, as a high school teacher I see all types: the angst-ridden EMO, the altruistic puritan, the infatuated . . . well, teen. Lily is an over-simplified, journal-writing idealist. She doesn’t exist, but part of her exists in everyone, don’t you think? (My daughter, Eliza, is the model for Lily. She was ten when the photos were taken, then Jesse Draper, the artist, spent three years bustin’ out those amazing oil paintings. Eliza is 13 now and has more solid opinions of her own, much like Lily.) I was reading some student poetry today, written by a boy [in one of my classes]. He wrote a poem full of heartached and blood (the word “heart” appeared 6 times in 8 stanzas. “Death” three times), and his poem surprisingly ended in optimism. Just like Lily’s. After all the darkness came this beautiful line:
“I hope this ends in endless romance.” Nice . . . Nice. [His] verse tells me there’s some reality to someone who HATES things, but really, needs love.

Naiah: The romantic in me wants to ask if Lily and Ray might once upon a time have been yourself and your wife; have the gothic lovers found their happily ever after?

Sam: Nope. The UnValentine ain’t autobiographical. Although, I will say that Sarah and Sam, from day one, love to talk. The best part of my day is talking to Sarah. Words brought us together. Not written. Spoken. She used to be a D.J. and I was smitten by her wit and charm and man, just her ability to articulate her passion for everything and everything in between. Oh, and her eyes. Great eyes.

Naiah: Can you share a little of the story of how this book came about? What prompted you to write it?

Sam: I’m in a writing group. The deadline came up: Valentine’s Day. I woke up around 5:00 sometime in early February 2004, and before heading off to school, I sat with my back to the front window’s February black, and busted out the verse.My writing group thought it was “okay” (literary types often think rhyming verse as (1) too simplistic, (b) a sign of someone “selling out,” or (III) a pasture only the un-learned novice grazes in.) I met Jesse Draper, the painter, shortly thereafter. He had just returned from Russia. He wanted a project, so I gave him “Cupid Shot a Daisy” (original title).

Naiah: How about you, are you much for Valentine’s as a holiday? How do you feel about the giving or receiving of ornate hearts of chocolate, paper, lace, or candy? Perhaps poorly written verse? [no jibes about your students’ work intended…]

Sam: I love Valentine’s day. Beginning February 1, my family gets out the Valentine’s box and writes love notes to each other and puts ‘em in the box. I got a gem of a wife, and five diamonds for kiddies. On February 14th, we take the phone off the hook, light candles, eat fancy food, and open the box. We read the cards aloud and cry, and laugh at our crying.

Naiah: Speaking of your students, how have they reacted to the book?

Sam: High school kids are a tough sell. If you aren’t making fun of something, or flawlessly quick-witted, you’re labeled, “lame.” I think they like my stuff. They tell me when they see my books in the bookstores, or when they hear me on the radio or see me on T.V. They don’t compliment. They just say they’ve seen or heard. It’s their way of complimenting me. I thank them. I have great students.

Naiah: You say that you try to write something every day; is there a chance that we’ll be seeing another book from you? If so, what do you anticipate it will be?

Sam: I’ve had a few published, previously: Kissing Kringle (Majestic, 2003); Santa’s First Flight (Covenant, 2007); The UnValentine (Shadow Mountain, 2008). The next one is called either How Laughter Saved Christmas or One Funny Christmas (it’s still up in the air). Covenant Communications will publish this one, too. There’s a funny song and video for Santa’s First Flight on youtube. The next bookwill be out for Christmas 2008. I like the holidays. I’m working on a halloween book, too: The Queen of Halloween.

Naiah: While it is a delightful piece of work, something akin to the literary version of performance art, what was your intent, as its author? Who was your anticipated audience, and what did you hope that they would take away from the book?

Sam: I want people to smile. Laugh. The UnValentine, unlike my other works, are meant for the 13+ age group. The others are for ages 6+.

Naiah: Is there anything else about the book, your experience writing and publishing it, or otherwise that you’d like to share?

Sam: Checkout “Grammar Punk.” For the past five years some friends of mine and I have tackled the elusive bandit called Grammar and Punctuation. I think we’ve slain the dragon. Everyone hates grammar, but our dice and board game 12 Tall Tales has solved a lot of writing problems for a lot of writers. www.grammarpunk.com

…

The book cleverly includes six removable “UnValentines” cards featuring the artwork from the book. While the author says that his students have been lukewarm in their praise, the small circle of young women from my ward who are regularly at my house all loved it, and more than once I had to convince the girls not to take the cards.

This brings me to my concern, that while it was written with a 13+ crowd in mind, I believe it would be more appropriate for a slightly older group, as it carries an overtone of preference for a serious romantic commitment at an age when children aren’t even dating yet. Also, one of the “UnValentines” at the end reads: “Hate Valentine’s? Me too! Let’s kiss!” I feel that such a sentiment in a children’s book dilutes the values that we try so hard to instill in our youth. So, if you plan to share it with someone younger, plan on a conversation to go with it.

So, there you have it for this Valentine’s, The UnValentine: a delightful diversion, rich in art as well as humor. It certainly made me smile, and made me laugh.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 11th, 2008 at 11:18 pm and is filed under All Good Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.