Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
After a slightly extended stay in the editing room, responses to your questions for Donna Jo Napoli, beloved children’s book author, renowned linguist, and all around ridiculously awesome and awesomely ridiculous person!
Sorry about the sound quality – jovial soft-spokenness and noisy heaters don’t like to mix.
But listen closely and you’ll get writing advice, linguistics lessons, a peak into Donna Jo’s childhood of seducing neighborhood cats, and an extended discussion over whether or not The Three Little Pigs is a true story (check out the second video for the cat/pig stuff, or the last one if you’d prefer elephants and mice battling for world domination).
Video by June Xie, Interview/Editing by Peter Liebenson, Questions by You!
Click on a question to show the video response (and click again to hide), or play them all in a row.
What Donna Jo’s up to while she’s on leave, and her writing and drafting process.
Donna Jo’s childhood, and what she loves to write.
Donna Jo on Noam Chomsky, her former teacher.
Donna Jo’s thoughts on W credits for Linguistics classes.
Donna Jo’s collection of tights, class-taking adventures, and ponderings of world domination.
