The Road to Sumpango
Presenting the final version of the book to the Sumpango Kite Festival Committee
Perched on a worn sofa in the apartment of a workshop of the edge of Lake Atitlan in the town of San Antonio Palopó, I intently listened as renown potter, Ken Edwards, shared stories of his past. When he asked if we knew what made Americans different, I knew it was a rhetorical question because that seemed to be the direction of the conversation. I listened with piqued interest and waited for his response. He explained that when Americans see a problem or notice that something could be improved upon, their response likely is “somebody needs to do something about that.”
Two years later, after exhaustively searching in all four Guatemala bookstore chains for a bilingual English/Spanish children’s picture book about Guatemala, Wayne turned to me and said, “You should write one.” I believe that he is cut from the same cloth as Ken Edwards. It’s a get-it-done attitude. Over the next few days, we excitedly talked about having a book to read to our nieces, nephews, and future grandchildren. I carried that thought with me for several more days until finally, on July 4, I sat down to start researching and writing the Magical Skies of Sumpango.
Elated at having written the story, I spent several few days lost in the internet, reading everything I could find about writing, editing, illustrating, publishing, and promoting a children’s book. Feeling overwhelmed, I started making lists of best practices from the dozens of articles. We spent many late nights and weekend hours figuring out the process of getting my story published. Because I wanted to be able to control the process and make decisions concerning art, we decided to start a business, Vista Tranquila Publishers. What started out as one book grew into a series of books about Guatemala. In just a few short weeks, my small project morphed into a publishing company that is legally registered in the US and Guatemala!
With a clear image of the artwork that I wanted for the book, I set out to find an artist. Wanting to attract the best talent, we decided to have an art contest and put out a call to Guatemalan artists through social media. When I saw the submission from Analuisa Alvarado, I knew immediately that she was the artist I wanted to illustrate The Magical Skies of Sumpango. With my newly created children’s book author guidelines in hand, I went back to my story and tore it apart. Over the next few weeks, Wayne, Forrest, and I edited the story at least a dozen times. Many, many tears were shed until finally, I had the final version to give Analuisa, or so I thought.
The weeks flew by and an overwhelming (Yes, I know. I’ve used that word already.) number of decisions had to be made. Because I wanted to keep the project in Guatemala, we decided to use a Guatemalan printer. That was the easy decision. After three meetings with printers, I had not only learned a lot of new Spanish vocabulary, I found out that there are too many choices for paper and finishings. Analuisa and I continued to work on the book. The illustration and name of the main character in the book changed three times as we determined the direction of the art and characters.
The book is a story about the traditions and customs surrounding the Giant Kite Festival in Sumpango. Since the festival occurs on November 1, we planned to have it ready for the day of the festival. The Mayor of Sumpango and the Kite Festival council gave us permission to launch the book at the festival. We thought that we were on track for the November 1 festival, but in September, Analuisa and I both traveled abroad for several weeks. We found ourselves in a bit of a panic at the beginning of October as we rushed towards the deadline. We enlisted Edna Coyoy, a graphic designer and layout expert, to help meet the deadline. A couple of more friends read my story and it continued to evolve, right up until the day it went to the printer.
Wayne, Kim, and Analuisa at the 2019 Giant Kite Festival in Sumpango
Most of the printing process it automated, except the hardback covers of the book. Those are done by hand by a team of women who cut, fold, and glue them. It was quite a sight to observe. On Tuesday, October 29, the books were delivered just in time for the meeting the next day with the Kite Festival council for a preliminary view. We arrived in Sumpango Wednesday afternoon with books in hand. The next hour was an adventure as we were sent from one place to the next looking for the council. In the municipal auditorium we saw groups of people on the floor making last minute touches to their giant kites. The scene reminded me of one that Analuisa drew for the book. From municipal building, we made the trek up to the cemetery where we thought we would be meeting the council. We found it full of men and women cleaning and painting graves and putting out flowers and candles. Now with a dead cell phone, a nice gentleman in the cemetery called the festival president then directed us to the soccer field where the event is held. With butterflies in my stomach, I showed them the book. I watched as their eyes lit up at the turn of each page.
At 6:00 am on Friday, November 1 as we walked up the steep hill to the soccer field, I thought about all the hours that have gone into this project and the people who have worked so hard to make it happen. The story seemed more real and I felt like I had walked the path of Maya, the main character in the book. As the crowds grew from hundreds to thousands, my anxiety deepened.
On the stage at one of Guatemala’s largest festivals, Analuisa and I, both introverts, presented our book to the mayor and kite festival president, posed for press photos, and discussed the book in two TV interviews. When we returned to our booth, we had a line of people waiting for autographed books. We will soon have books in North, Central, and South America, Europe, and Australia! While the process was overwhelming, at the end of the day, I was left with visions of the smiles on the faces of children as they looked through the beautifully illustrated pages of The Magical Skies of Sumpango.