Interview with Robb Pearlman, Author of “The Sublime Ms. Stacks”

What led you to creating The Sublime Ms. Stacks?

I’ve long been in awe of the amazing job that librarians, educators, and booksellers do introducing young people to a lifetime of reading. One of my favorite children’s books is Miss Nelson is Missing. I loved the way Miss Nelson was able to become a different person by just changing her clothes, makeup and wig (and as a reader, I loved being clued in to something the children in the book didn’t know). And when I started to hear about the wonderful work drag performers were doing to encourage reading, I thought maybe there was a way to modernize, recontextualize, and reshape the shapeshifting conceit into something more, well, sublime! It was important to me to refocus the narrative to honor the work—the hard hard work—these folks were putting in to make the world a better place for everyone.

At the end of the story, the children list what they have learned from Ms. Stacks. What do you hope readers take away from The Sublime Ms. Stacks - both children and adults?

I want readers—of all ages—to celebrate the power of reading, of self-expression, of creativity, of silliness, and community.

Ms. Stacks brings life to many things that Mr. Stephen struggles with. What do you think they would say (individually or together) to children who might struggle with public speaking or confidence (much like Mr. Stephen)?

First and foremost, neither one of them would say “shhhhh!” I think both Ms. Stacks and Mr. Stephen would acknowledge and validate the way the child was feeling. They’d go on to make sure the child knew that they were not alone in feeling the way they do and, if the child wanted to, work with them on age-appropriate ways to build their confidence and comfort levels in front of groups. Perhaps start by reading aloud to yourself, then in front of your family and friends. Small steps add up! Not everyone dreams of being a good public speaker or a performer—and that’s totally fine! If everyone wanted to be on stage there’d be no one in the audience!

We know that identity is nuanced and multi-faceted. Young children, who are very concrete thinkers, are still learning that one person can have more than one identity (e.g., being a mother and a daughter). Knowing this, how would you describe the concept of drag to a young child?

I think the most age-appropriate way to describe drag would be within the context of storytime, pretend, and dress-up. Just as children can put on a cape or apron or uniform and pretend to be a superhero, a chef, or a firefighter, drag performers are dressing up and pretending to be something or someone they may not be.

What do you think Ms. Stacks would say to the people who oppose “Drag Queen Story Hour” programming in libraries?

I think Ms. Stacks would stand on top of her desk, call for a spotlight, adjust her wig, look them squarely in the eye, hit play on her phone, and lip synch the opening line to the Dreamgirls classic, “And I am telling you/I’m not going.”