Fuse 8 n’ Kate
Two sisters, one in L.A. and one in NYC, both move to the Chicago area and start a podcast. The premise? Picture books and are they really that great?
Join Kate and Fuse 8 (Betsy Bird) as they track down a picture book “classic” each episode and try to determine if it deserves to remain in the canon of children’s literature.
BETSY: THE SHORT VERSION BIO
I am an author, librarian, reviewer of children’s literature, public speaker, and podcaster (not necessarily in that order). I am the author of numerous picture books, two books for kids ages 9–12, two books for adults about children’s books, and more. I currently reside in Evanston, Illinois with my two kids, husband, and cats Izzy and Hilo (named after the graphic novel series by Judd Winick).
KATE: THE SHORT VERSION BIO
CAN YOU HAVE KATE PROVIDE THIS, OR IT EXISTS SOMEWHERE? librarian, reviewer of children’s literature, public speaker, and podcaster (not necessarily in that order). I am the author of numerous picture books, two books for kids ages 9–12, two books for adults about children’s books, and more. I currently reside in Evanston, Illinois with my two kids, husband, and cats Izzy and Hilo.
“WHY EVANSTON SISTERS’ WEEKLY PODCAST ABOUT KID LIT IS SUCH A HIT”
Bird had always wanted to host a podcast as someone with extensive knowledge of children’s books. Yet, she was unsure of the podcast’s hook. Once Bird moved to Evanston in 2015 and Atienza moved to Chicago in 2017, the hook came to her.
“I’m a freak who knows way too much about picture books, and she doesn’t,” Bird said. “She’s a normal person who doesn’t pay attention to picture books because she’s a grown adult,” she said. “What if we had a podcast where I show her famous picture books, she reads them, we talk about them and then we decide if they deserve to be called classics or not.”
Atienza is a senior account manager at market research firm Cint US. As a nonexpert, she talks about the books with a fresh perspective and sometimes points out themes or topics that may have gone unnoticed.
“My goal has always been to be the eyes and the ears of the listener who isn’t a teacher, isn’t a librarian, isn’t a parent,” Atienza said. “Just someone seeing these for the first time and giving an honest opinion without any bias or old childhood attachments.”
Atienza moved from Chicago to Evanston in 2020, which made it easier for the two to record each week.
While it may be a niche topic, Bird and Atienza have listeners of different backgrounds including authors, illustrators, parents, teachers or those who may be nostalgic for books from their childhood.
“I would say there’s definitely some parents who want to learn about books to introduce to their children, and then there are just folks who grew up on these books since we only review those that are at least 20 years old and they like listening to our weird opinions,” Atienza said.
—The Evanston Roundtable