Do you know about plarn, yarn made from plastic bags? You can knit or crochet it and make beautiful, durable items--like this bag that darkpaisley made for me, years ago, from Stop & Shop bags.



Discarded plastic bags are more than just an ugly nuisance in the West African nation of the Gambia. There, plastic shopping bags kill livestock that eat them and provide a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitos. A woman named Isatou Ceesay found an ingenious solution. She learned how to make plarn, and, with her friends, started crocheting small change purses from the discarded plastic bags, which she and her friends sold. The trash problem--and attendant health risks--disappeared, and Isatou and her friends had a new source of income. The project was so successful that Isatou started teaching women in other villages, and in 2012 she won the International Alliance for Women's World of Difference award.

Isatou Ceesay Photos by Smelter Mountain on Flickr (used with permission)




Miranda Paul, a writer who has lived and taught in the Gambia, wrote about Isatou in One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia (illustrated by the fabulous Elizabeth Zunon).

An LJ friend put me in touch with Miranda, and I asked her some questions about One Plastic Bag, writing, and her time in the Gambia. Her answers are thought-provoking and inspiring.

You lived and taught in the Gambia a few times over the course of several years. How has your time there changed the way you live in the United States?

All of our experiences shape the way we live in some way, especially significant ones such as my time(s) in the Gambia. Of course, I'm even more conscious about using resources and generating trash now, but that's not the only way my travels have changed me. I've learned the importance of having many relationships and connections, which is hard to admit for those of us who are introverted or like being alone. In Gambia, your network of people is often your greatest asset, your biggest resource. I make it a point not to "hole up" here in the U.S. and to try to keep in touch with people (offline).

As a follow-up, how has writing One Plastic Bag changed your outlook (on recycling, women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship—anything!)

Watching the success of Isatou's project in Njau has led me to firmly believe that the most productive development, empowerment, etc. happens because the leaders are insiders. I've seen many foreigners try to come in and start charities or projects, and they tend to fail or fizzle in time. But Peggy Sedlak, the Peace Corps Volunteer in the book, who helped Isatou and the women get their co-op running, deserves kudos for setting it up in a way in which the women took ownership and leadership of the project. Listening and being flexible was important to all of them, and the Women Initiative Gambia program has become one of the most successful (and longest-lasting) Peace Corps inspired projects in the Gambia.



As a child, you didn’t think of “writer” as a possible career because you never saw or met any writers. Now, you do lots of school talks, which helps kids see that yes, writer is very much a thing that a person can be. Can you share a memorable interaction you’ve had with schoolchildren?

Miranda Paul Photo by Smelter Mountain on Flickr (used with permission)


Even before my first book came out, I visited a school to talk about what writers do (I wrote for magazines and newspapers at the time). I showed a group of fourth graders some of my rejection letters and told them that all writers get rejections, but the REAL writers are the ones who keep working and trying. Two girls who had co-written a story rushed up to me afterward because they, too, had gotten a rejection letter. They'd been bummed and stopped writing for awhile, but now couldn't wait to keep working on their story and trying to get it published.

You’re also a cofounder of the We Need Diverse Books movement—and what an amazing movement that’s been (and continues to be). Can you tell us about your involvement with it?

There are a number of cofounders, and I want to give a shout-out to them all; what an amazing lineup of people. I'm involved in some of WNDB's board decision-making, but also in a few of our newer initiatives. We have so many wonderful programs already rolled out this year, and more to come soon. I'm particularly proud of how WNDB continues to put diverse books in the forefront, with our Summer Reading Series and Booktalking kits. Next year, we'll also announce the first-ever Water Dean Myers awards. As VP of Outreach, it's my job to tell people to sign up to get our updates and visit our website often (www.diversebooks.org). Our email signup on the homepage and joining us on social media (also linked on the homepage) are the best ways to keep on top of the great things the organization is doing!

Thank you, Miranda, for spending some time here with me! And thanks for all that you do with children and building community--it's wonderful.