Interview: Lisa Roullard
- Little Thoughts Press
- Sep 8
- 4 min read
Lisa Roullard lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her family and Onyx the black cat. In addition to writing and reading, she loves baking pie (and eating it warm), tending her flower garden, and spending time with friends. Her poems for kids can be found in Little Thoughts Press, The Dirigible Balloon, The Toy, and Parakeet.
Little Thoughts Press: Our Ekphrasis Adventure issue is about using visual art as inspiration for poetry and storytelling.
What stood out to you in the illustration you chose to write about? What in the image served as the initial spark for your poem?
Lisa Roullard: The girl. Why, I wondered, was she out there on the rock at night when the waves were so choppy? (Admittedly, I was not focused on Imogen’s title, I Heard a Song.) It seemed significant that the girl’s rainslicker was the same color as the lighthouse light.
Little Thoughts Press: One of the things I loved most about your poem “On the Rock by the Lighthouse” is how you very directly utilize the images in Imogen Hartland’s illustration, I Heard a Song, but then expand the reader’s vision beyond the frame by introducing a boat we cannot see. This is a really effective way to pull the reader further into the poem by giving them a role in the narrative. Can you talk about why you made this choice to center the poem around an image just out of frame and what effect you think it has on how readers connect to both your poem and Imogen’s illustration?
Lisa Roullard: Since lighthouses have to do with safety, and in some cases, rescue, it seemed like the girl was headed toward whatever was outside the frame. This felt compelling to me and I knew there had to be more to the story. I wrote the poem after several years of helping my child through a difficult time. And although I wasn’t thinking about that directly as I wrote, I felt both like the girl and the person in the boat during that time. Sometimes I’ve felt like both at once. So, maybe readers will connect to the poem and the illustration by recognizing we all need help sometimes and that it’s okay to receive it. It’s also important to offer help, so I hope readers might consider that too.
Little Thoughts Press: This issue is all about celebrating and spotlighting artists. Do you have a favorite artist, or a picture book, comic, or graphic novel that you love and want to shout out?
Lisa Roullard: Beth Krommes is one of my favorite picture book illustrators. I love her style, specifically how she works detail and color into her engravings. I love studying each spread. Currently I have Where the Deer Slip Through propped up in my office. I know the late Katey Howes would’ve loved the illustrations Beth created for it.
Little Thoughts Press: How did you get started writing kid-lit and what do you find most challenging and rewarding about writing for kids?
Lisa Roullard: I’ve wanted to write kid-lit since college and took my first online class in picture book writing about 20 years later. I studied creative writing (mainly poetry) in college and graduate school, but the focus wasn’t kid-lit. So, for me, the most challenging aspect is word choice. I never want to talk down to kids. I also feel it’s important for kids to expand their vocabularies so I don’t shy away from words that might be considered “big” or “hard” or “unusual.” I can’t recall at what age my mom started telling me, “I’m not your walking dictionary. Go look it up!” when I asked her what a word meant. I know this helped me expand my vocabulary. Thanks, Mom!
Little Thoughts Press: Which kid-lit authors and books were your favorites growing up?
Lisa Roullard: A few favorites that my parents read me were Never Tease a Weasel and the Little Golden Book Home for a Bunny. Once I was reading on my own I loved Roald Dahl, especially James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I also loved the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books by Betty MacDonald and Bedknobs and Broomsticks by Mary Norton. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White was another favorite, as were The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I also enjoyed Judy Blume’s books, especially Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.
Little Thoughts Press: What advice would you give to young writers?
Lisa Roullard: Write about what you’re interested in, even if you don’t know much about it yet. You can learn as you go. Know that many experienced writers are doing this too. It’s never too early (or late) to learn!
Little Thoughts Press: Is there anything else you wish I had asked? Any upcoming projects, publications, or other news you'd like to share?
Lisa Roullard: No. As for news, I recently received an Honorable Mention in the Lyrical Language Lab’s Second Annual Summer Poetry Contest for kid-lit. This year’s theme was mask poems and mine is titled “Thesuarus’s First Love Letter.” You can read it and the other top nine poems at https://www.reneelatulippe.com/winners-summer2025/.