Author Interview: Meta Herrick Carlson, “We Remember Your Baptism”
Photo by Leonardo Iribe on Unsplash
By Emmy Kegler and Meta Herrick Carlson
Up till now, you've been writing prayers and poems for grownups: Speak It Plain, Ordinary Blessings, Ordinary Blessings for Parents, Ordinary Blessings for the Christmas Season. Obviously as a parish pastor and a parent of three you have plenty of experience talking with kids about faith, but writing about it is a new space for you. What kicked this off?
An editor from Beaming Books reached out to me. The team thought my voice, the way I write blessings, might be a good fit for a new book they were dreaming up. After signing a contract, I promptly lost my voice and tried to write like other children’s book authors. I really thought I was onto something with new-to-me styles like past tense and near rhyme. Once I worked through two imposter drafts and a bout of writer’s block, I reconciled with my true voice and simply wrote a very long blessing. My editor helped me evoke imagery without over explaining it with words, leaving room for the illustrator to do their thing.
In starting to write We Remember Your Baptism, did you read other baptism books on the market? What did you see that was missing that you think your book fulfills?
When I agreed to give the assignment a try, the team showed me other books about baptism they’d already published so I could get a sense of what this book did not need to carry. I was set free to focus on a little one who might be too young to remember their baptism day and to speak on behalf of the community that remembers for them and tells them the story while they grow in faith. We wanted it to speak to children, but also to the adult reader so that all ages and stages of faith might hear about the already accomplished and the ever expansive gift, the unconditional promise that is both unique and shared. I hope it’s a gentle introduction to paradox and mystery and beloved community for our little ones – and a bold reminder for the grown ups, too.
The illustrations are incredible. Which one do you want to hang on your office wall?
I’m kind of obsessed with the rainbow pants! The community garden scene reminds me of the community garden just blocks from my house. It’s where I used to take my children to pass time when they were toddlers and my dog loves a “sniff-ari” there now.
But my heart melts when I think about the cover art. I showed it to my twelve year old goddaughter a few months ago and she lit up. “Tia Meta! It looks just like my baptism day!” And it does. Knowing that this book, dedicated to her, really sees her and delights in the full expression of her belovedness makes me so proud – and grateful to Clara.
Clara Anganuzzi has illustrated some gorgeous children’s books. I’m over the moon that she accepted this project. Her work is inspired by growing up in the Seychelles and loving the sea. I spent my childhood in San Diego and spent so much of my early childhood in the ocean. The way she plays with paint and water speaks to my eight year old soul.
We wanted it to speak to children, but also to the adult reader so that all ages and stages of faith might hear about the already accomplished and the ever expansive gift, the unconditional promise that is both unique and shared.
Did you market test We Remember Your Baptism on your kids or your congregation? Did you try out how it sounds when you read it aloud? Was there anything you had to change when you did?
I workshopped several of these phrases during baptisms and sermons at my congregation. And I often read my work aloud to Marshall, my dog. He’s a curious, patient and non-judgmental audience while I pay attention to flow and make little changes.
I love "A Note for Caregivers" at the back with all your ideas for how to practice remembering kids' baptisms (and ours!) in our regular life. Is there a practice your family does / you do that you are really drawn to?
We keep their baptism candles displayed on a shelf in the dining room so they can be lit anytime we want to make a fuss over them. They can be used to celebrate accomplishments and special days, but also as a reminder of unconditional love that’s holding us when things get hard or don’t go our way.
It's a weird time to be launching a book about remembering our baptism. Or maybe it's a necessary time. What connections do you see between what's happening with immigration enforcement and infant baptism?
The violence and hate being perpetrated by some against many is rooted in the fear that there isn’t enough of the good stuff to go around, that we have to earn our value and belonging, that if we are truly known we won’t be lovable. So much harm begins with self-loathing and when we’re disembodied from good care for ourselves, it’s easy to suspend good care from our neighbors, too.
It’s a good time to remember what has already been accomplished by God, to declare publicly what is universally and uniquely and unconditionally true, and to practice carrying promises as a community instead of fending only for ourselves. This is the work of the Church and the gift of the sacrament.
We Remember Your Baptism will release February 17, 2026; place your preorders now!
