What if make-believe isn’t an escape from reality, but one of the ways we learn to face it?
In this episode, I sit down with beloved children’s author Mac Barnett to talk about his new book, Make Believe, and why children deserve real art—not stories that simply try to teach them lessons. We explore the radical idea that kids aren’t unfinished adults waiting to become people. They are already whole human beings, and perhaps they have something to teach us.
Together we talk about imagination as a practice of hope, why wonder might be one of our greatest survival skills, the history of children’s literature, and what makes a story true. If you’ve ever wondered how we prepare ourselves—or our children—for an uncertain future, this conversation is a gentle reminder that before we can build a better world, we have to be able to imagine one.
Because maybe the best stories don’t tell us what to think. They remind us what it feels like to be alive.
I hope you enjoy. XO, Carissa
PS Bad at Keeping Secrets is something I do for fun, it is such a blessing to be able to share work that I wholeheartedly believe in. The podcast is edited by Mark McDonald, Music by my sister Officially Quigley and made possible by People I’ve Loved (in the sense that we pay for it).
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PPS If you have made it this far, YAY! And also, I have a extra copy of Mac’s book, Make Believe. Do you want it? Comment here with your wildest dreams and I will randomly pick someone to sent it to in the USA.
