John Morano writes of exotic places and even more exotic creatures with understanding and passion.
By: Joan Ruddiman
John Morano writes of exotic places and even more exotic creatures with a real understanding and passion of ecological issues. Literary critics have credited him with creating a new genre dubbed "eco-adventure." Moreover, he has forged new ground in the publishing industry with what he calls "children’s books for adults."
So how did a Brooklyn-born journalism professor who now lives in rural central New Jersey come to write "eco-adventure fantasies for young adults?" The answer, to be explored this week and next in this column, is as winding as this man’s life journey.
"A Wing and a Prayer" was Morano’ s first attempt at novel writing. His story of Lupe, a rare perhaps only Guadalupe Petrel who breaks out of captivity to find his "Islands of Life," delighted editors, but defied categorization. "Who’s the audience?" they demanded, as the novel had kid appeal, yet challenged readers with themes that seemed more adult oriented.
Morano found a company in Salt Lake City willing to take a risk. It published his book, but agreed that all rights to the books could revert back to him once they sold 10,000 copies. "I don’t think they ever imagined that would happen," Morano chuckled. Morano was already working on his second novel titled "Makoona," about life on a coral reef in the wide expanse of the Pacific. He began to seriously consider possibilities of what he was into.
"I really wanted to write children’s books for adults," he explained. "Each age group has a separate experience," using the analogy of music that crosses over between genres and speaks to different audiences. Not only is the audience not age specific, agents and publishers found the content a hard to classify mix.
With talking birds and sea creatures, the reader is in Brian Jacques’ "Redwall" Richard Adams’ "Watership Down" fantasy territory. But the plots also involve creatures from the "man-flock," or "man-tide" that are as clearly developed as the foal and fish creatures.
In "Makoona," the reader is caught up in the struggle of a 15-year-old Kemar, a boatperson who survived the Khmer Rouge and his champion, Meela. There is no fantasy in Kemar’s grim tale, though Meela is a craftily drawn fiction that blends well-researched facts about Amelia Earhart with a no-nonsense nature lover.
Morano’s unique style found a nice fit with Little Blue Works, an independent publishing house in the state of Washington. The company practices what it promotes by using 100 percent recycled and recyclable materials as it makes each book by hand. Kathryn Fuller, the president of the World Wildlife Fund who makes a case for ecological awareness, introduces "Makoona." Little Blue Works is certainly a niche publisher that embraced Morano’s unique niche works.
"A Wing and A Prayer" and "Makoona" are the first books in what Morano and his publisher plan to be a 10-book "eco-adventure" series.
At the heart of Morano’s unique vision is that nature is as fantastic as it is real. For example, in "Makoona," the sea creatures, from gentle Binti the Octopus, her pal Hootie the blowfish, (music fans will get the joke) to the dangerous eels all visit the "cleaning station," which is like a demilitarized zone on the coral reef. All creatures can safely congregate at the cleaning station as they have their parasites picked and find a respite from the stresses of their predator driven environment. Once they swim away, the gloves are off, so to speak, and they fight or flee for their lives.
So is that part of the fantasy, or is it real? "Truth is stranger than fiction!" Morano observes, as he notes that such areas in the ocean do exist.
Besides wanting to tell a good story, Morano defiantly has an agenda. "I do hope readers come away from the books with a greater knowledge and affection about their own world." Readers also come away from his books noting a degree of spirituality. "Yes, it does seem to work that way," Morano concedes. "When I look at the planet, I see God. For me, that is God. The whole web of life is just incredible."
Morano’s commitment to writing what critics have dubbed a "new niche," this environmental or "eco-adventure" genre, came from Morano’s professional training. His "day job," is at Monmouth University where he is a professor of journalism. "Journalism gives a voice to the voiceless," he said, noting that endangered species, or extinct species like the Guadalupe Petrel and threatened habitats like the coral reef have very few who speak for them who can not speak for themselves.
But how did his passion for the environment arise? Morano, who grew up in the East Rockaway, just beyond Queens, had a canal near his house. "It was a wonderland, filled with all kinds of life." He spent hours clamming and fishing, until his junior high years, "when everything died. I saw this happen as a kid and I can’t shake this image of all this life just disappearing."
So, despite big-time and small-time agents, neither of who could market his works successfully, and in spite of not fitting a neat category for audience and genre, Morano has forged ahead with his own eco-literature that "builds stories around real world environmental concerns."
Morano will appear at the Allentown Public Library on Tuesday, May 21, at 7 p.m. to share his passion about ecology and writing with the public. Upper elementary students, middle-schoolers and high school kids should take advantage of this opportunity to meet Morano. Adults are also warmly welcomed to participate in this interactive discussion.
There is no fee to attend. Books will be available to purchase with an author signing session You can visit the author’s Web site at www.monmouth.edu/jmorano.
Next week: What’s next in the Morano eco-adventure series?
Joan Ruddiman is a teacher and friend of the Allentown Public Library.