As the President and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions, Paul Siefken’s work in children's television has made a significant impact. While many know him for his contributions to shows like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Paul has ventured into the world of middle-grade fiction with his new novel, Vernon Poché & The Ghosts of New Orleans. This historical fantasy blends the rich, haunting history of New Orleans with the deeply personal impact of Hurricane Katrina, offering young readers a chance to learn, reflect, and connect with the city’s legacy. I had the honor of interviewing Paul about his new book, in which we discussed everything from the inspiration behind the story, the challenges of balancing history with fantasy, and how he hopes the novel will resonate with both kids and adults alike.
Alex: You wrote this book about New Orleans, where you grew up. How long have you been thinking about this story and planning it out?
Paul Siefken: What led me to want to tell the story, I think, was being away from the city when Hurricane Katrina hit, and my family having to evacuate. I was living in Washington, D.C. and working at PBS at the time. First and foremost, I was trying to make sure my family had a place to stay. They drove as far as they could—as far as they had to—before they found a place to stay, which was from New Orleans all the way to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Then they came to Washington, D.C., and I found a place for my parents, my brother, and my sister to live for the time they couldn’t go back.
I think something that is often forgotten about that storm is that the flood that followed essentially led to the closing of a major U.S. city. New Orleans was completely empty. Shortly after the storm, there was sentiment from some in government and the news questioning whether resources should be used to bring the city back. If you’re a native of that place, you’re going to react pretty strongly to that.
That really hit me hard because New Orleans is a 300-year-old city, and Hurricane Katrina was the greatest natural disaster in U.S. history in terms of cost and lives lost. The idea that some were suggesting we should just “wash our hands” of the city really hit me hard. So, I began to write this story in kind of a scattershot way in 2006 or 2007. I did show it to a publisher, who rightly said, "This is kind of a mess." At the time, I had two small children and was very busy working in D.C., so I put it away.
Then, during the pandemic, when we all had more time in our homes—probably spending a bit too much time streaming—I said, “I need to do something.” I pulled the manuscript back out, and it really spoke to me. I revisited it and pulled it together. During that time, I was reconnecting more with my family, thanks to Zoom calls. My older sister, who lives in New Orleans and has been a radio personality for a long time, reminded me that her friend Lisa Miller, my publisher, had started an independent publishing company out of St. Louis called Amphorae Publishing. Lisa’s grandmother lived on the street where I grew up, and we played together as kids. So, I contacted her, and it just felt like the right thing to have a publisher who understood not only the city and its culture but also the personal nature of this story, having known each other for so long. We worked together and finally brought the piece to fruition. I’m very excited about that.
One of the things I was thinking about as my children have gotten older is that 2025 will mark the 20th year since Hurricane Katrina. There are high school graduates now who have no memory of that storm. It has become history to them. But if you live in New Orleans, people there talk about it like it was yesterday because the evidence of the storm is still everywhere. I felt like I wanted to share that sentiment with a younger generation of kids.
Unfortunately, storms and disasters continue to happen, and we've just seen that recently with storms like Hurricane Helene. The experience of those storms is twofold—there’s the personal grief and loss that the victims of the storm experience, and then there’s the trauma for those not directly impacted who witness what’s happening. You can’t help but think about the generations of people who created these places. While our concern is for the people suffering today, we must also respect and honor the generations that came before us. Amazing people have done amazing things through the centuries, and I wanted to reflect that in this story.
But the story has to start with the characters. Having been in children’s television for a long time, we always make sure that the characters are relatable to the audience. The TV we make at Fred Rogers Productions is generally oriented toward younger children, but this is a middle-grade novel for kids aged 11 to 13.
I tried to introduce Vernon and Alisha in a way that demonstrates the feeling of helplessness they have during this disaster. When we first see them, Vernon is being told what to do—pack up, we’re leaving. Then shortly after, we see them coming back, and he’s in the car with no control over what’s happening, feeling overwhelmed. Alisha is in a similar situation—she’s separated from her mom, the storm hits, and she has no agency. I think that’s something middle schoolers can relate to—that feeling that the world is complicated and overwhelming, and they don’t have control over it.
In the story, I wanted to give them a moment where they do have a choice and can take action. This is prompted by the ghosts from New Orleans’ history, who represent the generations of people who created this place. The ghosts provide information to help Vernon and Alisha with their personal loss and separation from family, but also to help them—and the reader—understand why this place is important.
Alex: New Orleans is such a rich character in the novel with its own history. When you were growing up, were a lot of the characters that appear as ghosts people you learned about in school or local museums, or did you ground yourself in deeper research as you put the story together?
Paul Siefken: A little of both. The Spanish Fort near Bayou St. John was at the end of my street, so we spent time playing on the levee, jumping off the fort. We knew it was a fort, but it wasn’t until a Boy Scout hike that I understood more about the bayou and its importance. On that hike, we walked the Bayou Road Trail, passed the city’s oldest cemeteries, and learned about the city’s unique burial practices. Growing up, you’re surrounded by history, but it’s not always something you fully appreciate until later.
The characters in the book encapsulate different parts of the city’s history. For example, there’s a character named Tonti, who is based on Henri de Tonti, who accompanied La Salle on his expedition to find the mouth of the Mississippi River. In the book, Tonti is a dog, but the real historical figure played a role in the early exploration of the region.
I wanted to show the span of 300 years of history—from Tonti’s time to modern-day ghosts like Big Chief Tootie Montana, who passed away just two months before Katrina. I thought it was important to highlight how different figures from New Orleans’ past still influence the present. And, of course, geography plays a role. I chose to have Vernon live in Uptown New Orleans, close to the Mississippi River, in an area that didn’t flood as badly during Katrina. He rides his bike through the empty streets, and one of his stops is the Black Pearl neighborhood, where Mahalia Jackson grew up.
Mahalia Jackson was a figure I wanted to introduce because not everyone knows that she grew up there. Her message to Vernon is about participating—she tells him, “You can’t just stand on the sidelines. You need to participate, like being part of the choir.” That’s a message I hope resonates with young readers: even though things can feel overwhelming, it’s important to get involved and make a difference in the world around you.
Alex: Well, you definitely do that. The tone of the book encourages kids to take action even when they feel like they have limited control. Speaking of tone, your day job at Fred Rogers Productions is all about creating content for younger children, but I noticed that your approach in the book has a softer, gentler way of handling heavy themes. I think of Fred Rogers and his approach to helping kids understand difficult emotions. How did you balance that emotional resonance in the novel without making it too heavy or unbearable for middle schoolers?
Paul Siefken: It was important to me that Vernon and Alisha come from different parts of the city. Alisha’s family is from the Lower Ninth Ward, while Vernon grew up in Uptown New Orleans. Their understanding of the city’s history, and in particular Black history, is different. They’re 12-year-olds, so they encounter some of this history with a bit of innocence. I tried to show that while they may have conflicting views and discomfort about certain parts of the city's history, they are also becoming friends, relying on one another, and bonding over personal loss.
They’ve experienced personal loss even before the storm, and that loss informs their decision to take action in the story. It’s a historical fantasy, so while there are fantastical and magical elements, I also wanted to stay true to the history of the characters.
It’s complicated, but I think growing up in New Orleans helped me find that balance. The city’s history is full of heavy, complex themes, but when you’re a kid, you don’t always realize the significance of things like streets being named after Civil War generals. You see it through a different lens—more of a “this doesn’t make sense.” I wanted to reflect that in the book, to stay true to how a 12-year-old would process it, without it feeling too heavy.
Alex: I wanted to ask about the timing of the book’s release. It’s coming out close to Halloween, and with “ghosts” in the title, it feels timely. But it’s also arriving during hurricane season, with recent storms dominating the news. What are you hoping will draw kids into the story at this moment?
Paul Siefken: Well, I certainly wasn’t hoping for it to have that unfortunate connection to hurricane season, but yes, a ghost story coming out in late October definitely fits with Halloween. What I’m hoping is that kids are entertained by the adventure, but they’ll also walk away having learned a few things that stick with them.
There are several things in the book that readers from New Orleans have told me they didn’t know—whether it’s the origin of a saying or the history of a particular gravesite. Having been in children’s television for a long time, I’ve always found it magical when you can give a child something they feel gives them an edge—like they’ve got some information others don’t.
My favorite interaction is when a child, whether they’re four or 13, can tell an adult, “Did you know this is true?” and the adult asks, “Where did you learn that?” and the child responds, “From a PBS show,” or in this case, “From this novel I read.” That’s part of my instinct as a storyteller—to entertain, inform, and leave people feeling better for having engaged with the story.
Alex: Well, I think you succeeded in that goal. Congratulations!
Paul Siefken’s passion for storytelling and education runs deep. His ability to weave historical and cultural narratives into accessible and engaging stories for young readers is not only impressive but essential in helping future generations understand the complexities of the world around them. Whether through television or his latest novel, Paul continues to inspire children to be curious, empathetic, and active participants in shaping their own stories. I hope you enjoy this insightful interview. Vernon Poché & The Ghosts of New Orleans is now available wherever books are sold, including Amazon. It’s a book that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
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