"The Girl God" by Trista Hendren is a magically illustrated children's book celebrating the Divine Feminine. The process of helping her 5-year-old daughter connect to her spiritual self and her inner strengths, within the context of both Islam and Christianity, has been an exciting journey for both of them, as Trista explains in this interview.

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"The Girl God"  by Trista Hendren is a magically-illustrated children's book celebrating the Divine Feminine. What a perfect book for March 8th,  International Women's Day!

"The Girl God" was born when Trista tried to explain the concept of "the god within" to her young daughter. Trista noted, "When I asked her if she believed God lived within her, she said she did not. But when I asked if perhaps she had a Girl God living within her, she awakened to spirituality in a way she never had before."

In addition to the main story, the book also contains quotes from all the major faith traditions as well as quotes and poems from Patricia Lynn Reilly, Virginia Woolf, Rumi, bell hooks, Georgia O'Keefe, Z. Budapest, Sojourner Truth, Gloria Steinem, Carol P. Christ, Rita Mae Brown, Alice Walker, Sue Monk Kidd, June Jordan, Judy Chicago, and others.



The book is illustrated with lively paintings by Norwegian artist Elisabeth Slettnes.

The process of helping her daughter connect to her spiritual self and her inner strengths, within the context of both Islam and Christianity, has been an exciting journey for both of them, as Trista explains in this interview:

MAB: Thanks for visiting with us, Trista! How old was your daughter when you got inspired to write this, and how old is she now?  

TH: Helani will be 7 in May, and she was 5 when the story came to me - it's just like the story in the book - she could not relate to the male image of god, but she lit up when I mentioned "The Girl God."

MAB: "The Girl God" seems like very original phrase, I haven't heard anyone use it before. Did you invent that for Helani?"

TH: Yes, it just sort of popped out of my head when I was talking to her and
she seemed to immediately identify with the idea.



MAB: So it seems that you are taking cues from her about the best story you can provide for her, I like that! Are there any other areas where you have felt that you were following cues in order to adjust the story to fit her age or perspective?

TH: I did try to see the story from her perspective - and got input from both her and my son, Joey (who is 3 years older). I try to not talk baby talk to my children and normally speak to them fairly close to how I speak to adults - but I did try - in explaining the girl god both to Helani and in this story - and to put it into words she could understand - and to ask when she didn't seem to understand what I was saying. 

For instance, I realized that I said "alhamdulillah" probably several times every day, but that my kids had no idea what it meant or the significance to me as a Muslim. That was an "aha" moment for me - so I included it in the book. Alhamdulillah means "Thank you God."  Muslims say it before meals, whenever they are particularly grateful for something or, in the case of the story, whenever we sneeze.

This is probably not a children's book in the traditional sense - pardon
my candor - but I feel like many of them are dumbed down. I was tired of
reading books - particularly with my daughter - that lacked meaning. Many
books also pump in the same message as the culture in big or subtle ways,
which I don't like. I want my daughter to be strong and vibrant!

There are likely words here that children will not know or understand but
intuitively I think they can follow the story line and learn the words as
they go. For me it is important that reading is also a discussion piece.
So I am underwhelmed when my kids can read a book and more wowed when they can talk about it and tell me what it means to them. I wanted this to be a book kids could grow with and build upon, which is why I included the quotes and poems.



MAB: I love hearing that! I never used "baby talk" with my daughter nor did I dumb anything  down " and she did exceptionally well in school (both public and homeschooling) and now she is a doctor!  I feel that there is some cause and effect there. 

I remember when my daughter was about 2 years old, she was speaking so much more fluently than a neighbor child who was 5. The neighbor girl was the baby in a family with older children, and every time she was spoken to, the parents or siblings changed their demeanor completely and used that "goo-goo ga-ga" type of "baby talk." So that's what she learned to speak, like many other kids in that area. (This was in the Deep South, and that sort of thing seems to be the trend there.)

People were always remarking on how smart my daughter was - and she was, but to be fair, they were comparing her to kids who were deliberately "dumbed down" by being trained to speak an unclear and fake language.
 
Of course, the term "girl god" isn't baby talk or "dumbing down," I think it is a very creative way to make a concept understandable!

I also appreciate that you have created appeal for the grownup who is reading the book to their child, too, with the quotations and the colorful illustrations! That is so important. It has been a long time since my daughter was a toddler, but I remember dreading having to read a particular boring story for the 100th time!

How do you feel this story has benefited your Helani, and other girls? And you? And your relationship?



TH: Yes, I so agree with what you are saying.  I see this all the time with my kids and those around us. We don't seem to be preparing children for the real world anymore (if we ever did). We baby them in ways that are
actually harmful for their growth. And don't get me started on the
princess culture ...

I think the book has validated both of us in a world where women and girls
are not supposed to be strong.

I started studying feminism 20 years ago, but then got lost in the world
of "making a living." When Helani turned 5, it was sort of a sharp slap in
the face to me - like "Why did you stop fighting!!?? - now your daughter
is going to have to wage the same battle you did."

So, I'm not sure that there is an immediate effect, although I will say
that my daughter is one of the strongest, smartest and most creative girls
I know. Sometimes that is not always easy in a society that does not value
those attributes in girls. But I am very proud of her. And I feel that in
allowing her to be her full self now, she won't have to struggle so much
to know who she is later in life.

So many women really don't know "til they are 40, 50, or 60.  We are
stifled - and then we are just busy. When I see my daughter, I smile
because I see the girl I could have been if my full nature had been
embraced and fostered.

We are really hoping that the book is read by girls around the world and
are actively working towards translations wherever possible. I think the
world is rapidly changing - particularly in the last few years. When I
started this project, I doubted how well received it would be. Our biggest
problem now is just getting the word out. It's basically my husband, my
mom and whoever I can get to help out!  Of course, Joey and Helani help too!

I think that the effect of a girl god can be profound. When we begin to go
back to honoring the divine feminine within each of us, the thought of
raping or beating a woman would be just as obscene as burning down a
church.



MAB: Excellent! Yes, the way to honoring the feminine is by starting young, and I appreciate your book for that! And I am happy to join your mom and your husband in spreading the word, because this is an important book for young girls, and I have many wonderful young girls in my life.
I understand you are starting "Goddess Camps for Girls," can you tell us a little about those? And also, do you have more books coming up?

TH: We have camps that will premier this summer in Tennessee, New York and Oregon.  We are open to doing more camps, provided we have a program director in each city that fits in well with what we are doing.

The idea is for the girls (in three age groups) to be able to spend a week
together to celebrate themselves through arts, books, journal writing,
etc.;  to learn about the divine feminine, and connect with their bodies
through yoga, meditation and belly dancing.

We are starting with a day camp, but ultimately, it would be wonderful to
have an overnight camp somewhere.

It has been a tremendous amount of work, but we feel the end result will
be well worth it.

We plan to do at least three more Girl God books, and I am hard at work now on a Mother Earth book. Elisabeth Slettnes is my partner and illustrator on all the Girl God books and we work very closely together with the story, illustrations and quotes. 

My mom and my husband do all the layout, design and proof-reading.  Joey and Helani both help with packing the books and going to the post office to mail them. It has been a steep learning curve! But now that we have had some experience, the next books should be much easier, and we plan to continue to publish all of them ourselves.



MAB: Thank you Trista, the camps sound so exciting! I want to go, too! If I get my wish, in a few years you will have a camp for girls to come to with either their moms or grammas!

TH: Awesome! So excited - and that is a great idea!!  We are going to do a few pajama parties too - so maybe we should do a few with moms and grandmas!

MAB: Well that would be fitting - the trinity of femininity: young maiden, mother, and wise woman!

Thank you, Trista, for taking time to visit, and for writing such an important book for girls! This has been fun - and we'll be looking forward to hearing about more of your books and projects!

TH: Thank you too, I enjoyed chatting with you!

Website:  http://www.thegirlgod.com

Watch and listen to as book is read on YouTube.

Original paintings by Norwegian artist Elisabeth Slettnes, including those illustrated in "The Girl God," are available through her website at http://www.elisabethslettnes.net/

More information on International Women's Day at: http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.