Which research course should I choose for my master’s in education? I wondered as I searched to fulfill the credits to graduate in Human Development and Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. When I told my advisor my passion for writing, without hesitation he told me to take The Art and Science of Portraiture. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot developed this method of social science inquiry that blends art and science, aesthetics and empiricism in order to magnify the good and examine challenges. Basically, the methodology uses narrative prose to describe social science phenomena. I applied for the class with a writing sample and personal statement and got in, with Irene Liefshitz, one of Dr. Lawrence-Lightfoot’s former students, as my instructor.

Portraiture Interviewing

I had the opportunity to portrait Julie Berry, an award-winning and New York Times Best Selling children’s author. I learned profound things about writing and life in general, but I also learned imperative interviewing skills as part of the course experience. While Portraiture interviewing should last over several interviews over a long time, there are so many valuable lessons that can be applied to any interviewing setting. 

Here are some ready-to-use tips that can be applied when interviewing authors or interviewing for information for writing books of any genre. 

1. Preparation
   • Take time to research and read about the person you are interviewing. If you’re interviewing an author, read their books, read their blog posts, listen to their podcasts, etc.
   • Prepare questions that are specific to the interviewee. While asking “what’s your writing process?” seems like a great question, it can be difficult to answer. A better question would be, “What was the process like in writing [insert title here] like?” 
2. Connection
   • When interviewing, seek reciprocity to make the experience beneficial for both you and the interviewee. This is a mutually beneficial conversation. For example, the interview can be helpful for the interviewer to learn more about writing and it’s helpful for the author to share their experience and get exposure as well.
   • Be yourself when interviewing. Dr. Lawrence-Lightfoot wrote that “relationships are defined by individuality and contrast as much as by connection.” (159)
3. Improvisation
   • Be willing to change course in the interview process. There might be an unpredictable thread of conversation that you’ll be able to follow that you hadn’t prepared for. This is where the magic of interviewing happens. Be prepared but also open to change can lead to a beautiful and interesting conversation.
4. Co-construction
   • You and the interviewee are building an experience and a conversation. Lead with curiosity, compassion, and openness in your conversation.
   • Dr. Lawrence-Lightfoot wrote “At the heart of the aesthetic experience… is a conversation between two active meaning-makers, the producer, and the perceiver of a work of art. This conversation results in a co-construction of meaning in which both parties play a pivotal role.” 
5. Interpretation
   • If possible, record your interviews: both the audio and your written impressions. 
   • Take the time to look for patterns and themes within the interview data and notes. How Dr. Lawrence-Lightfoot terms this is “listening for voice” instead of listening to voice.” This can lead to finding connections and themes within the conversation.

Navigating interviewing can become a deeper experience when you keep these five thigs in mind. Taking the time to prepare, connect and being willing to improvise while you co-construct the interviewing process can elevate your interviewing experience and the way that you interpret and share through your stories, blogs, podcasts, and books.

For Further Reading...

Check out a review of Megan's picture book, A Squirrely Christmas, here and our most recent author interview here.

References:

Lawrence-Lightfoot, S., & Jessica Hoffmann Davis. (1997). The art and science of portraiture. Jossey-Bass.

Megan K. Palmer is the author of A Squirrely Christmas and The Missing Piece (March 13, 2026) and her poetry has appeared in magazines and galleries of art. She writes reviews for Kirkus and spends time volunteering on local boards for her library, school, and preschool. She graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with an Ed.M. in Human Development and studied Elementary Education at Brigham Young University. She lives near Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband, four children, and their three pets: a Russian tortoise, and a Uromastyx Saharan Lizard, and a Cavachon dog. You can learn more about her work at megankpalmer.com.