By Anna Grace Moore
Photos by Kelsea Schafer
Born in Queens, New York, but raised in Fort Myers, Florida, Charles “Father Goose” Ghigna grew up cultivating a love for writing, seeking reprieve in such a world of creativity born from the nib of his pen.
“I wrote my first story about a talking freckle when I was in the third grade,” he says. “My teacher liked it and asked me to read it in front of the class. I kept adding episodes to it. The next year, my mother bought me an old used typewriter. I liked hearing the carriage ding and seeing my words become stories and poems as they danced across the page. I was hooked. I’ve been writing ever since.”
Such creativity propelled him to study English in college, and in 1967, he received his bachelor of arts from Florida Atlantic University, followed by his master’s in English education in 1970. Considering himself an “old soul” writer, Charles penned his poem, “The Alabama Wiregrassers,” on a trip to the Yellowhammer State in 1974.
That September, it was published in Harper’s Magazine. He was also awarded a two-year grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to create Alabama’s first poet-in-the-schools program.
He was offered room and board at Birmingham-Southern College while acting as the state’s “poet-in-residence,” and he also began teaching creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA). Funnily enough, the once serious, brooding poet soon met his match and now wife, his muse, Debra Ghigna, in the school cafeteria of all places.
It was as if the ethereal clouds entrapping Charles’ imagination had dissipated from the skies. Debra, the epitome of kindness, softened his heart, inspiring him to write “a little more joy” into his poems. Not long after meeting did they tie the knot in 1975.
“Every day is a fun day when you’re married to ‘Father Goose,’” Debra says. “Living in the imaginative world of children’s literature is always inspiring. It keeps us young at heart. We try to look at the world through the eyes of a child. We like to ask each other, ‘Is this idea a possible poem? Could this idea have potential for a picture book?’”
The year was 1992. Debra gave Charles a challenge: Write about something lighthearted–dogs and cats.
Scoffing, Charles marched off to his “treehouse,” his writing room in their 1927 Tudor home, and wrote what would later become Good Dogs/Bad Dogs and Good Cats/Bad Cats.
Charles dropped off the manuscripts at the post office on his way to work. To his surprise, The Walt Disney Publishing Company offered him a four-book contract for both manuscripts, jumpstarting Charles’ career as a full-time writer.
“I began visiting schools and libraries and realized I could reach many more students as an author than as a classroom teacher,” he says. “I soon learned that the greatest reward for any children’s author is in knowing that our poems and stories might stir the minds and hearts of young readers with a vision and wonder of the world and themselves that may be new to them.”
Then in 1974, Charles received the opportunity to work on the children’s TV show, Cabbages and Kings. Then in the 1980s, he taught creative writing at Samford University.
In 1989, Charles’ first book of poetry, Returning to Earth, was published and later nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Charles continued to challenge himself to step out of his comfort zone and into the realm of possibilities writing opens.
From 1993-1998, the Tribune Media Services published Charles’ series of light verse, “Snickers,” in daily newspapers across the U.S. His work was even used in American standardized testing for the ACT and SAT in the language-comprehension portions.
Despite his snow-balled acclaim to fame, Charles never let his success fuel his ego. Instead, he focused on writing little love poems for Debra, who he credits as the catalyst for his career.
Unbeknownst to him, Debra kept every single love letter Charles wrote her, even if they were “little scribbles” slipped onto her pillow at night or on her breakfast plate in the morning.
She typed up many of her favorites and submitted them to McCall’s, Good Housekeeping, Ladies’ Home Journal and more, and unsurprisingly, several were published.
“At first it felt funny seeing my private little love poems appear in public, but since Debra wanted to share them, I figured maybe those little ditties might inspire others to express their feelings to loved ones as well,” Charles says.
Over the years, Charles continued to write poetry and children’s literature, eventually releasing The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry: 100 Favorite Poems to Read Aloud in 2023. This compilation is but a fraction of the more than 5,000 poems Charles has written throughout his lifetime, not to mention the more than 100 books he has authored.
Fifty years from first becoming published, Charles released his latest children’s book, Bound to Dream, in September 2024. Debra, actually, inspired this book as she was the one who researched the Ghigna family tree, learning of Charles’ great-grandfather’s journey to America.
“She discovered information about my great-grandfather and was excited to tell me that he was a bookbinder,” Charles says. “I couldn’t get that idea out of my head all day. I fell asleep that evening and woke in the night, rushed to my writing pad and had most of the story sketched out in notes by the time the sun came up.”
Thus, Bound to Dream was born.
Transcending cultural barriers, Bound to Dream is the story of Charles’ great-grandfather, Carlo, who immigrated to the U.S. as a young boy from Italy. Not knowing the language, Carlo searches long and hard for work, going to bed hungry many nights.
Just as his hope begins to dwindle, Carlo earns work as a bookbinder, soon developing a love for learning and a fondness for the world one is transported into between the flip of a book’s pages. On Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Alabama Booksmith, Charles read his story aloud to a small crowd of family and friends, livestreaming the book reading to fans across the globe.
A little teary-eyed, Charles expressed his pride in sharing such a powerful connection to his great-grandfather. Just as Charles’ exuberant storytelling grew with every page turn, so did the positivity of the crowd’s smiles as each watched, stagnant in such wondrous captivation.
“I have been fascinated by family history since I was a child,” Debra says. “I am so proud of Charles’ beautiful new book, Bound to Dream. The discovery that an ancestor he never knew, shared the same passion and lifelong love of books, still brings me to tears.”
It is not a surprise to Jake Reiss, owner of Alabama Booksmith, that Charles’ family lineage yields a rich history of booklovers.
“Charles has been signing books for us for 35 years,” Jake says, proudly. “He was one of the last to have a signing at our old location on Highland Avenue. He was actually the first author to visit our store while it was under construction. He’s a dear, dear friend.”
Having been located in Homewood for the last 25 years, Alabama Booksmith uniquely only sells signed, first edition, hard-back copies of books. The day before his reading, Charles came into the store and signed 100 copies before helping ship them off to customers around the world.
Jake says throughout his career, he has met thousands of authors, poets and writers, but what makes Charles so special is his love not just for writing, but also for the people who read his work.
Truly, authors such as “Father Goose” help write the narrative for which many young, bright-eyed readers find themselves: The moldable phases of life so uncertain yet wide open to a world of adventures, waiting to be had. It is an awe-inspiring thing to author such artistic ingenuity.
Yet, what Charles does so well is transform his stories into reality for future generations by emphasizing the truth between the lines–possibilities are endless when one is “bound to dream.”
Customers can purchase signed copies of Bound to Dream in-person at Alabama Booksmith, which is located at 2626 19th Place South in Homewood. Alabama Booksmith is open every day from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. To learn more information or purchase copies online, visit alabamabooksmith.com.
Stay in Cahoots with Father Goose
Read more about Charles Ghigna’s extensive career online at fathergoose.com, or follow him on Facebook (@Father Goose Books) and Instagram (@charlesghigna).
