Amalie Jahn asked Sarah Carlson:

Hey Sarah! What was your inspiration for All the Walls of Belfast?

Sarah Carlson Great question! I was inspired by a trip I took there in July 2011. When I first learned about the opportunity, my first reaction was, is it safe there? The answer is resoundingly YES by the way; the Troubles ended in 1998 and the vast, vast majority of Northern Ireland has moved on. I remembered learning a little bit about the Troubles during middle school, but had heard nothing really since. When I got there, I was shocked by the fact that there are still over a hundred peace walls across Northern Ireland separating Protestant Loyalist and Catholic Republican neighborhoods so long after the Good Friday Agreements officially ended the Troubles. I was also shocked to learn that only around 7% of students attend religiously integrated schools. The rest of students attend religiously segregated schools. It's possible for some students, particularly from working class communities, to never meet someone from the other religion their whole childhood.

I also had the opportunity to witness Protestant celebrations of the historic defeat of Catholic King James by, which continued setting the stage for the divided island, including attending a massive bonfire built in the middle of the street and a huge Protestant flute band parade which, to me, looked more like a military march celebrating (and, in the eyes of some, gloating about) the defeat of King James. Children participated in these events. And, at the same time, dissident Republicans have been engaging in armed violence against police and others. While I was there, there were riots as well. While Belfast is a beautiful, culturally rich city, and absolutely safe, under the surface, the legacy of the Troubles still hurts many people across Northern Ireland (over 3000 people died over the 30 years of conflict and thousands more were injured) and still grips some mostly working class communities.

After years of research, collaborating with editors and writers from Northern Ireland, and two more trips to Belfast, I found a story to tell about two teens, two families who live only thirty feet apart, but separated by a forty foot wall, religion, and history. I wanted to convey both the unique complexity and the beauty of Northern Ireland, and it seemed like a good stage to explore some more universal themes, like rising above your family's legacy to path your own way, forgiveness for egregious past mistakes, the impact of parents' choices on the lives of their children, and the contagion effect of bigotry on the next generation.

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