I haven’t written in more than a week, but that’s because my life has sped up like a Toyota with a stuck gas pedal.
Kathy Erskine's Q & A will appear on Girls of Summer in early August.
It’s hard to complain, though. My days are crammed with things I love. The Girls of Summer Q & As are coming in. I hope you caught Cathryn Clinton this week — and Jacqueline Woodson before that. (Every Friday, a new author answers our questions, so stay tuned.)
I’ve been corresponding with students who are working with author (and professional gummie bear eater) Wendy Shang in northern Virginia, and my own summer residency with the Latino Education Advancement Program wrapped up. Here’s Freddie’s piece so you can see why I love this group.
ESL had just finished, and I jostled my way towards the lunch line. Passing by the fifth grade hallways, I was hoping to be as big and smart as they were one day. I got in the cafeteria line and as usual, the cafeteria cashier smiled and said, “Have a good lunch, my little tootsie roll.”
I went to the table where my class sat and talked to my friends: Tyler, Patterson, Michael, Michael, and Conner Lugio. As we swapped our lunches, I had to crush my napkin because my mom left me a note saying she loved me. Although it was in Spanish and my friends could not read it, it was still embarrassing.
It was halfway through lunch when I saw her: Alexa. She had blonde hair and green eyes, and each time she came into the room with her smiling glow, I would get jittered up in my stomach. Her best friend, Jackie, was sitting next to her; she also had blonde hair, but I didn’t really like her much, except that she had the chocolate that I liked: Snickers. See? I have always been a true romantic.
Looking ahead to this week, I join Richmond Young Writers for a day of writing magical realism. I’ve been looking forward to this for several months. First of all, I adore magical realism. Second, kids never have to make much of a leap into magic. It’s still part of how they move through the world. All I have to do is give them a few reminders.
Here’s one story starter: When the Moon first came to complain to Raul in his dreams, she was terribly rude.
Give it a try see what happens.
More soon.
