writes about war from a young person's view #bannedbyrussia
Just read and answered a stack of snail mail letters from readers from various parts of the US. This note was included along with 27 letters from 6th grade students from a school I visited in November and it made my day! Thank you to educators who let authors know that their presentations and books have an impact!
It’s like I’ve been galloping breathlessly from manuscript deadline to edit to promotion to more deadlines and repeat. And of course in the midst of that are the usual family and personal things that we all go through. Something that calms me and helps with creativity is creating pysanky — Ukrainian Easter Eggs. But for the last dozen years I’ve been writing more than one book a year. Much as I longed for the creative solitude of making pysanky, the time simply has not been there. And then there were the sore hands. Writing takes creativity of course, but it also requires great physical effort to sit in front of a screen for hours on end, then go do research, take notes, go back to the keyboard. But I have a few weeks right now while I’m between school visits and tours. I’ve finished two novels and am waiting for edits. And my hands are not all that sore! So it’s pysanka time! I dug out my old equipment and bought new dyes. My goal is to make maybe 10. It all depends on when the next edits arrive.
Here’s the first egg finished, plus the second egg out of the orange dye.
It was such a pleasure to have three one hour Skype sessions with Waukon students, each about a different novel in my WWII trilogy. My favorite question of the day? Why was the bread called Wonder Bread in Stolen Girl!
It was such a pleasure speaking with grade 6 students from La Patera school in Goleta California today. Good questions and conversation!
Students need tools to develop empathy for those among us who have fled war, terror and prejudice. Marsha’s two non-fiction books from the perspective of a real child escaping after war are a perfect tool to step into the shoes of a young person in the midst of this terrible circumstance.
Young people are engaged by these true stories. Interviewing the real people behind these books had a profound effect on Marsha herself. Using her books Adrift at Sea and Too Young to Escape, Marsha can speak to students in an age appropriate way about this urgent issue. Sample grade ranges that work well for these presentations:
grades 1 – 2, grades 3 – 4, grades 6 – 8.
Marsha has also spoken to high school, adult groups and professional groups on this topic.
On the last day of a whirlwind week, a teacher waited in line amidst the students after my morning session at Sands Montessori. She gave me this note and told me that she expected to be bored by my presentation, but was pleasantly surprised. I cherish this kind of feedback. Thank you, Linda! What a great way to end my face to face presentations for 2019!
