the power of suggestion

I gave two readings today: first, I was invited to read BIRD to a group of parents, students, and educators who were attending a workshop led by master teacher and author Cathie Wright-Lewis.  Cathie’s a member of the Adelaide Sanford Institute, and works with other educators, politicians, and community members to improve the education of Brooklyn kids.  After I read the story, Cathie led the students in a great writing exercise; she asked participants to read the Kirkus review of BIRD, and then students composed their own review of the book!  Unfortunately, I had to leave before they were done since I had *another* reading scheduled up in Harlem.  I tell you, I am TIRED right now, but what a great day…at first I only had one little girl in my classroom, but at the last minute four boys came tumbling into the room and they sat in the front row and asked a thousand questions all at once…then an intrepid father arrived with a baby in a stroller, a six year old girl, and a two year old boy…wow!  Another mother joined us and brought her very bright son…BIRD can be tricky b/c it’s got mature content, but the kids were wonderful and really seemed to enjoy the reading.  I told them a little about Wish, and one boy started speculating on Genna’s fateful wish–what did she wish for that sent her back in time?  The child next to him raised his hand and said, “Maybe she wished for a donut.”  I hadn’t eaten since 8am, and so I said, “I could eat a donut right now!”  And another child said, “Me, too!”  And we all headed to the cafeteria where each child got a ticket for a FREE book!  Many thanks to Cathie Wright-Lewis and the Morningside Area Alliance for giving me the chance to share my story with others. I grabbed two slices of pizza on my way out of the author lounge, and stopped on the way home for what?  A donut, of course…

Now, you may recall that a very special celebrity was also invited to today’s Harlem Read Out Loud–Roscoe Orman was just one author away from me at the long signing table!  I snapped this photo:

And then got in line and waited for my turn to say hello—he had run out of books by that point, but I presented him with a copy of BIRD and thanked him for introducing me to the city; I learned about brownstones and city life by watching Sesame Street!  And now I live in and write about the city.  I’ve come quite a long way from semi-rural Pickering, Ontario!  I gushed on, of course—”Gordon” said they shot the first Sesame Street film in Toronto and its outskirts.  “But you may not have been born then,” he said, and I blurted out–”I was born in 1972!”  Then I told him how I gave my 4th grade speech on Sesame Street—I was gushing, it was awful…finally I dragged myself away after taking this photo:

A great day!  And now I need a nap…

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