Tuesday, February 9, 2010

School visits and creative nonfiction

I just returned from doing a school visit to Paine School in Foster, RI. I've been invited to speak there year after year. It's always a pleasure to return. The school has such an upbeat and creative culture. Today was the hundredth day of school, a big celebration for the younger grades. The upper grades were playing a science Jeopardy Game to prepare for an upcoming quiz.

I gave my talk on THE BLACK REGIMENT OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. And I was reminded of how honored I feel to have been chosen to tell this important story. One student asked me whether I prefer to write nonfiction, fiction, or poetry and I realized I couldn't chose one over the other. I love the creative freedom of fiction. I love playing with words and images through poetry. And I love learning about a new topic and figuring out how to tell my subject's story so that the reader can see its beating heart.

Perhaps the piece of writing that I'm proudest of is my biography of Dian Fossey in WOMEN OF THE GOLDEN STATE: 25 CALIFORNIA WOMEN YOU SHOULD KNOW.

2 comments:

Laurie Smith Murphy said...

I think you write very well in all genres. And, I have to say, you are an excellent speaker when you do school visits. You engage the students and hold their attention for an hour, not an easy feat. You have a wonderful powerpoint presentation and are quite animated as you tell your story. Thanks, Linda, for giving students an important perspective into the history of our country.

Linda Crotta Brennan said...

Thanks! You made my day!