Well, I sure have been to a lot of rock concerts in my life and have loved nothing better than to sit back and enjoy the music, watching the performers take center stage. In my teaching career, I used to taking a much smaller stage but always mindful that the show was not about me, it was about the kids. So, I tried to talk sparingly and not blather on. (Most of the time! Lol.) Kids can’t handle long speeches or the never-ending lesson, and most adults can’t either. Ten minutes in the spotlight, then they became the practitioners of their story.

But presenting Ivy Leigh to a world of kids, teachers and librarians? Well, that was a whole new experience for me. Kids ask questions. I love that. They always seem to want to know how old I am, which totally makes me laugh. Their guesses are hilarious! “You look like 40 in that picture with your dog…” Well, actually that picture was not taken that long ago.

They always want to know if Ivy Leigh is me. My answer is simple. Yes, I did mine the experiences and the friendships and the circumstances of my life. I drew the neighborhood of my childhood; thought about the brook I fell into more than a few times. I especially remember the farmhouse next door to me. That became Mr. Winters’ front porch. So, I did draw from my own experience. As far as Ivy and me? Well, we probably have the same heart but share a different beat. Ivy’s voice just came to me as I walked the rolling hills of Newtown’s Fairfield Hills campus with my dog, and I let her tell me her story. It was a very long one, with many chapters and many small vignettes.

In the end, I am almost always able to turn the tables. I like to let kids know that everything they’re experiencing right now is up for grabs for their stories whether fictional or memoir. These memories, these times, their friends and experiences are so worthy of a writers’ notebook or a journal, a place where they can capture all of it on the page. You see, Ivy could never be me. I don’t have that long a memory, despite the fact that they might have convinced themselves that I was just a little bit older than 40! Lol! Back then, I had a ‘once in a while’ diary and it even had a lock and key. But, like Ivy, I had sisters, and one in particular, I was sure would find a way to get into that book! But journals, writers notebooks, diaries are all good places to work out life’s problems. They don’t have answers, but writing it all down is an especially great release.

In the end, quite unexpectedly, kids rushed up to me with their papers and writing utensils—and that made me not want to leave! Being in the midst of kids is my passion, writing is my passion and helping kids to see themselves and their lives in a way that makes meaning for them, that is my passion too. And hopefully they’ll see that through the eyes and the voice of Ivy Leigh!