A Lunar New Year Festival, a Historical Presentation, a SCBWI Conference and School Visits... Part II.

In late Febuary,  I attented Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators "Golden Gate Conference," which is held each year in Pacific Grove at the Asilomar retreat center. I been many times and it's proven to be a magical conference for me! I've made many good friends, sold some books, been inspired by some of today's best children's authors and organized my thoughts for new writing projects at Asilomar. This year was no exception! This year's conference was packed with fine speakers. Two of my favorites were: Gary Schmidt, the author of the Wednesday Wars and Ellen Klages , the author of the Green Glass Sea. Both authors were fascinating speakers and fine storytellers. It's no wonder their books are so captivating! Since I've been home, my son Jacob have enjoyed a number of their books.  

"Read Across America" week is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children's author Dr. Seuss. Many schools celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday by having an author speak to their students. I've visited a number of schools over the last few weeks to help them celebrate Read Across America.

I had an awesome day at Roseville's Stoneridge School. The kids were so interested; they asked many great questions. I always tell kids, "Read books that  you enjoy because, BOOKS CAN TAKE YOU ANYWHERE YOU WANT TO GO!"  I tell students about my son, Francis, who mostly read sports books when he was in grade school. I worried about Francis; I wondered, "Would he ever read anything but sports biographies?"  And I tell kids that now, as an adult, Francis reads all kinds of book. I believe Francis reads so much today because he really enjoyed those biographies as a kid. I hope 

my talks and school visits inspire all kids but I especially hope to inspire kids who have had a difficult time learning to read or haven't enjoyed reading much up until this point! Many thanks to the staff of Stoneridge School for inviting me and promoting reading!