What a fabulous Friday! Storyteller and author Joseph Bruchac visited my school for a presentation to our sixth and seventh graders this afternoon. I am in awe of this man, who kept 200 middle school kids spellbound for an hour and fifteen minutes. I can’t say I was surprised, though. If you’ve ever heard Joe Bruchac speak, you know what a captivating storyteller he is.
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Joe’s message, for the kids and all of us, is to honor the stories that are part of our lives. Stories can teach us, keep us safe, and give us courage when we need it the most. My class had just finished listening to SKELETON MAN as a spooky read-aloud this morning (nothing like cutting it close), so the kids loved asking questions about the book right away. They’re working on their own fictional pieces now and relished the opportunity to chat with such a prolific author about his writing practices. Joe’s advice to writers, young and old, won’t come as a surprise: If you want to write, spend lots of time writing. If you want people to read what you have written, spend lots of time rewriting. Joe’s latest book, BEARWALKER, is due out from Harper Collins in July.
Hi Kate! I’ve seen you around the LJ neighborhood and thought I’d pop in and say hi and friend you. 🙂
I totally agree with you, Joe is fantastic! I love his Keepers series
(Keepers of the Earth, Keepers of the Animals, Keepers of the Night, Keepers of Life) as well as his book, Native American Gardening. The first three books I added to my Native American collection were, New Voices from the Longhouse, Survival This Way: Interviews With American Indian Poets, and Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back.