I had a busy week in Minneapolis, April 16-19, while I was there to promote my new memoir SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL. That book, for adults, was celebrated at a program at East Side Neighborhood Services in Northeast Minneapolis, where I grew up, on Thursday evening, April 18th. (Report in a coming post.) Meanwhile, I did a number of author visits to schools, including one of the schools I had attended as a child.
My first visit was at St. John Paul II Catholic School,
in Northeast Minneapolis, where I spoke to all the students, kindergarten
through eighth grade in four sessions. I thank Principal Tricia Menzhuber for
coordinating and promoting my visit and for buying a copy of one of my books
for each classroom. It was a pleasure to visit the school that many of my
neighborhood friends attended when I was growing up. (I went to a nearby public
school, Holland Elementary, now closed.)
On Wednesday I was at East Side Neighborhood
Services where I spoke to children in the preschool and shared with them my new
books and the story of the Hodag—the mascot of the ESNS camp, Camp Bovey. Many
years ago I was a child at the ESNS nursery school, then in a different building
down the street. I also spoke to a group of high school students at the Menlo
High School, an alternative school at ESNS. I shared with them some of my
background and the process of writing. I thank their teacher Cat Bonaventura
for organizing the visit and for coming to my book signing Thursday evening
with one of the students.
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| At Waite Park Elementary School |
Thursday morning was a visit to two groups of enthusiastic kindergarten and first grade students at Waite Park School, another public school in Northeast Minneapolis. I thank librarian Erin Redlin for organizing the visit and for the great photos.
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| At Windom School singing the Wiggle and Waggle song with Kindergarteners and First Graders. |
And on my final day in Minneapolis I visited Windom Elementary, the school that I attended in 5th and 6th grade after my family moved from Northeast to South Minneapolis. Much of the school building is the same, but the library now is much bigger and is in what used to the gym. (Now there is a new gym added on to the school—taking up part of what used to be the playground where we went for recess.) I thank librarian Carey Cappuccio for organizing the visit and the tour of the school. It brought back many memories! I spoke to two groups of students, first K-1, and then 2-5. Before I left I signed the author chair, adding my signature to other authors that have visited the school.
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| Signing the Author Chair at Windom School. |
