MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Phoenix BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Phoenix BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

The latest stop on our middle grade fiction stop with Saltwater Taffy finds us at the Boys & Girls Club of Phoenix.

After canvasing the city with Saltwater Taffy for tweens and parents alike, Illustrator R.C. Nason and I ended up at the Jerry Colangelo Boys & Girls Club of Phoenix.  The kids at this club were my toughest audience to date.  I am sure it has something to do with the tough neighborhood they are in, but WOW…it was like pulling teeth for the first 15 minutes of my talk.  But…for those of you who know me, this is precisely the reason I am out here.  To uplift and elevate!We talked about the importance of being a tween and not only believing in oneself, but KNOWING that what other people people think of your dreams is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.  Using the metaphor of the rock being thrown into a pond, I talked about creative momentum.  The birthing of an idea is a small moment that, with time, becomes something and, God willing, takes on a life of it’s own.  They ate it up!

By the end of the middle grade fiction visit, the kids wanted pictures of us and even asked us to sign their bookmarks.  I must’ve signed close to 50 bookmarks and postcards.  SO COOL.  The toughest kid in the room, who would NOT make eye contact with me during my talk, finally came up and asked me to sign his poster.  Within minutes, I couldn’t get him to stop talking.  It was so great to see that I was able to reach the kid with the attitude of “I don’t care what you got to say, man!”  Who knows, maybe this experience will cause him to turn the corner and start to care about his future.  Time will only tell.  I loved it though.

This is your Uncle E reminding you that every moment is another adventure waiting to happen!