I met Lois Lowry!!
“With imagination, through reading we acquire empathy, and it’s through empathy we will save this world, I hope.”
~ Lois Lowry
I met Lois Lowry this week! Yes, that Lois Lowry, the brilliant author you’ve definitely heard of but may have forgotten because it’s been so long since you read her books in middle school. (Unless of course, you have kiddos in your life in middle school right now. If that’s the case, you probably know exactly who she is because yes, they’re still assigning her books.) She’s the author of Number the Stars, the Anastasia books, and The Giver Quartet — The Giver (1993), Gathering Blue (2000), Messenger (2004), Son (2012), among 40+ other novels & I GOT TO MEET HER THIS WEEK!!
Okay, so I’m using “meet” here in the loosest sense of the word — I didn’t exactly introduce myself or have a deep one-on-one conversation with Lois Lowry (although I would have liked to do that very much), but I did get to her book tour this week and was able to tell her “thank you” as I handed over my very old copies of Number the Stars and The Giver for her to sign ⤵
All because it turns out Lois Lowry, now 89 years old, lives in Maine just a short drive from where I live, and she was in Portland this week giving a book talk about her newest novel Building 903. When I heard about it, I texted a friend and we both bought tickets right away and set aside this past Tuesday to go see her together, and let me tell you — it was one of the absolute best author interviews I’ve ever attended.
She was funny. She was candid. She gave the absolute best writing advice and some stellar thoughts on how we all can improve the state of world (see the quote above). And I felt so lucky to have heard her speak.
I’ll never forget her, not ever. So, I think that counts as meeting.
When the interviewer asked her how she writes so many different kinds of stories and how she’s written so many successful books over the years, she said this ⤵
“It always starts with ‘what if’.”
~ Lois Lowry
When they asked her how to solve the problem of books being banned and schools no longer assigning whole books to kiddos these days (so many only assign excerpts now), she said this ⤵
“I think parents speaking out to people in power makes a difference. I think parents reading whole books to their kids and talking about what they’re reading with each other makes an even bigger one.”
~ Lois Lowry
When they asked her why she still writes and has written for so long, especially for young readers instead of adults, and what messages she’s been hoping to promote with her writing, she said this ⤵
“I don’t think books should have a message exactly, but there’s certainly an idea behind them. . . I just want to write a good story. . . It always begins with a character; it’s a magical thing, I don’t know how to make it happen.”
~ Lois Lowry
I loved every single moment. And as I sat in the audience beside my friend, notebook poised on my lap, pencil furiously writing down every snippet of Lois Lowry’s words I could possibly capture, I was also thinking about what a gift it is to be a reader at any age, and what a gift it is to have friends who love to read.
What a luxury it is to set aside whole hours and sometimes entire mornings or afternoons or weekends to lose ourselves in a story, to immerse ourselves in someone else’s perspective, to let those stories and perspectives change us and help us grow in ways we never could have on our own, and then to talk about them with people we love.
We really are the lucky ones, aren’t we?
Here’s what I’m reading right now ⤵
WHAT’S ON MY NIGHTSTAND
Rebecca Yarros’s Threshing Day hit the shelves this Tuesday, and I was able to scoop up a copy at my favorite local bookshop (it’s gorgeous!). So, I’ve been digging into it every night before bed, which means The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is officially on hold until I finish Threshing, even though I had to stop at the very best part. (I told you the struggle gets real for those of us who read so many books at once. #priorities)
WHAT’S IN MY EARBUDS
I finished Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel this week (the ending was so good!) and started something that’s been waiting patiently on my Libro Wish List for far too long — a story that seemed just right for the fall vibes in my part of the world right now and the immense appreciation for nature outdoors I’ve been feeling. It’s Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (nonfiction). I’m finding it absolutely delicious so far.
WHAT’S IN MY MORNING BASKET
I’ve been reading Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg over coffee every morning this week, and I can definitely tell why it’s been revolutionizing the way writing is taught since the 80s. It’s one of those books that makes writing accessible to every person. Highly recommend.
WHAT’S ON MY WEEKEND TBR LIST
I’m hoping to finish Threshing Day quickly so I can get to Lois Lowry’s new novel Building 903 before Monday, but postseason baseball is officially here and my team just made it past round one, so I may be delayed a bit :) #goBraves
What about you? Read any good books lately?
I’d love to know :) Send me a message
✌🏼️💓 📚
Celeste
did AI write this? nope, this lady did ⤴ always