bluecastle | Author Talk

One of the fun things about working for a large library is that sometimes authors come and talk to us. Yesterday was a treat as it was a children's book author with good things to say about truth.

Also, her advice to 'research to the edges. That's where you lose the sterotypes and find the stories.'

So for an hour or so yesterday we got to hear the wisdom of Newbery Honor Award Winner Susan Campbell Bartoletti as she talked about --

“A Willingness to Disturb the Universe: The Responsibility of Truth in Narrative Nonfiction for Young Readers."

Like J. Alfred Prufrock, we long for meaningful lives. One way that we make meaning is through the telling of stories. Stories feed us. They help us to make sense out of our world. They give us the courage to stand up, to claim ourselves, for today and for a lifetime. But these things are risky, because they dare to disturb our universe, to change our lives forever.

Susan's latest book, The Boy Who Dared (2008), is the true story of Helmuth Hubener, a German youth who stood up to the Nazis. (and died for the possession of truth, gleaned from a contraband shortwave radio.)

also amusing: 'the way to find a plot is to figure out what your main character wants... and then don't give it to them...'