Hi everyone,
This past Saturday it was a pleasure to participate in this year’s annual state conference of MO SCBWI. This was held on the campus of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. My thanks to Regional Advisor Joyce Ragland who chaired the conference assisted by other key people: Assistant Regional Advisor – Kim Piddington; Illustrators’ Coordinator – Katie Wools; Webmaster – Janet Lloyd Weber; Mentorship Coordinator – Lynnea Brumbaugh; and RA Emeritus – Sue Bradford Edwards. Other keynote speakers were Emma Dryden, Will Terry, Regina Brooks, and Ellen Hopkins.
It was a pleasure to be among old friends such as Cheryl Harness, Veda Boyd Jones, Constance Levy, and Viki Erwin. I also learned that Janet lloyd Weber and I are second cousins, making her daughter, who was also there, my third cousin. It’s hard to beat a conference where you meet your family!
The first time I spoke at Lindenwood was in the early 1970s, not long after LITTLE TURTLE’S BIG ADVENTURE was published by Random House. Nancy Polette invited me to a children’s lit festival to talk about my book. Nancy is a former Director of the Lindenwood University Laboratory School. She is currently Professor of Education, Lindenwood University. On my initial visit, Lindenwood was an all-girl school with 1,700 students. Today it’s co-ed and has 17,000 students. It’s humbling to think I put that place on the map!
David
Children's Author David L. Harrison's Blog 