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Bestselling Author Ruta Sepetys Inspires Students, Teachers
Feb 6, 2012 8:42 AM
By Liz Overberg - FF/S
I have spent a lot of time over the past few months planning for Ruta Sepetys' visit to Darlington, praying that every detail of the experience would go perfectly. This was my first time planning an author visit as a librarian, and I really had no idea what to expect.
I never had the opportunity to have an author come to my school or library when I was growing up, and I wondered what twelve- and thirteen-year old kids would think of meeting someone who has spent time on the New York Times bestseller list. Would they be excited, or nervous? Would they feel comfortable asking her questions or talking to her about her book? Would they find the time to read her book on top of all of their other homework and required school reading? Would they understand the depth and weight of the history behind her story?
It turns out, I shouldn't have been nervous at all! Thanks in no small part to an amazing group of teachers and librarians (David Powell, Melinda Holmes, Ann Glass, Angela Pieroni, Michelle Major, Julie Fine, and James Hutchins) who helped both me and the students to prepare for Ms. Sepetys' visit, this past Friday was "the perfect day."
Really---that's the phrase that Ms. Sepetys used to describe her visit to Darlington: "The perfect day." I think that those of us who were fortunate enough to share in the experience would agree that Ms. Sepetys' description is fitting! I, for one, am sure that this past Friday was my favorite day of work at Darlington, and not one that will easily be topped.
The first event on Friday morning was a presentation in the Morris Chapel for 7th and 8th grade students and parents about Ms. Sepetys' bestselling young adult historical fiction novel, Between Shades of Gray. All of the 7th grade students and many of the 8th grade students had read the book in preparation for the presentation. Ms. Sepetys began by telling us about her background. When we heard that she's worked with some famous recording artists and popular TV shows, I think we were all hooked!
Then she began telling us about all the research she did to write Between Shades of Gray. As she shared her stories with us, I had chills. She gave a face, a heart, and a name to the Lithuanian people who had experienced and survived the Baltic cleansing that she describes in Between Shades of Gray.
It's hard to imagine that many people were not able to return to their homes or reunite with their families for fifteen or twenty years after they were arrested by Stalin's forces! And when they did return, they were branded as criminals. Many survivors were not able to travel or communicate with their loved ones freely until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. These resilient Lithuanians, Estonians, and Latvians were prisoners of the Soviets for up to 50 years!
Many survivors are still reluctant to discuss their experiences today for fear that they could be arrested and sent away again. It is hard for those of us who have always lived in a free country to imagine what life has been like for these people. Without reading Between Shades of Gray and meeting Ms. Sepetys, I might never have even known about this event in history. I believe this is true for many of our students as well. What an education we received on Friday!
I was so impressed with the thoughtful questions that the students asked Ms. Sepetys at the end of her presentation. Their questions reflected an awareness and understanding of both history and world affairs. Many students were particularly interested to know which countries have or have not been willing to publish Between Shades of Gray. I was happy that someone asked her about her upcoming books--it sounds like we'll have more excellent historical fiction to read soon!
Following the presentation in the chapel, we had a creative writing workshop for 8th grade students in the Ledbetter Commons at Thatcher Hall. The students worked on writing 6-word stories, (much more difficult than it sounds!), and they developed story ideas based on visual prompts and word prompts. We all had a lot of laughs! I was so impressed at the students' creativity.
Ms. Sepetys asked the students to address a few fundamental questions when developing their stories: "Who?" "Where?" "When?" "What Do They Want?" "What Is Keeping Them From It?" The students didn't hesitate for a second. I heard about vampire werewolf mothers, sea taxi drivers, people who ride around on flying cereal boxes, a world where blood rises up from under the ground, superheroes, a girl who steals Christmas cards and mails them to herself because she has no real friends, two sisters who were separated from their parents in war-torn London in the 1940s...you name it.
One student began writing on his MacBook during one of the first prompts and barely looked up during the rest of the workshop. He wrote for an hour straight and has continued to work on his story in the following days. He's now on chapter 3 of his first book!
Following the workshop, half a dozen students rushed over to thank Ms. Sepetys for coming, to introduce themselves, and to share their writing. I was so impressed with their manners, their poise, and their courage in sharing their writing and ideas! I felt so proud to be a Darlington teacher. Afterwards, Ms. Sepetys commented to me how impressed she also was with the students' creativity.
By that time, we were all ready for lunch, and a small group of 7th and 8th grade students was lucky enough to have the opportunity to eat with the author in the library and pick her brain. We heard even more stories about Lithuanian survivors, (my chills came back!), and we talked a lot about books. Ms. Sepetys is an amazing storyteller and such a kind person...no one wanted to leave! We ended up talking for about two hours. What a special experience for the students!
After lunch, Ms. Sepetys was nice enough to sign copies of Between Shades of Gray for the students and to do an interview for use in the 4th grade's online news program. We finished out the day by taking a quick tour around campus, (she got to meet our swan!), and of course we made a pit stop at Honeymoon Bakery before she started her drive home to Nashville!
All in all, Friday was wonderfully exhausting. We met a bestselling author, and we experienced a presentation from one of the most engaging speakers (and best storytellers!) I have ever heard. We got to ask questions, learn, think and write creatively, and laugh! I feel so fortunate personally to have met and spent time with Ms. Sepetys, and I feel so fortunate professionally to have been able to share the experience with our wonderful and deserving students.
It was, as Ms. Sepetys so rightly put it, "the perfect day!"
For more photos of Friday's events, please see the gallery of photographs posted here. (A special thank you to RuthAnne Anderson!)
I never had the opportunity to have an author come to my school or library when I was growing up, and I wondered what twelve- and thirteen-year old kids would think of meeting someone who has spent time on the New York Times bestseller list. Would they be excited, or nervous? Would they feel comfortable asking her questions or talking to her about her book? Would they find the time to read her book on top of all of their other homework and required school reading? Would they understand the depth and weight of the history behind her story?
It turns out, I shouldn't have been nervous at all! Thanks in no small part to an amazing group of teachers and librarians (David Powell, Melinda Holmes, Ann Glass, Angela Pieroni, Michelle Major, Julie Fine, and James Hutchins) who helped both me and the students to prepare for Ms. Sepetys' visit, this past Friday was "the perfect day."
Really---that's the phrase that Ms. Sepetys used to describe her visit to Darlington: "The perfect day." I think that those of us who were fortunate enough to share in the experience would agree that Ms. Sepetys' description is fitting! I, for one, am sure that this past Friday was my favorite day of work at Darlington, and not one that will easily be topped.
The first event on Friday morning was a presentation in the Morris Chapel for 7th and 8th grade students and parents about Ms. Sepetys' bestselling young adult historical fiction novel, Between Shades of Gray. All of the 7th grade students and many of the 8th grade students had read the book in preparation for the presentation. Ms. Sepetys began by telling us about her background. When we heard that she's worked with some famous recording artists and popular TV shows, I think we were all hooked!
Photo by RuthAnne Anderson
Then she began telling us about all the research she did to write Between Shades of Gray. As she shared her stories with us, I had chills. She gave a face, a heart, and a name to the Lithuanian people who had experienced and survived the Baltic cleansing that she describes in Between Shades of Gray.
It's hard to imagine that many people were not able to return to their homes or reunite with their families for fifteen or twenty years after they were arrested by Stalin's forces! And when they did return, they were branded as criminals. Many survivors were not able to travel or communicate with their loved ones freely until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. These resilient Lithuanians, Estonians, and Latvians were prisoners of the Soviets for up to 50 years!
Many survivors are still reluctant to discuss their experiences today for fear that they could be arrested and sent away again. It is hard for those of us who have always lived in a free country to imagine what life has been like for these people. Without reading Between Shades of Gray and meeting Ms. Sepetys, I might never have even known about this event in history. I believe this is true for many of our students as well. What an education we received on Friday!
I was so impressed with the thoughtful questions that the students asked Ms. Sepetys at the end of her presentation. Their questions reflected an awareness and understanding of both history and world affairs. Many students were particularly interested to know which countries have or have not been willing to publish Between Shades of Gray. I was happy that someone asked her about her upcoming books--it sounds like we'll have more excellent historical fiction to read soon!
Photo by RuthAnne Anderson
Following the presentation in the chapel, we had a creative writing workshop for 8th grade students in the Ledbetter Commons at Thatcher Hall. The students worked on writing 6-word stories, (much more difficult than it sounds!), and they developed story ideas based on visual prompts and word prompts. We all had a lot of laughs! I was so impressed at the students' creativity.
Ms. Sepetys asked the students to address a few fundamental questions when developing their stories: "Who?" "Where?" "When?" "What Do They Want?" "What Is Keeping Them From It?" The students didn't hesitate for a second. I heard about vampire werewolf mothers, sea taxi drivers, people who ride around on flying cereal boxes, a world where blood rises up from under the ground, superheroes, a girl who steals Christmas cards and mails them to herself because she has no real friends, two sisters who were separated from their parents in war-torn London in the 1940s...you name it.
One student began writing on his MacBook during one of the first prompts and barely looked up during the rest of the workshop. He wrote for an hour straight and has continued to work on his story in the following days. He's now on chapter 3 of his first book!
Photos by RuthAnne Anderson
Following the workshop, half a dozen students rushed over to thank Ms. Sepetys for coming, to introduce themselves, and to share their writing. I was so impressed with their manners, their poise, and their courage in sharing their writing and ideas! I felt so proud to be a Darlington teacher. Afterwards, Ms. Sepetys commented to me how impressed she also was with the students' creativity.
Photo by Melinda Holmes
By that time, we were all ready for lunch, and a small group of 7th and 8th grade students was lucky enough to have the opportunity to eat with the author in the library and pick her brain. We heard even more stories about Lithuanian survivors, (my chills came back!), and we talked a lot about books. Ms. Sepetys is an amazing storyteller and such a kind person...no one wanted to leave! We ended up talking for about two hours. What a special experience for the students!
Photo by Ruta Sepetys
After lunch, Ms. Sepetys was nice enough to sign copies of Between Shades of Gray for the students and to do an interview for use in the 4th grade's online news program. We finished out the day by taking a quick tour around campus, (she got to meet our swan!), and of course we made a pit stop at Honeymoon Bakery before she started her drive home to Nashville!
All in all, Friday was wonderfully exhausting. We met a bestselling author, and we experienced a presentation from one of the most engaging speakers (and best storytellers!) I have ever heard. We got to ask questions, learn, think and write creatively, and laugh! I feel so fortunate personally to have met and spent time with Ms. Sepetys, and I feel so fortunate professionally to have been able to share the experience with our wonderful and deserving students.
It was, as Ms. Sepetys so rightly put it, "the perfect day!"
For more photos of Friday's events, please see the gallery of photographs posted here. (A special thank you to RuthAnne Anderson!)
