Tue
Mar 6 2012 8:38am

Sherrilyn Kenyon Inspires at The Most Awesome School Visit Ever

Sherrilyn Kenyon Inspires Sherrilyn Kenyon’s recent school visit to inspire creativity in kids at one Mt. Pleasant High School seems like The Most Awesome School Visit Ever. I don’t remember having an author ever come to my school to give a talk. And I’m pretty sure if one did, she (or he) wasn’t a romance novelist.

In fact, I’m pretty sure I was convinced after one particularly lackluster Career Day that it would be a good idea to be an accountant on the grounds that even if the economy is tanking, the world always needs accountants. I wish I had known as early as these kids now know that creativity matters just as much. Reading matters. Books matter. Of course, in all fairness, if I had known that, I wouldn’t be able to do my own taxes. But, I digress.

Do you remember an author ever coming to your school for a talk? Did it inspire you to read more or change what you were reading? Did it inspire you to write?

Photo by Christine Seiber

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Sherrilyn Kenyon

1. MFrampton

view all by MFrampton | Tuesday March 06, 2012 08:33am EST

An author never came to visit, but a local DJ did, and then dropped the f-bomb (this was high school). I didn't necessarily think that was cool--my parents did that all the time--but I did end up going into the music industry for awhile. And then onto writing.
I still can't do my own taxes.

2. cmorgan

view all by cmorgan | Tuesday March 06, 2012 08:58am EST

Yeah...the best we got was The Morris Brothers (http://www.themorrisbrothers.com/) and something intended to scare the crap out of us at prom that involved faking a wreck and having a guy dressed up like the grim reaper walk around our halls for a day. So yeah, High School in Mesquite was lame. Oh and LOTS of military recruiters. Looking back I'm not sure how I made it out...

3. Beth Cato

Tuesday March 06, 2012 09:23am EST

When I was in 6th grade, author Dan Pilkey came to my school. I was really excited about it. His talk at the assembly, though, seemed to rehearsed and was utterly forgettable. I did order a signed book from him, but it was a matter of paying for the book in advance and getting it later. No one got to see them autographed.

This is what really made the whole experience annoying.

I bought Dragon's Fat Cat (the Dragon series became a TV show in recent years). I asked for it to be signed to "My Fat Cat Elephant." I was in 6th grade, and didn't think of the use of second person. Well, he signed it literally, as if Elephant was HIS cat. That has always irritated me.

view all by | Tuesday March 06, 2012 09:54am EST

We never had anyone famous come to my high school. :( My high school was like an upper class prison, lol, no one wanted to come there.
My kid though has had quite a few children's authors come to her elementary school.

5. lizmaverick

view all by lizmaverick | Tuesday March 06, 2012 09:59am EST

Come to think of it...I think Jared Leto went to my high school. You know, James Franco the, um, poet? I wonder if he's ever gone back to...inspire.

6. redline_

view all by redline_ | Tuesday March 06, 2012 10:02am EST

I went to a couple young authors conferences, and my schools were pretty good about having guest speakers, but I don't remember getting to meet anyone like Sherrilyn Kenyon. How awesome that she took the time to speak at that school. I know I'd have loved that!

7. ChelseaMueller

view all by ChelseaMueller | Tuesday March 06, 2012 11:01am EST

We didn't have a novelist come, but my high school's creative writing teacher was able to get several of us in for workshops with poet William Kleofkorn.

He was a funny guy, clever and gave me my favorite trick for helping with writer's block. The guy always wrote on yellow paper. So, whenever I'm staring at a screen thinking something isn't working, I switch to yellow paper. Bill's theory is that white -- be it paper or screen -- is blank, and thus intimidating. Yellow paper is already a bit dirty.

8. lizmaverick

view all by lizmaverick | Tuesday March 06, 2012 01:57pm EST

Chelsea, I LOVE that (in at least a couple of different ways). "Yellow paper is already a bit dirty." Heh.

9. ChelseaMueller

view all by ChelseaMueller | Tuesday March 06, 2012 03:23pm EST

Liz, try it sometime! Years later, I still use the trick.

Also, dirty. Heh.

10. ladyengineer

view all by ladyengineer | Wednesday March 07, 2012 03:12pm EST

We never had a novelist come to my grade school or high school, but my 7th grade teacher, John Trott (http://www.co-opliving.com/coopliving/issues/2000/november/birds.htm), was friends with Chandler S. Robbins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandler_Robbins, http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/whatsnew/events/robbins/), senior author of Birds of North America, and had Chan stop by and give a talk on ornithology.

I already had a copy of BoNA and had Chan autograph it. Although that early edition paperback field guide is in two pieces (split spine) and falling apart, it has an honored place on my book shelf held together with a rubber band.

John Trott taught my class how to band birds. He had a bird banding license with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and was a skilled wildlife photographer. Somewhere I still have a few of his photographs of birds.

11. PNRReader4Life

view all by PNRReader4Life | Sunday March 10, 2013 04:38am EDT

Yea, I recall a children's book illustrator coming to my school when I was back in elementary. But not really the author. Would have been cool though.