About Me
I have spent my life surrounded by books and immersed in the world of children’s literature.
An avid reader since childhood, libraries, books, and writing are my life’s work. As a school library media specialist and teacher of gifted and talented students in the U.S. and abroad, I nurtured my students’ creativity by sharing my love of reading with them. I took great pride in my collection development as I enriched the lives of my students with extraordinary books, both fiction and nonfiction, that I read and recommended to them. I grew up reading and writing stories and creating writing opportunities for myself. I successfully pitched a column for the school newspaper, so I had a voice. Many years later I gave a voice to my toy poodle by creating the Maggie Mae Pup Reporter column in a local magazine, writing from a dog’s point of view that developed into a blog. I graduated from Syracuse University, attended Bread Loaf Writers Conference, and led writing workshops and open mics to encourage people of all ages to tell their stories. I proudly served on the Board of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival and am a Past President of the Chappaqua Library Board of Trustees. I live in Chappaqua, New York with my toy poodle, Maggie Mae.
The Pencil, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.Photo by Han Kok
12 Fun Facts about me
Did you know that I:
- lived in a building called The Pencil
- lived in Rotterdam in the Netherlands
- bake the most amazing brownies
- worked on a farm
- danced with an astronaut
- love the book Dominic by William Steig
- am pretty sure I once saw a UFO
- love to write thank-you notes
- interviewed a Vice President of the United States
- love dogs–check out Maggie Mae’s corner!
- played the piano and violin when I was a child
- change my favorite color depending on the day!
