Every March, a particular magical madness takes over the Tri-Cities area of Washington state. And it has nothing to do with basketball.
Ok, so maybe we are on a basketball court, but only because we just finished hanging out with 1,400 amazing student reader-writers and it was the only space big enough for us all to be at once. And Allen Zadoff* was showing off his dunking skills.
I was lucky enough to join Cavalcade of Authors this year. Michelle Lane of Enterprise Middle School and her dedicated team of teachers, librarians and volunteers put on an incredible event, bringing together 17 young adult authors and 1500 students for a day of reading, writing, talking books, and loving stories. I’m so thankful that I got to participate. I’m thankful to have had a chance to talk with such enthusiastic readers. Most of all I’m, thankful to Michelle and her team and her donors, all of whom understand how powerful these connections between writers and readers can be. It is the very best kind of March Madness, the kind that matters more than which college basketball team will win the tournament**, the kind that lasts a lifetime and creates devoted fans of reading and the power of stories.
*Allen Zadoff, who I met on the plane over for the first time but kind of wish had been my best friend in high school. Or now.
**Kentucky. Of course.