RENOWNED AUTHORS INSPIRE STUDENTS

It’s not every day you have lunch with Connecticut writer, Wally Lamb, or share your passion for literature and art with Haitian-American author, Edwidge Danticat whose work, Krik? Krak!, you read in your IB Lit and Performance class. And, certainly it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Ernesto Quiñonez to visit your ninth grade classroom and answer questions about his work, Bodega Dreams, which you recently completed reading. These are some of the memorable experiences CA students have been fortunate to enjoy during the past three years, thanks to the generosity of Michael and Loretta Kahn ‘53 who believe in the value of providing remarkable literary opportunities to students and faculty.

Wally Lamb visited Cheshire Academy in fall 2015 and addressed students, speaking not only about character development and plot, but also about his personal experiences and hardships. His warm and engaging presentation helped students realize that the words in a book are reflections of an individual’s life, and characters are fashioned from the people we know and love. Mr. Lamb, who encouraged students to call him “Wally”, followed his presentation with lunch in the Blue Room where the conversation continued and students were able to ask questions and receive advice regarding their own writing experiences. The success of this visit became the foundation for building the current visiting author program with an emphasis on bringing to Cheshire Academy authors who represent diverse experiences and writing styles.

Wally Lamb

Since Krik? Krak! had been a required reading for many years and students continue to read this collection of short stories in IB Lit and Performance, Edwidge Danticat seemed like a perfect writer to invite to Cheshire Academy. Her visit was planned for the fall of 2016, but Hurricane Matthew wreaked havoc on her native country, Haiti, and Ms. Danticat postponed her appearance to lend support to family and friends impacted by the storm. When she did arrive on campus as part of CA's Martin Luther King Day celebration in January 2017, students surprised her with a generous donation made in her honor to Flying High for Haiti – a nonprofit providing education for children in Haiti. Ms. Danticat addressed students, and faculty, inspiring them to support civil rights and recognize the power of the written word to make change in the world. Her visit included lunch with faculty and students and visiting Mr. Poisson’s art class, where students shared their work derived from stories in Krik? Krak! The value of this remarkable visit was felt by students and faculty who spent time with this outstanding author, as well as by Ms. Danticat, herself.

Edwidge Danticat

Last fall, Ernesto Quiñonez traveled from his home in Ithaca, New York, where he is an associate professor of literature and creative writing at Cornell University, to visit Cheshire Academy. He addressed students in Richardson Lecture Hall, speaking in personal terms about his life growing up in Spanish Harlem. His honest conversation formed a connection with students, providing insight into the writing process as a means to uncovering the purpose of one’s life and the impact of events in shaping our world view and beliefs. Mr. Quiñonez spent a full day on campus, visiting three freshman classes and enjoying lunch with students and faculty.

Wendy Swift, Ernesto Quiñonez, Julie Anderson

And, for fall 2018, plans are underway to bring to campus notable poet, and author Diane Ackerman, known for her New York Times bestselling book, The Zookeeper’s Wife, a nonfiction story set in Poland during WW II. Ms. Ackerman’s recent work, The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us, received the PEN Henry David Thoreau Prize for nature writing and was a New York Times bestseller. She is a prolific writer, crossing genres of science, literature and children’s books.

Educators and parents cannot always predict what experiences will linger in the hearts and minds of students. Yet, it would seem very likely that in the years ahead, CA students will reflect on the unique opportunities of sharing conversations and lunch with some of the best writers of our time. These powerful moments are sources of inspiration that will undoubtedly move them towards greatness.