STORY BEHIND THE STORIES Meet 3 local authors who have published books By Vicki Martinka Petersen | Photos provided by all three authors
Some childhood dreams — becoming a space cowboy, for example — might be a little challenging to achieve. But for these local writers, who have been writing since childhood, their dreams of becoming published authors have come true.
ANITRA ROWE SCHULTE Geneva resident and author of “Dancing with Daddy” Reading has always been a special time for Anitra Rowe Schulte and her daughters, Elsa, Cece and Lola. During trips to the library, Rowe Schulte longed to find books featuring families like theirs, with children who have disabilities. Elsa lives with a rare chromosomal disorder called WolfHirschhorn syndrome. Rowe Schulte wrote “Dancing with Daddy” (illustrated by Ziyue Chen) based on the dances her family attends. “We shared lots of photos of our family and Elsa’s equipment. The illustrator got all the details accurate,” she notes. The book won this year’s Dolly Gray Award in the picture book category. The award honors books for its authenticity in depicting developmental disabilities. But the best accolades came during a school event when a girl pointed to her gastrostomy tube and told Rowe Schulte she was excited to see another girl with a G-tube in the story. “What unites all my stories is they come from my own life, but they’re topics people can relate to,” she says. “Dancing with Daddy” is available for purchase at Harvey’s Tales in Geneva and online. In honor of Mobility Awareness Month, Rowe Schulte will be discussing her book at 10 a.m. May 21 at Geneva Public Library, 227 S. Seventh St.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT MAY 2022
