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Reminder Assistant Editor LONGMEADOW Isabel Cummings, a second grader at Center School, imagines herself to be a famous author when she grows up. As a writer, Isabel is also an avid reader who really enjoys the "Horrible Harry" series, a collection of books about a third grader who is always in the midst of mischief. "He's funny," Isabel said. And, as a writer, Isabel is always ready to learn more. Lisa Maria Lanno, an author from South Hadley, visited Storrs Library last week to talk to young readers (and writers) about her own career as an author and her book, "The Secret Cave." Although Isabel, her five-year-old sister Julia and her mom, Colleen, were the only people in attendance for Lanno's talk, the author made sure each of them felt important, reading to all three and engaging them in conversation. "I don't care if there's two people or 200," Lanno said. She began her talk by introducing herself to her rapt, albeit small, audience. Her parents were first generation Italian-Americans and she was raised in Boston. In addition to writing stories, Lanno is also a mother who has seen some of her children leave the nest, but not all. She explained that a lot of the characters in her stories are based very closely on her children. In "The Secret Cave," the characters actually share the same names as her children, nieces and nephews. "The Secret Cave" is "a book Mom may have to help with," Lanno explained, because it is a chapter book with no pictures. It is also an adventure book about a group of cousins trying to solve a puzzle and maybe find a treasure. As Lanno read the first chapter of her book to Isabel, Julia and their mom, she paused once in a while to ask her listeners questions. At the end of the chapter, after describing a scene in which two characters see what look like large white rocks in the distance, Lanno asked her audience what they thought the rocks might be. "They could be dinosaur bones," Isabel suggested. Lanno liked Isabel's response. "That's one of the things it could be," she said. "It can be whatever your imagination wants it to be. Thinking about new things makes you an author." She offered advice to the budding author in Isabel as well. "Writing is always fun if you like to write," she said. "Some people don't. Some people are good at math. Everyone has something they're good at." Lanno said that being able to write for a living is a "complete 100 percent dream come true," even though she couldn't pursue the career until she was older. She likes to teach almost as much as she likes to write. On Oct. 16, she'll return to Storrs Library to host a creative thinking and writing workshop for children. "I try to teach writing in a fun way," she explained. "I use brain exercises. I'll start with something simple and tell the kids to draw a tree. I don't tell them what kind of tree I let them use their imaginations. Then, I ask them to describe what's in, on or around the tree. We build on that one word 'tree' until we have a story." Although touted as a children's writing workshop, Lanno said there will be more talking than writing, making it more interactive. The workshop is for those aged five to 15 and for "anyone with imagination," according to Lanno. Her mantra is "If you believe it, you can achieve it," and she imparted this wisdom to Isabel before she left. For more information on author Lisa Maria Lanno, visit her Web site at www.secretcave1.com. To sign up for the children's creative writing workshop, call the Philip Michael Lauro II Discovery Room at Storrs Library at 565-4182. | ||||||
