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Date: 5/5/2021
CHICOPEE – Kelly Partridge has checked becoming an author off of her bucket list. Partridge, who is originally from Chicopee and now resides in Ludlow, is owner of the online boutique, Contribution Clothing, and author of the recently released book “How Owls Become Wise.”
On May 15, Partridge will be signing copies of her book at Chicopee’s Goodworks Coffee House.
The event will take place from 10 a.m to 12 p.m and is open to the public.
Partridge said that she has always wanted to write a children’s book, but first needed to figure out what to write about. The idea of her book
“How Owls Become Wise” stems from a problem she thinks both kids and adults face: bullying.
“I always wanted to write a kid’s book and the problem was that I just didn’t know what to write about. And one day I was thinking about it and I was like you know what really affects kids, and everyone really, is bullying. Whether you are the bully or you’re being bullied or you’re witnessing somebody being bullied, it affects everyone somehow. So I thought that was an important topic to touch upon,” she said.
Partridge said she wanted to use her book to teach a lesson about bullying and spark important conversations between both kids and adults.
“I feel like it’s a really important topic to discuss. It’s a cute book and it has a good storyline and everything, but the message is what’s really important about it,” she said.
Partridge began writing the book in March 2020 and it was released on April 1. She self-published the book, which is now available online at Walmart, Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Illustrations were done by Stephanie Hider.
Ten percent of all proceeds from “How Owls Become Wise” goes toward the organization Unify Against Bullying.
“This was in hopes that not only people are reading my book, but they’re seeing that there’s an organization that is supporting efforts to try to stop bullying,” said Partridge. “Everyone is bullied, bullies and it touches everyone somehow, but as long as you can self-correct and realize what you’re doing is wrong and do something good with it, it’s going to be okay.”
According to Partridge, the reaction to the book so far has been positive.
“I’ve been getting a lot of good feedback about the story and how it’s helping parents and teachers talk to their kids and their students,” she said.
Partridge said that there will be limited copies of her book available to purchase during the signing, but people can also buy it in advance online. She said she is excited to be able to see people’s reaction to the story in person and chat face-to-face.
“COVID-19 has been among us for such a long time now that I’m just really excited to be face-to-face with people and to talk to people about it. This will be my first book signing ever, so I’m just really looking forward to meeting people,” she said.
As for plans for a second book, Partridge said that it won’t be happening anytime soon, but it isn’t out of the question.
"Not any time soon, but I think maybe it would be fun in a couple years down the road. We’ll see,” she said.
Those interested in learning more about Partridge and staying up to date on both book and boutique news are encouraged to visit her website at https://contributionclothing.com/.