#JenniferSommer @uu_jennifer is coming to the #OhioanaBookFestival! She will be singing copies of her books, including HER EYES WERE ON THE STARS, on Saturday, April 22!
— Ohioana Library (@Ohioana) April 16, 2023
Full Schedule: https://t.co/48UMOCZ8Oy pic.twitter.com/XeAXmQOK5u
Saturday, April 22, 2023 - Ohioana Book Festival - Columbus Metropolitan Library - 96 S. Grant Ave., Columbus, OH 43215
0 Comments
During my telephone interview with Nancy Grace Roman back in 2015, she mentioned the book she and her friends used in their neighborhood astronomy club. It turned out to be the one pictured above. I located it on Amazon and when I interviewed her in person in 2016 I brought it with me for her to autograph. What a treasure!
Here is a portion about that from the first interview: Did you have afterschool activities or astronomy clubs? We certainly had afterschool activities, but no astronomy clubs. I did have help from the fact that for two years we lived in Reno between the ages, well I went to fifth and sixth grade there, and we had clear dark skies, particularly the second year, I guess the second 18 months where we lived in a block that only had three houses in the whole block and there was a ranch on one side of us so we really had dark skies. It probably had something to do with (my astronomy interest) but I don’t think it’s the whole thing. I think I was interested in it even before that. What was it that you wanted to learn in astronomy? I don’t really know. I never had a telescope. Amateur telescopes that were worth anything were not common or cheap in my childhood. But I’m not sure that what I was really interested in was more the science than just looking although I did form an astronomy club between 5th and 6th grade to get my friends to meet with me once a week during the summer to study the constellations. So, did you have a book to refer to? There was a book called “Seeing Stars” which you could buy for 10 cents in those days, believe it or not, I’ll call it a hardback book. It was not a softback book in the sense that the book cover was sturdy but it was a pamphlet type book. But it was quite nice. It had a page for each constellation, a picture of the constellation, a description of where it was, and a little bit about the subject and we used that as a textbook. Were you successful. Did you find all the constellations? Yes, I think so. This was summer so we couldn’t really find the winter constellations. It was a very easy book to follow. It was a good book. This was around 1937 or 1936. I am excited to be attending this event this year promoting my book HER EYES WERE ON THE STARS: NANCY GRACE ROMAN, "MOTHER OF HUBBLE" SPACE TELESCOPE, published by Braughler Books.
It will be a fun-filled day with panel discussions, conversations, readings, and activities, plus an on-site book fair with The Book Loft of German Village where you can shop for books by your favorite festival authors and get them signed! |
I remember the excitement of visiting the public library as a child. The magic and suspense of reading favorites like The Velvet Room and The Secret Garden tugged at my imagination. Biographies of George Washington Carver and Betsy Ross allowed me to see the lives of those who came before me and to appreciate their accomplishments. Poetry collections like my favorite The Tall Book of Poems, which I took with me on sleepovers, introduced me to a range of poetry where I could consider how the placement and rhythm of words affected your mood – sometimes bouncy, other times melancholy. Plus, I really loved the way that book felt in my small hands. My goal in writing children’s books, I think, is an attempt to recreate those feelings, those early years of reading books where everything seemed possible.
I received an M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University and won the Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award from SCBWI. I worked as a Children's Librarian for 20 years and still prefer to read books written for young people. I have two Cavapoo dogs named Prince Albert and Daisy Wu, and a black kitten named Mortimer. I am married and split time between homes with my husband Rod in Dayton, OH and in Cadiz, KY where we enjoy our pontoon boat on Lake Barkley.
Categories
All
You can find more detailed information about me by clicking a link below:
Archives
February 2024
|