WRITER-in-Residence
Visiting authors are an important part of the Junior School ’ s literacy program . During the Writer-in- Residence visits , students from Senior Kindergarten to Grade 7 have the opportunity to learn with authors through readings and workshops . This year , we were thrilled to welcome New York Times bestselling author Julie Berry .
Julie specializes in historical fiction for youth . Her novel for Grade 6 and 7 students , The Lovely War , with its elements of fantasy , romance and mythology , is one of our most popular historical fiction books ,” said Sophia Hunter , Junior School Teacher Librarian .
Julie says , “ I truly feel that my most important job is to entertain . I want my stories to be their own reward . I take that seriously ; a lot of it has to do with empowering girls and encouraging girls to develop their skill with language because language is a power with a democratic quality .”
Julie ’ s interactive Perspective workshop harnessed students ’ creative thinking by helping them develop the ability to approach their writing process with empathy . “ When creating something new , I try to allow the brain to do whatever it wants — I try not to impose any judgment on the creative process ,” she says .
In the Develop a Story workshop for Grade 4 students , Julie encouraged students to elevate their creative ideas by sharing something they liked about their own work and something they liked about the work of two other students .
When asked what they appreciated most about the visit , Grade 7 students shared how the Perspective workshop improved their ability to empathize and how they could relate this to other areas of their learning . “ In Humanities , we are learning about huntergatherers . We ’ re working on a project where we write about a day in the life of the people at that time . After Julie Berry ’ s presentation , it ’ s easier to write their point of view ,” said Amy , Grade 7 .
Julie shared that “... ideas are of incalculable value . I strongly believe there aren ’ t any good or bad ideas ; there ’ s only successful or unsuccessful execution . So , I just want students to believe their ideas matter , to write them down and to do something with them — and to have the audacity to believe that their idea deserves to be a book in the world .”
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