Laura's Biography for Kids
 |
||
This is a famous statue of Robin Hood in Nottingham, England. Robin Hood is the legendary folk-hero who lived with his band of merry men in Sherwood Forest, robbing from the rich and helping the poor. My mother grew up on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest – yes, it’s a real place! |
|
I am a writer because I grew up hearing voices. Nothing spooky! My father is a New Yorker, born in the Bronx. My mother was born on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest (you’ve heard of Robin Hood) in Nottingham, England. And until I was about five years old, I had two “older brothers” from Thailand – friends of the family sent their sons to live with us so they could attend American middle school. Imagine the mix of accents my ears had to tune into every day!
Tuning in, listening to the way people talk and the things that they say – these are skills I learned without knowing I was learning them. But I use those skills in all of my writing. As a newspaper reporter, I have to pay close attention to what people say as I quickly record every word in my notebook or on my laptop. As a poet and fiction writer, I use the things people say to create characters.
 |
||
My younger brothers both live in California. Rex (right) is a lead designer at EA, working on role play games like Medal of Honor. Jason (left) is a quality control manager. Our mother told us all to “follow your bliss” – do the thing that we love most in the world. For me, it’s writing and teaching. Luna is just blissful about being a dog. |
By the time I was in second grade, my Thai brothers were gone and I had two younger brothers in their place. Teachers seemed to like my writing. A few of my poems and stories were published in PTA newsletters. But it was reading the novel Jane Eyre, by Emily Bronte, that made being a writer my dream.
I was in middle school, reading on my bed on a sunny spring weekend. I looked up from sad Jane and the gray, windy moors of England and saw -- through my window -- my younger brothers playing outside in the sunshine. How could my mind be with Jane Eyre on the desolate moors when I was physically in New Jersey, in my own room? I felt like Alice in Wonderland at the moment she is in both worlds, the real one and the one beyond the mirror. I had to do this! I wanted to be able to take people to far away places and times with my words.
I spent a lot of my time at Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes, NJ writing in my journal, working on the school literary magazine, and dreaming of being a writer. I tried other activities (marching band/flute, fencing team), until I hurt my knee. Having to sit out sports made me focus on my writing even more. When I received my college acceptance letter from New York University’s Dramatic Writing Program, I knew I was on my writing path.
It has been an amazing path. Becoming a high school teacher and advising a student newspaper led to my career in journalism. I had always written poetry, but I began to take workshops with some wonderful New Jersey poets. Then my family moved to Maryland. Finally, I was working as a writer. Now I am a poet-in-the-schools for the Maryland State Arts Council and a freelance reporter for the Baltimore Sun.
Reading and writing are still the things I love best. My children and I read every fantasy novel we can (our current book –Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quartet series ). Working with kids gives me a way to share my love for sounds, words, and interesting people.