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winnetkacurrent.com LIFE & ARTS
the winnetka current | April 18, 2019 | 25
Bestselling author spreads positivity during Northfield visit
Alexa Burnell
Freelance Reporter
The Sunset Ridge PTO
invited poet, educator and
New York Times bestselling
author Kwame
Alexander to speak to its
student body on April 10,
inspiring all with his passionate
talk about perseverance
and his road to
success.
PTO board member
and incoming Northfield
Village Board trustee
Tom Whittaker explained
that when librarian Lauren
Gray mentioned the
student body’s interest
in Alexander’s books
— particularly “Surf’s
Up,” “Booked” and “The
Crossover” — the PTO
sprung into action taking
steps to bring the beloved
author to the school.
“[Lauren Gray] knows
our student body very
well; she is the one who
we really have to thank
for planting the idea to
bring Kwame Alexander
to the school. His writings
have turned many
kids into avid readers; the
PTO is very excited to
bring him here today. Best
of all, students will all receive
copies of his books,
reminding them of his inspirational
words,” Whittaker
said.
When Alexander took
to the stage, students went
wild, eager to see their
literary idol up close and
personal. He talked about
his humble beginning,
working on one story idea
after another, only to be
rejected by countless publishers
along the way.
“I was told ‘no’ so many
times that I often felt like
giving up,” Alexander told
the students. “But my wife
reminded me that I was
a ‘yes’ person, and that I
shouldn’t let others ‘no’s’
define me. So I kept trying,
reminding myself that
once all those ‘no’s’ come
to your party, they eat up
all the food, then leave and
in come the ‘yes.’ Remember,
all it takes is one ‘yes,’
so keeping at it until you
get your ‘yes.’”
After his inspirational
talk, Alexander answered
questions from the audience,
telling the student
body that it took him five
years to write “The Crossover”
and that the bulk
of the book was written
at his hometown Panera
Bread, while consuming
copious amounts of mac
and cheese.
In total, Alexander has
written 32 books and has
traveled the world talking
about his experiences.
He is also now an official
Newberry Award winner.
The author also shared
that his very first poem
was written for his mother
and he once dreamed of
being a tennis player.
He then called students
Author Kwame Alexander (center) poses with District 29
Superintendent Ed Stange and Sunset Ridge Principal
Ivy Sukenik April 10, at the Northfield school. Alexa
Burnell/22nd Century Media
and teachers to the stage,
engaging them in some
fun trivia and handing out
T-shirts, while the audience
cheered and laughed
at Alexander’s antics.
Superintendent Edward
Stange had a big smile on
his face during the entire
lecture, feeling inspired
himself over the impactful
presentation.
“What a fun, relatable
and engaging presentation,”
Stange said. “The
message of perseverance is
one that I believe resonates
not only with the students,
but the staff and parents,
too. I’m very thankful
that our librarian [Lauren
Gray] for recognizing the
impact that [Kwame Alexander]
has on our students,
and grateful to our PTO for
making it possible to bring
this uplifting author to our
school.”
Students, like fourthgrader
Caden McGarry
and fifth-grader Will
Whittaker, are two of Alexander’s
fans. They were
excited at the opportunity
to hear one of their favorite
authors speak at their
school.
“I really like his books
because he talks about
how the experiences of
other people have influenced
him. I also always
sensed that he was funny,
but he was even funnier in
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person than I would have
imagined,” McGarry said.
“I learned how important
it is to never give up and
keep trying to make your
dreams come true.”
“I’m a big fan of his
books, ‘Playbook’ and
‘Surf’s Up,’ so it was really
exciting to see him in
person today,” Will Whittaker
added. “He’s very
inspiring; his speech today
taught me that being
told ‘no’ isn’t a bad thing
and that you should keep
trying, no matter how
many ‘no’s’ you hear.”