I fell in love with words and the magic they could weave under the inspirational tutelage of Miss Jackus, my 4th grade teacher. Her out-of-the-box ways of teaching writing lit a creative spark in me that burns to this day in my writings. Like Miss Jackus, Books End Bookshop is one-of-a-kind! There, everything is shouting WELCOME! From the children’s area with child-sized chairs and two giant panda bears for company; a cart of synopsized and gift-wrapped books with the enticement: “Blind date with a book”; and tchotchkes everywhere to make one feel right at home. And then there is the invitation to “Find Your Next Adventure” – unnecessary, as I am magnetically drawn into more and more narrow passageways that crisscross between islands of every possible book topic imaginable! Warning: do not come here if you are in a rush – you will regret it!

There is nowhere I feet closer to God than when I am in nature. My favorite walk is around Green Lakes, especially once I get to smaller Round Lake, which gives me a more intimate, immediate connection to what feels holy in the world. It is always different—as with the dragonfly's kiss momentarily rearranging the reflections—and yet I always feel welcomed home as I am embraced by the trees, the springy response of the soft path underfoot.

Growing up I used to write a lot of haiku; a few were even published in the school district's literary magazine. I was going to be an English teacher but became an art teacher instead. This wonderful Poster Project has brought me 'round circle, reconnecting me with both my loves in one poster. What a privilege and a delight!

When I was eight, I started writing poetry which sparked my ongoing love of playing with words to express feelings and create magic. When I was nine, I fell in love with folk music, that passion also continues to this day! To combine my two loves for the Poster Project has been sheer delight for me. I first heard Libba Cotten’s toe-tapping “Freight Train” when I was 12, the same age Libba was when she wrote it! Because she was left-handed, she kept borrowing her brother’s guitar on the sly. Libba taught herself to play guitar upside down and backwards, creating her “Cotten-picking” style with just two fingers!

For years “Freight Train” was attributed to other writers, until a good deed done by Libba connected her with Pete Seeger’s family, by chance, fate, or karma. After that the world got to hear Libba playing her own songs out front!