That it did.  Tabitha Lord that is.  On May 7th Tabitha DID visit Delaware for the first time – and spent generous amounts of time at Greenwood Public Library‘s reading group, as well as an open night of discussion, adding to the visits of hours at the Woodbridge High Media Center with several groups.  From individual discussions, to group discussions, to gathering a class set of Horizon for study on how Holocaust, discrimination, and other civil issues come out of Science Fiction to….okay yes. there was much to unpack.  Yet. so many distinct aspects of this author’s visit remain behind.

“I can’t believe a science fiction author of her interest came to little ‘ol Delaware!”

This particular quote stuck with me on so many levels.  I had just returned from Mexico City, a country and city that changed me in so many ways, including realizing how large an international city like Mexico City was in relation to departing from Delaware.  Coming back to a smaller state/town situation to many sounded like, seemed like, a concession.  You could look at it that way after having such an international eye-opening experience, as well as events in an international setting compared to a domestic one, then take the amazing temperament of how I was treated by so many Mexican citizens, and okay THAT is a different post and has been for some time now.  YET, I realized it takes a huge international perspective to appreciate a small town / state opportunity.  I felt the same way when I heard this student say this above – so many students do not REALIZE what is possible and when they do, when they have someone willing to take the time to show how any situation, small, large, international, local, far, near, once a risk is taken and students are encouraged, pushed into a new level of confidence, and shown how much opportunity that is available based on the wide horizon of their imagination, then that “huge international perspective to appreciate a small town / state opportunity ” occurs.  

Students and myself, have been blessed to have the courage to reach out and have the opportunity to have had major experiences with some pretty amazing artists of all walks of life, Neal Shusterman, Scott Westerfeld, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Justine Larbalestier, Adi Alsaid, Louis Cotto, Dr. Robert Snyder, David Lida, Oscar Ivan Hernandez Carvallo, Eric Smith, Zoraida Cordova, Osseily Hanna, and as of late Tabitha Lord, to name a FEW – and students have fueled that excitement and created many events that were literally dreams, and turned them into reality.

Tabitha Lord jumped right in to Greenwood Library’s book discussion club and her influence and mere presence initiated some amazing conversation about an author and book I never read, but it was an amazing night.  Donna Carter once again swooped in to have an amazing Greenwood Library staff facilitate an evening of conversation and literary merit that is one of the unsuspecting evenings you wish you COULD have predicted.  Add to all this the random writer that visited Greenwood Library to ask simply stylistic questions about writing, to the onslaught of so many students during a day that had so many, SO MANY fruitful questions, ideas, and thoughts that Ms. Lord brought out – and you have the amazing creativity that comes out of being a Media Specialist Librarian, an educator (not just a teacher), an author, an aspiring artists, an aspiring game designer, science fiction entrepreneur, and it no longer matters how large or small an area you are from.  Never did matter.  What matters is what fuels your heart, your mind, and your creativity.

We STILL have audio excerpts we have not unpacked yet from Ms. Lord’s visit (stay tuned!) but as we move and present these excerpts that link back to the inspiration Ms. Lord left behind, she left perhaps one of the most priceless gifts not found in any book, written on any page, or heard . by any author.  In writing about so much that has to do with world exploration, Ms. Lord planted so many paths that can lead to worlds no one has seen yet.  From becoming an author late in life, with a family already established, the talent, vision, and energy Ms. Lord brought to Delaware was one of the most inspiring and generous gifts given in the life of an author.  Being able to see inside the life of publishing a work, and seeing what motivates someone to push forward in anything they deem as personal, motivating, and POSSIBLE? – we need more of these inspiring moments no matter where we find ourselves – internationally, locally, the sky is the limit.  In this case, it became reaching for the stars and beyond thanks to Ms Tabitha Lord!

Check below for her Monday Musings blog post about her visit to Delaware (I will let you wonder where some of the best crab cakes were . 🙂 )

“I’m in Delaware doing some bookish activities this week – a few library visits, book clubs, and meetings with high school students. As I get to travel and meet people from all over, I’m struck by the fact that everyone has a story. Everyone. And each story is uniquely molded by their individual life experiences. 

I probably think about things this way because I’m a storyteller. I’m always listening. I’m always wondering what brought this person to this place at this moment in time. What motivates them? What are their dreams? Their fears?

Every person I meet has a full, messy, rich life they are trying to navigate. Holding this perspective makes me feel connected to them – at home, even when I’m away from home. From the yoga instructor I practiced with this morning, to the international teacher who invited me on this particular adventure, to the Starbuck’s barista who enthusiastically chatted with me about the virtues of cold brew, I connect with them. I want to hear their stories, because our stories matter. Through them, we can learn to see from another’s perspective.  

Wishing you a peaceful and productive week.
-Tabitha

p.s. Here’s a pretty picture from Rehoboth Beach, where I had the best crab cakes last night! “