Bookstr Interiew…

Today Bookstr published a written feature based on my recent interview about Max the Gemstone Finder.

In it, I reflect on:
• Why childhood passions matter
• What it really takes to publish a picture book
• The long arc between who we are as children and who we become as adults

When I was 18, I travelled the world with Up With People (https://uwp.org). That experience — living, performing, and serving in communities across multiple countries — shaped my belief in the power of storytelling and shared humanity.

More than 25 years later, I still treasure those castmates and that season of life. It reinforced something I now see in children again and again: when you nurture what lights someone up, it can stay with them for decades.

Encouraging childhood passions isn’t sentimental. It’s foundational.
If you’re passionate about children’s literature, education, or cultivating curiosity in young minds, I’d love to know what early experience shaped you most.

You can read the full feature here:
https://lnkd.in/dTTUjaWN