2nd MP  Post 3

Author Visit Reflection

We all had a unique opportunity on Tuesday, May 5 when we experienced an author talking about a book she had written and we have read.  Listening to Christina Baker Kline speak about her novel, Orphan Train, affected us in different ways and we each took something away from her talk.

In this blog post, you are to reflect upon this experience and discuss how the presentation affected and  impressed you.  As a reader, what is significant about being able to hear an author talk about her book?  What did you find to be significant about the insights that an author can offer?  Did her presentation have any influence over your interpretation of the book?

Post should be multiple paragraphs and should include a picture of the author and a picture of something else which you find to be relevant to the presentations and insights you have gained.




My Reflection:

I have always been intrigued when I have been able to hear an author speak about a book he or she has written, so you can imagine my excitement last year when I attended a conference  and realized that the author I was about to hear speak was the same author of a book I had just read and had been raving about.  Christina Baker Kline spoke about her experience of writing Orphan Train and sought to inform the audience about the orphan train experience.  She was compelled to write the book after discovering that her husband's grandfather was a train rider.  What intrigued her was the fact that no one in the family had known.  It was not a topic that he discussed.  After hearing her speak last year, I thought having her speak to JCHS students would be a great experience.  The fact that she lives close by made the feasibility of such a endeavor seem possible.

A year later, and we all get to hear Ms. Kline speak in the JCHS auditorium.  A second opportunity to hear her speak impresses upon me the care and passion that an author has for her creation.  When asked what her favorite book to write has been, Ms. Kline responded, "my current book."  So now it is Orphan Train.  When her next book is published, it will be that book.  Not only  is her passion for her work evident, but also apparent is the effort that she puts into writing the book and getting it right.  The writing of Orphan Train required a great deal of research and fact checking.  Ms. Kline travelled around the United States interviewing train riders and their descendants.  She even travelled to Ireland to help develop Niamh's back story.

As I mentioned in class, I enjoy listening to authors speak of their works because they offer insights that  confirm my ideas,  change my interpretations, and/or offer new avenues for thought.  For example,  while we had seen significance that the book Molly attempted to steal was Jane Eyre, Ms. Kline asked if I had noticed all the other connections to the book throughout her novel.  I must admit that I hadn't but I will be looking for them on my next reading of the book, as I will also be looking for the allusions to the Wizard of Oz.

I am definitely looking forward to reading her next book which she says is inspired by Andrew Wyeth's painting, Christina's World.  And I will be watching the film version of the Orphan Train when it is released.    Hearing the author has helped to make the book come alive in various ways.


As a side note-- I am impressed with how real Christina Baker Kline is.  I certainly appreciate her talking with JCHS students and appreciate  her understanding  and tolerance of teenagers.  Her words to my reluctant reader were especially meaningful.