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Health & Fitness

The Stranger I Met Today

Three books. I met a high school student that wowed me with just three books.

“Did you get a chance to check out the used books down that way?” a young girl asked me.  She couldn’t have been more than 16. 

“No, not yet. I’ve been talking to so many people here, I haven’t had a chance to check out other tables,” I said as I motioned to the all of The Writing Blueprint materials around me. I was a vendor at another fantastic festival, the Collingswood Book Festival. This girl, who we’ll call Allison, set a plastic bag down on the table and shoved her hands into the front pocket of her ash gray hooded sweatshirt. She looked at the easel next to her and started to read.

“There are so many books, I could’ve looked at them for another hour, but I didn’t want to miss out on the other stuff,” Allison said absently as she continued to read the board. 

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“Can I write the next sentence please?” We were mid-story on the Community Writing Project and she was hooked. Her ponytail bobbed up and down as she nodded to herself. As a fellow writer, I could tell that she was working the story out in her head. “I know exactly what happens next,” Allison said. She smiled to herself and worked from left to right across the extra large page, composing an essential plot point with glee.  

“What books did you find?” I asked after she finished writing. I must admit, I was expecting Allison to pull a book with a teenage vampire boy sporting a look of angst on the cover. She took the books out, proud as a peacock, and fanned them in front of me. I was confused. No young vampires in love, no catty murdering high school girls, no drama-packed sophomoric romance. Instead—King Lear, The Iliad and The Scarlet Letter. 

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Lesson Learned

This girl was a Rory Gilmore clone and it was adorable and refreshing. There are still young readers out there! 

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