Ten writers for children. All with something to say.

11/3/08

The First Author I Ever Met

The first author I ever met was Charlotte Huck. She was about 75 by the time our paths crossed, but I credit her with encouraging me to write again after 20 years of silence. Here are ten things I remember about her:

1. She wrote Princess Furball and Creepy Countdown, among other things.
2. She was a beloved Professor at Ohio State.
3. Mem Fox and Anita Lobel were close friends of hers.
4. Annie was the name of her Sheltie.
5. She had a children's book library that rivalled any library I'd ever visited.
6. She hosted a dynamic children's book conference in Redlands.
7. African Violets sat on the windowsill of her dining room.
8. She had a wicked sense of humor and said "Oh Spit," when she messed up.
9. She loved children's literature and its writers.
10. She was generous with her time and talents.

I think of her often and thank her for pushing me forward.

7 comments:

Stephanie said...

That's really cool. I still treasure getting to meet her and going to her house after.

Christy said...

Hi Diane,
Perhaps I met you there at her house too? That's the conference where Stephanie and I spoke at dinner. Charlotte was gracious and inspiring. I remember we spoke about William Stafford. Everything is linking together.

David LaRochelle said...

I loved that she said, "Oh spit!" when she made a mistake! A little detail like that conjures up a whole personality in my mind!

Edie Hemingway said...

Another wonderful teacher who inspired writers! It sounds as if she had a passionate and compelling personality.

Lauren said...

I am just now checking in with our blog-- this election and many other things has had me elsewhere, but I want to say that I had the honor of speaking at the Charlotte Huck Lectures last year where I learned so much about her. I wish I had met her when she was alive. What an inspiring woman.

Lauren said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Diane Adams said...

Hi Christy,
Yes, we did meet many years ago, and Lauren, I saw you speak last year. Sorry we didn't get a chance to meet - who knew we'd be potatoes together?
David, yes, "Oh spit!" is a perfect start to Charlotte's personality.