Reading and writing inspiration through author visits

Much like the excitement and focus in a basketball arena where Caitlin Clark is playing, author and journalist Meri-Jo Borzilleri’s visit to Birchwood and Silver Beach elementary school this spring captivated the interest of the fourth and fifth graders during her presentations.

Borzilleri is the author of the book Who is Caitlin Clark? recently published by Penguin Workshop in their Who HQ Now series. The subject is Clark who, playing for the University of Iowa in March 2024, set the the all-time high scorer record in Division 1 collegiate basketball.

While presenting to the elementary students, Borzilleria shared her experience as a sports journalist, including the story of once meeting Muhammad Ali decades ago. She also described her research and work on the Clark book. It was clear from her presentation that sometimes stories find the right author to tell them.

She went into the roots of writing and how it relates to one’s identity, family and passion. Personal history and an individual’s perspective influence what and how one writes.

In Who is Caitlin Clark?, an early chapter describes how Caitlin’s childhood and upbringing impacted her basketball career turning her into one of the best athletes in the world. She learned to love competition and found fertile ground with her two brothers.

In much the same way, Borzilleri made the connection with her childhood and siblings, describing what an impact it had on her love of sports and her journey to become a writer, and specifically a sportswriter.

This connection to her childhood resonated with the students in the library. When asked who inspired them, they shared some heartfelt stories about who and why.

When asked about her biggest takeaways from the school visits, Borzilleri found the Birchwood and Silver Beach students to be an “engaged, fun and a smart group of kids who asked great questions.”

“You could tell they were prepared and understood where I was coming from,” she shared. “Several students came up later and talked about their own writing and I was struck by their creativity and enthusiasm.”

“Some years from now,” she said, “I fully expect to hear about Silver Beach or Birchwood students who are successful novelists, screenwriters or other creative talents, and continue to ride their bikes to work!”

Author visits to schools are always a venue to inspire and encourage future generations of writers.

Kristin Cleary, library media specialist at Birchwood and Silver Beach elementary schools, shared that she always jumps at the chance to have an author visit for three main reasons: 1) it inspires a love of reading; 2) it demystifies the writing process and 3) it encourages creativity and expression.

“Meeting a real author makes books feel more exciting and alive,” Cleary says. “It helps kids connect stories to real people and sparks curiosity about reading more. Meri-Jo (MJ) certainly did this at both schools!”

And according to Cleary, there is a newfound interest in the Who HQ series which researches current topics, places and famous people like Caitlin Clark, that young readers would be interested in.

“Authors show that writing is something real people do—not just a school assignment,” Cleary continued. “It helps kids see that stories come from imagination, practice and persistence. This is huge!  It empowers them to value their own voices.”

“MJ showed kids that they are writers and authors already.”

Scoring her own “logo three” three-pointer a la Caitlin Clark, Borzilleri was asked by a student how much she gets paid for writing; her brilliant, formed-in-the-moment, response came in quantities of pizzas — something relatable, humorous and a story in itself. Swish!