about the author

i'm at home in lexington. i love finding little jewels of memories in my family and in my home. when i walked into our computer room, i found a book called 'different poems' by jara sturdivant. 1989 was a pretty pivotal point in my writing career, obviously.

as an eight year old, who was apparently gifted in elementary school, i had the privilege to attend a special summer session called young scholars. it was here that i learned different art techniques, studied different languages and wrote.

so, i picked up this book. i actually remembered when i wrote it and made it. it was a big deal to be able to have my own book. cardboard and some creative wallpaper made for a magical piece of art for an eight-year-old....and even now, a twenty-six-year old.

i read through this book of poems. i noticed when i wrote haikus. i noticed when i was attempting to fill pages. i noticed when i drew with great attention and detail. i saw that even then i had my favorite color, green.

at the end of the book, i wrote a section called 'about the author.'

'jara sturdivant was born in indiana. she is living in tennessee in 1989. she's 8. her hobbies are: swimming, fishing, collecting dolls and stamps, lots more! she loves poems. she has another book called the Farmer Learns his Rabbit Lesson. it's surly a good book.'

i'm not sure what surly means in that sentence. i'm thinking i spelled out what i heard...it's really a good book. so now in 2007 i wonder what i was thinking about when i wrote this book (and the other book, i still have that one, too). i wonder if i imagined reading this as an adult. i'm not sure. but i look back and think about the things that i loved as a child and wonder how those are playing out in my life now. i still write stories and even poems, i just keep them private. i still like being athletic. i'm not in tennessee anymore. but a part of my life is in tennessee...deeply rooted.

so i look at this little book,as amateur as it is, and i think, that this is a piece of my story, a piece of my history. i was an awkward little girl. i didn't fit the stereotypical anything. i had quirks. i had strong opinions. i had a speech problem (ask me about how i pronounce my Rs). i had friends. i had lonliness. i had joy and sadnesses. i had big questions about the world. i had doubts about the world. i loved God with my childlike faith and when i prayed for freckles, i got them.

where are our eight year old selves. what would they think of us? would they recognize us? would we recognize them?