Los Angeles Times Book Festival 2014

Le Var Burton

I came so close to meeting a childhood hero!!!

I was introduced to Le Var Burton on the television show Star Trek: The Next Generation when I was ten years old. Mr. Burton played the beloved character Lieutenant Geordi La Forge whose disability had not stopped him from succeeding in his career. This show solidified my love for science fiction and provided me plenty of positive role models.

It was not until a few years later that I realized Burton’s role as the host of the television show Reading Rainbow on PBS. I still remember the episode where he visited the Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts (a hands-on living museum) to find out how people lived in the early 1800’s (Season 2, Episode 3: 

Ox-Cart Man).  I was captivated with the things I saw on this show, excited to know that reading could take me to any place and time. Years later, I was glad to see that my nephew loved the show as much as I had.

It was a great pleasure to know that Mr. Burton was going to be at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival this year. Unfortunately, I missed the special reading at the opening of the festival and the line to take a photo with the actor/director/producer/author. However, I was able to take a photo of him during his interview at the PBS booth. I wish I could have had the opportunity to share with him how much of an impact his work had on my life. Without watching him on Star Trek, I would not have watched him on Reading Rainbow. And I might not have found my love for books as early as I did. Thank you Mr. Burton!

Needless to say, it was a great beginning to the two-day book fair.

Reading Out Loud

I am naturally a shy person and growing up it prevented me from experiencing many things. When I was getting ready to attend my first semester of college, I decided that my adult life would be different. I would step out of my comfort zone and try things that excited and scared me. The first thing that I did was sign up for a voice class where I would be singing in front of at least 30 strangers. And it worked. I learned not to let my nerves stop me from doing what I wanted (and bonus- I got an A in the class).

This brings me to present day. The week after I attended my first writing club meeting, I actually read one of my short stories to the group. It was bad. But being good wasn’t the point. My goal was to hear my words out loud and to listen to the constructive criticism that the others would provide. This is the only way to become a better writer. Now there is one less hurdle to cross on my road to becoming a published writer.