The author of Book rejected by the Pine-Richland School Board attracts large crowds during the local visit
During two afternoon talks on Saturday, the author based in Alabama, Randi Pink, spoke to large curious crowds at the Richland library in Northern Tier. His visit was organized after the Pine-Richland School Board voted last month so as not to include his novel, “Angel of Greenwood”, in his ninth-year linguistic arts lessons.
Conversations, although they took place in the shadow of the decision of the board of directors, mainly focused on Pink’s work and the analysis of the themes of his novel.
“Angel of Greenwood”, a romance for young adults taking place during the Massacre of the Tulsa race in 1921, was rejected 3-5-1 at the meeting of the board of directors on January 13.
School directors Joseph Cassidy, Ashley Fortier and Amy Terchick voted in favor of the inclusion of the novel, while Phillip Morissette, Lisa Hillman, Marc Casciani, Christina Brussalis and Michael Wiethorn rejected it. Leslie Miller abstained.
Morissette and Brussalis expressed skepticism as to whether the novel was a literary level high enough for a ninth year program and its potential displacement of “classic” works.
The appearance of Pink on Saturday during two sessions was organized in a few weeks by Brittany Kindersmith, parent of Pine-Richland, with the help of district students and a fundraising by another parent, Rebeccah Hoffman, who collected $ 5,676 for Pink’s travel costs.
The first of the two talks was intended for students of Pine-Richland and collected several dozen young participants. The latter, open to the public, brought nearly 200 people to the basement of Northern Tier while some were standing in the back for lack of space.
Pink’s discussions, which operated mainly in a format of questions and answers, went from personal experiences to the literary dialogues punctuated by moments of humor and even singing.
Elise Duckworth, a Pine-Richland junior active during the school board meetings, said that the students’ discussion was “so inspiring”. Duckworth spoke several times in January urging the Board of Directors to include “Angel of Greenwood” in the classes.
“She has so many complexities for her as a person,” said Duckworth. “You think you meet only one author, but you then meet an icon in a sense.”
Although Pink’s novel was rejected, Duckworth said it “warmed his heart” to see the number of students who proved to be for the event.
This participation rate may have been helped by Nedda Immen, which Pink has individually recognized during the discussion. The senior of Pine-Richland contacted Macmillan, the publisher of the book, who sent him 100 copies for the distribution.
Immen, who said that she was “honored” to be recognized, gave these 100 novels to high school students last week, many of whom came to the discussion equipped with their copies.
“Coming here today, it solidifies the fact that these books have an impact,” said Immen.
Riverstone Books, who offered copies of “Angel of Greenwood” and some of the other works by Pink, sold his 60 -pound supply by the end of the public discussion.
This public discussion did not present any discussion on the school board, but the students sometimes raised the rejection of the council during the previous event.
Pink, who said that she had deliberately written the novel with secondary characters and secondary readers, said that the skepticism of the board of directors about its literary level was “smoke and mirrors ».
“When it is suggested that it is not difficult enough, it is a difficult thing for me to reconcile myself, because I know that each page of this book has been written for adolescents,” said Pink after the event student.
When a student pointed out that the interaction with the school board often wanted to speak to “a brick wall”, Pink told students that “Wall” represented fear. She encouraged them to follow their work.
During her first visit to the Pittsburgh region, Pink said she had only good impressions of the region. It reminded her of her native Birmingham, she said, for her “folk at home”. During public discussion, she even professed her new love for the Primanti Bros. sandwich.
Kindersmith, the main organizer of events, said that it was satisfactory to see them so well assisted. Although the active community at the meetings of the Board of Directors often feels small, Kindersmith said that it felt interest in Pink’s discussions indicated more widespread support for books in Pine-Richland.
The lack of concentration on the rejection of the council, she said, was intentional.
Kindersmith said she wanted to create a “positive event for the community”.
And at least in the short term, she said that she thought that more people read “Angel of Greenwood” than it would have been if the board of directors had approved its inclusion in the classes.
Only two members of the board of directors, Fortier and Casciani, appeared during the public event. Fortier, who voted in favor of the inclusion of Pink’s novel, said that the author’s message on unity led him to reflect on his often minority role within the school board, affirming that She does not want the group to be “opponent”.
Casciani, who voted against the inclusion of the novel, said that he had appreciated the event. He voted against the novel, he said, because of the procedure that was used for his selection, not specific problems with the text. The member of the longtime school board said that he hoped to know more about Pink’s work.
A gardener enthusiast, Pink said that she hoped that her visit will be like planting a tuber. Although the tuber, she said, is ugly when it is planted – like the meeting of the full of five -hour board of directors during which his book was rejected – this same tuber can germinate something Beautiful as a dahlia plant.
That Dahlia in Pine-Richland, Hopes Pink, will be a kind of book festival.
But for the moment, said Pink, she is inspired by the “special group” of students who have connected to her work and helped bring her to the neighborhood.
“When they are in charge,” said Pink, “we are well.”
