'Listen, watch and fill your mind with images'

 

“One thing I'm interested in is whatshapes us: The people? The place where we live? It's both of thoseand more. That's what I keep coming back to.” –  SharonCreech

 

Born in Ohio on July 29, 1945 Creechis the first American to win both the Carnegie Medal and the Newbery Medal for thesame book, her amazing young adult book Walk Two Moons.  Thosetwo major awards are among dozens Creech has earned for her writing, noting inher understated fashion: “There seemed to be an audience out there who wantedto read what I wanted to write.”    

 

While her writing career has primarilybeen aimed at the young adult market, adults have been a big audience for herworks, too.    She embeds serious topicsinto her stories, including themes of independence, trust, childhood,adulthood, and death, but often softening the blow with humor. 

 

Her writing advice is simple: “Reada lot, live your life, and listen and watch, so that your mind fills up withmillions of images.”