Photo Credit: Amanda Tavares[/caption]14-year-old Lucy Taylor is a new addition to the Panther family. “Being new to high school can be a little overwhelming,” said Taylor, “but that’s also the best thing… with all of the new experiences that high school offers.”
In her free time, Taylor likes to read books that have been made into major motion pictures. The Fault In Our Stars is her favorite so far. But when Taylor doesn’t have her nose in a book, she loves shopping and being a fashionista. Some of her favorite stores to shop at are Forever 21, American Eagle, and Belk. Not only does Taylor enjoy reading and shopping, but she adores photography as well. She has a passion for taking pictures of her pets, especially her two cats. Taylor says photography may be a possible career option for her in the future.
With Taylor having high hopes for her high school and future career path, she keeps her options open and tries to have new experiences, like joining the Den Echoes newspaper staff. She hopes that this academic opportunity will help her define what she may want to pursue as a career in the future. Newspaper not only benefits her decision making, but also helps Taylor “express her inner feelings without having to directly voice it to audiences.”
Before Taylor plans to settle for her career, she strives to travel. Taylor says, ”I plan to visit all of the 50 states and then the Seven Wonders of the World.” Though Taylor’s life endeavors may take her to wonderful places and inconvenient places, she will always take her mother’s words of wisdom--“always follow your dreams”--with her.
John Claude Bemis, a Hillsborough author and this year’s Piedmont Laureate, spoke to OHS students in the auditorium on April 17 in sessions from 8:45 am to 2:00 pm. Bemis has written four fantasy books for children. He wanted to answer students’ questions about writing and help them “decide what they want to do” in life.
He became a teacher after graduation and taught in North Carolina schools for 13 years. As an adult, he continued to read and write in his free time. Three books in particular- The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and Holes by Louis Sachar- inspired him to write.
Bemis began writing a novel about American legends set in the 1890s. He named the novel The Nine Pound Hammer and sent it to publishers. Random House accepted the novel and published it in 2009. Since the novel was published, Bemis has also written and published three other books. The Wolf Tree and The White City are the final two books in “The Clockwork Dark” trilogy. The Prince Who Fell from the Sky is a separate book about a post-apocalyptic world where animals reign over Earth and tell stories about the people who used to live there. A human child lands on Earth in a spaceship and is taken in by the animals.
Bemis, who taught at Cameron Park Elementary School for eight years, said that he misses teaching. “I love teaching and I miss the
He said that his schedule is more open now that he is a writer. “I’m in control of my schedule. I get to work at home... I get to do what I really love. I love teaching but I [also] love getting to create stories.” He said that he always dreaded Monday mornings when he was a teacher. He is now excited for Monday mornings because he gets to write again. He takes weekends off. “I don’t work on the weekends.”
Bemis runs workshops for young writers. “I sometimes will teach workshops on coming up with ideas and the important elements in stories. [I’m] really interested in helping people to become more creative [and] use their imaginations in new ways.” He also gave advice for thinking of story ideas. “Find things that you can do that no one else can. What is an idea that no one else can think of that you could think of?”
Aspiring young writers should “read a lot of books and spend time writing... Have fun and just write. Even writing for ten minutes [will help improve your writing because] every minute you put into it is making you a better writer.”
Bemis is currently writing another novel about an “alternate history world where alchemy has made the Venetian Empire powerful.” The people in this world have wooden robots as soldiers. Pinocchio is one of these soldiers and he starts coming to life.
Bemis is the 2013 Piedmont Laureate. Laureates are selected by the Raleigh, Durham County, Wake County, Orange County, and Alamance County arts councils. People chosen by the program “represent the literary community” in the Triangle.
Bemis’ website is http://www.johnclaudebemis.com/. He describes his books in more detail and lists his upcoming appearances.