Have you ever wondered if the doodles in your sketchbook would make an interesting character, or if one of your dreams could be the beginning of a great story if only you made the time to write it down? What if someone was willing to look at and listen to your musings and then help guide you through a process to turn them into a reality? For the past few years, I have had the privilege of helping shape and teach a program that fosters creativity, empathy, and grit. Our bookmaking process helps students develop not only the skills and confidence to express their ideas verbally and visually, but also the tenacity to stick with a long-term project.

I have created art through a variety of mixed media from chalk pastels to interactive VR design and also worked as an editor, writer, and illustrator in editorial and scientific illustration, photojournalism, and travel writing. Grateful for the cultural exposure of growing up in a biracial home in multiple countries, I am raising my own children bilingually in Mandarin and English, first in Taiwan, then Singapore, and now in Portland, Oregon. As such, I love connecting with people of all ages and backgrounds, hearing their unique perspectives, and encouraging them to voice their own narratives in a tangible creation.

Books have such power; they can be an escape; a talisman; a call to action; or an interpretation of the hopes, fears, and humor that connect us all. My Advanced Writing students have produced a wide range of stories, including a series about enchanted woodland creatures, a poetry anthology that underscores the immigrant experience, a study on how climate change affects animals, and a bildungsroman set on a distant planet in the far-flung future. As much as I aim to inspire and coax forth the best in my students, they continue to inspire me, too.

Vesper Stockwell

Director of Book of Life, Inc.