Dear Nerdy Friends,
A letter in no particular order of my thoughts and feelings on Nerdcamp as I reflect on the two amazing days!
I want to say a huge thank you to Colby & his team for organizing such an amazing event! Also, a gigantic shout out goes to many of the “behind the scenes” people as there wasn’t ever an empty water cooler, a roll of toilet paper missing or an AV issue that I encountered! So much thought and hard work went in to planning this amazing event and I took notice! So thanks!
I have been home almost 3 full days and my heart & and brain are still full with joy. Being at camp was such a great experience. I got to meet and learn more about so many people that I have only met through technology. Meeting many of the authors that have been cheerleaders for Storymamas was so rewarding. And I was introduced to many new authors that I am eager to read their books!
I also got to spend 2 days learning, laughing and making my already long TBR pile even longer, alongside one of my fellow Storymamas, Courtney. Although it takes a 3 person team to run Storymamas, we have not all seen each other in person in quite a while. Most of our “meetings” are held through video conferencing and texting. So allowing me two days with a friend I don’t often see was amazing!
It was such a treat to attend sessions that helped me think about books. Many spoke about the power of books, the kinds of books and access to books we give kids. I loved listening to Chad Everett, Sara K. Ahmed, Donalyn Miller and Pernille Ripp give Nerd Talks. These talks made me stop and think. I also attended a hilarious panel on the importance of series books, that allowed me to hear more titles I can read and recommend but it allowed me to see the true personalities of people you’d never expect. (Looking at you Nathan Hale and James Ponti) I attended Raul the Third & Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s session and learned drawing activities to teach my students and another memorable session was hearing some readings of authors very early writing work! (Abby Cooper’s Diary and a fantastic 2nd grade story from Aaron Zenz). And a fun and important session was on the stigma and thought around “being nerdy” and the word nerd. And without saying who, I did learn that one of the nerds from the session was a cart-wheel- a–holic! (Jarrett Lerner, Shelley Johannes & Elissa Brent Weissman).
Something else that I found refreshing was that Western High School had very limited cell service, so my cell battery drained very quickly. I soon switched it to airplane mode. Afraid that my phone would die and I wouldn’t be able to get in touch with someone, I decided to not post anything in the moment on social media. That was such a refreshing idea that upon reflection made me stay present for all there was to take in!
Finally, at the last minute I was given an opportunity to be an author assistant for talented author/illustrator, Sarah Jacoby, at Nerdcamp Jr. I had never attended this part and I am so glad I did. The sparkle and eyes of the kids who saw they were learning from authors & illustrators were so precious. One kid said to me at the beginning “the best part was I got to go home with a book last year” when I told him it would happen again, his eyes grew larger! Then after we did an art activity, a student stood up and said “don’t forget to sign your work! All artists should” a message they received right before from Arrchee Chung’s session! Nerdcamp Jr was the icing on the cake and a spectacular way to end an amazing 2 days.
So Nerdy friends, please keep in touch and if you’ve never been, please seek out one of the Nerdcamps happening near you and I know I’ll be in Parma next year! (And maybe another camp if I can swing it!)
Colby and crew, again, you’ve done an amazing thing here!
Warmly,
Storymama Kim
It sounds like you had such an amazing time. I will have to make sure I go next year!