If you ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you that I have a very strong connection to place. I live in Wichita, Kansas, about four blocks from where I grew up, in an old neighborhood called College Hill. From my house I can walk to my parents' house, my sister's house, the school I went to and where my kids go now, the pool, the sledding hill, and two bookstores!
I grew up reading many wonderful books in a lot of strange places. Books like Harold and the Purple Crayon, Anne of Green Gables, and Island of the Blue Dolphins in places like dressing rooms, the bathroom, and church. (Like you never read a book in church.)
While I do have a college degree in English and Elementary Education, my best education has come from reading, listening to family stories, looking out the car window on road trips, pretending to be pirates with my brother, and just plain imagining.
Besides writing I like to go to the pool with my kids, browse at the bookstore, have a neighbor over for tea, watch re-runs of Monk, have a lot of kids playing at our house, and go out for dinner with my husband. Life is good.
"Clare Vanderpool had a wonderful connection with my students. It was easy to see through her positive, upbeat personality that she enjoyed telling them about her writing and answering their many questions."
"Clare Vanderpool's delightful workshops have quickly become the highlight of the year for my English students! Her insights and candor make her presentations special!
When Clare Vanderpool comes to speak at our school, it's not just the students who want to attend her presentations on writing, it's the faculty as well. Without a doubt, she is our favorite speaker!"
-- Patricia Raglin, Kapaun Mount Carmel High School English Department Chair
"When Clare joined us for a discussion of Moon over Manifest, she engaged each young reader individually, by responding to their questions and working their ideas into the remarkably vibrant conversation she generated. After our conversation with Clare, it was clear that this meeting truly activated our readers' imaginations and made them more curious about history and writing."
-- Caitlin O?Keefe, New York Historical Society Museum & Library
