Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
I’m a 28-year-old writer in love with your books.
I have not written a fan letter since I was 9 and I wrote to Judy Blume. I slaved for days over the letter and received an autographed 8 by 10 glossy in return. It hardened me, but this forum just may be the thing to melt an icy heart.
I read your entire Hoboken trilogy (are there more?) to my rapt third graders (and may I say my favorite character to play is definitely Henrietta, with the professor a close second). I left my job teaching third grade to pursue writing and performing for children, partly inspired by you and your voice. It reassured me that there was room for smart, silly stuff for kids.
Do you have advice for a goofy, energetic writer/teacher/storyteller as she embarks on creating her own universe for kids? (Classes I should take, road trips, spiritual journeys?)
Can I just follow you around and take notes, like an intern?
Thanks so much for all you do and create!
All the best,
Micaela Blei
p.s. If you are ever in Brooklyn, I would like to buy you a cup of coffee.
I have heard about that Brooklyn coffee. I too am followed around by interns taking notes, also residents, attending physicians, and men with beards and hornrimmed glasses. Advice, huh? My first and best item of advice would be not to seek or follow advice--people always tell you what they would do, and in almost every case they are not you.
