From the Writer’s Desk
Indonesian writes children's books
In my home country, I have written 16 chapter books since I was 11 years old. I was so honored to share this experience in the United States. When a teacher from Maplewood Middle School in Menasha asked me to do a writing workshop, I was so excited! After 3 months of preparation, the workshop was held on March 24. There were about 50 students within three sessions.
I not only shared about my experience, I also showed the students some of my published books. They couldn’t understand the story because it was written in Indonesian, but I handed out a translation, but it only translated the story to the climax, not all the way to the end. Then I asked them to continue the story based on their own imagination. Before I let them begin writing, I told them, “It’s your time now. Be yourself, or just be anything you want. Have fun!” My goal was to lift up their confidence and spirit to write. Reading their stories made me smile because their stories were intriguing, and I was also glad that I could give back to the community and inspire the students to enjoy writing.
—Ayunda (YES, Indonesia), hosted by the Jochman family (WI)
