Ann M. Martin

Ann Goes Back to School

August 2002

Hi Readers!

It seems like only a short time ago that a letter arrived from my first-choice college with the great news that I had been accepted! The next four years were happily spent at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and to this day, I feel very fortunate for having been given this wonderful opportunity. Not only did I get a great education that helped prepare me for a career that I love, but I also formed relationships with people who became life-long friends. Since it has now been twenty-five years (yikes!) since my graduation, I was super-excited about heading back to Smith for a reunion with my class.

Now, you would probably assume that a May reunion in central Massachusetts would offer some seasonably warm weather, right? Wrong! After a lovely, sunny drive to Northampton on Friday, I woke up on Saturday morning and looked out the window of my room to see torrential rainstorms. Before long, there was snow mixed with the rain! I slogged over to the campus with my good friend and Smith classmate, Claudia (does this name sound familiar?) and her 11-year old daughter, Rachel, but not before we had put on every article of clothing we had packed in our suitcases. The traditional Ivy Day Parade of returning graduates had to be canceled (would you want to see a ninety-six-year old at her seventy-fifth reunion march in that kind of weather?) and we all packed into the gym to take cover from the storm. But Claudia and I didn’t let the wacky weather stop us from having a great time being together again, and we braved the elements to show Rachel the dorm we had lived in and all our favorite spots on campus. I’m definitely planning on returning for our next reunion, because neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, can stop me from returning to my alma mater!

Next on my summer agenda is the American Library Association (ALA) conference in Atlanta, where authors and illustrators gather to meet with librarians from the nation’s public and school libraries. This is a great way for publishers to introduce their new books to the ALA members, and I’m very happy that I’ve been asked to read an excerpt from my soon-to-be published book, A Corner of the Universe. (More about this in our next entry in mid-August.) Scholastic is hosting a huge brunch for all of us, and I’m looking forward to a wonderful time.

Finally, I haven’t forgotten my promise to post some new photos on the webpage. My original plan to show you how beautiful my college is in the springtime was overruled by Mother Nature, so I’ll come up with a new plan as soon as I get back from Atlanta. (Be sure to check back in a couple of weeks.) In the meantime, congratulations on the completion of another successful school year, and have a fabulous, fun-filled summer vacation!
Happy summer reading!
Ann