About

Origin Story

Novel WordPlay was born during the long months of the pandemic when my life was adrift.  After 20 years teaching English, I was laid-off from my job.  My children were learning remotely 3 days a week, and much of my life felt uncertain.  I filled those months with long walks, where I asked myself questions about what I had to offer and what might be next in my career.  

One morning, I embarked on a walk that became the first stirrings of Novel WordPlay. Because the pandemic had left me feeling isolated I figured that when it was over, people would want to come together to authentically connect. I thought of the senior citizens, who felt especially cut off from the activities that they loved during Covid.  I remembered how literature worked magic for so many years in my classroom, allowing my students and me to share, feel, empathize, and even heal. As I imagined bringing the joy of English classes to people in my community, I envisioned using the physical details of the book to bring folks into the world of the book.  I would set up stations in each corner with actual objects!  Lydia’s bookstore, for example, would have a sign that read: “Books: Cheaper than airline tickets” and the actual titles that Javier pulled off the shelf that first visit. I imagined small groups could rotate through the stations, discussing questions while surrounded by the fictional objects made concrete. 

A few miles later, I started thinking about how to offer this experience to book clubs even if I could not be physically present.  I could create a blueprint of sorts, which people could access through their smartphones.  I would map a learning experience that tapped into outside resources like videos and articles to prepare readers for the novel.  I planned to fill the book guide with images and text drawn from the story.  I hoped to build a beautiful and engaging piece of digital work full of hyperlinks, making it easy and interesting to navigate.  And thus, the idea for Novel WordPlay came to me, on the same path I had taken nearly every day for six months.

Mission

The products of Novel WordPlay are designed to build connections and community by providing a multi-sensory, text-based, video-enhanced, communal literary experience.  My belief is that by discussing and crafting together, by playing in the space that good literature provides, we can reconnect with each other in meaningful ways. 

Gratitude

I am so happy you have found me here on the internet.   I look forward to hearing about your experience, and I would love to hear which book you would like me to work on next!