I am so excited to launch my series of guest readers for FAMILY STORY TIME. Randomly, hopefully at least once a month, I will invite a guest to read a book at story time. I will publish an interview with the guest reader here on the blog on the day they read for us. I plan to have a podcast of the interviews later on, when I learn how to upload the files.
The first guest reader is Jon Pic, a recent addition to the staff at the El Dorado Times newspaper, here in El Dorado. He has generously agreed to donate his time and talents to our Family Storytime. Here is his interview:
What is your job?
I'm a reporter for The El Dorado Times. Glamorous, I know.
How long have you had that job?
I took this position on March 31st of this year, two days before my 25th birthday.
What do you like about your job?
I like that I get an opportunity to learn about things that I might otherwise have never taken an interest in. This job sort of forces me to learn as much as I can about other people's jobs. I often feel like I have to be as knowledgeable about the intricacies of other people's businesses as
I am of my own. In other words, I have to know a little bit about everything or at least be prepared to do some research about whatever subject I'm writing about.
Is there any advice you would give someone who wants to do the same job?
Love words. I like to enhance my vocabulary every chance I get. If I'm reading and I see a word that causes me to stumble ... I won't continue until I've thumbed through a dictionary to ascertain the meaning of that word. That may sound like a chore, but only in the beginning. Then I try to
use those words ... not only in my writing, but even in conversation. Who cares if people giggle at your verbosity? I guarantee your favorite authors love words, too.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a cartoonist or a comic book illustrator. As a kid, I would doodle during class and my mind wandered to the magical worlds that had been created in comics or animations. I would sketch pictures of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Darkwing Duck into my notebooks. I always really enjoyed hearing the compliments of my classmates when they would look over and see
my page of doodles.
Did you like to read when you were a child?
Absolutely comic books. My teachers were always so impressed with my "advanced reading level" in elementary school, I attribute that to my love of comic books. Those books sparked imagination and encouraged a surprisingly adult-level literacy that most kids' books don't offer. And I'm not talking about Archie and Jughead. I'm talking X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman and Superman. Are those books sometimes too violent for kids? Maybe. But I loved them. Still do, though I don't get to read them as frequently any more.
What was a favorite book or author when you were a child?
Well, the book that I remember being read to me in elementary school is "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day". In truth, I haven't read the book in ages, so I couldn't begin to tell you what it's about (a bad day, obviously). But I've always been a fan of hyperbole and with a book title like that, Alexander is the king of exaggeration, in my book! Now that I'm reading books to a two-year-old every night, I think Dr. Seuss (A.K.A. the late Theodore Geisel) was a mad genius. Talk about creativity.
What do you like to read now?
I don't read as much as I should, but I'm flat-out voracious when it comes to J.K. Rowling's boy wizard saga, "Harry Potter." Maybe you've heard of it? Otherwise, I try to pick up books that cover subject matter that I find interesting. I picked up a book called "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking". It's an interesting read about the human mind's remarkable ability to act instinctively. I've read a couple of books by Dan Brown..."The Da Vinci Code", of course, and "Angels and Demons". I picked up a copy of Sun Tzu's "Art of War", but I've had a little trouble getting started on reading it. I'm also trying to start reading Frank Herbert's sci-fi "Dune" series. I also like to read books about quantum mechanics (don't laugh) and filmmaking. On the rare occasion that I find a place that carries comic books or graphic novels, I try to find something I can read. I've most recently read Alan Moore's "The Watchmen", which is about to be turned into a movie next year and Neil Gaiman's "Marvel 1602", which imagines the struggles of major superhero icons like Dr. Strange, The Fantastic Four and Nick Fury as if they had existed over 400 years ago.
Do you have a favorite story/author?
I don't think I do. I've always been kind of adverse to the idea of picking favorites. Each story has its own unique charms and reasons for being enjoyable. Why limit yourself to a favorite book or song or actor or anything? Exploration of new things is always a joy.
Are you reading anything now?
Apart from my subscription to Entertainment Weekly magazine? After finishing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", I felt inspired to re-read the entire series, so I'm in the middle of "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone" right now.
Did you ever try to write a story?
Sure. Every time I come to work I get to write a story. Some require more creativity than others, some require none at all. As far as a purely creative endeavor ... I'm more of a movie fan, myself. In the last few years, I've tried to pen a couple of scripts, but I find I get distracted too easily. I did write a ten-minute play and a children's book during high school for my classes.
Would you like to write or illustrate a book someday? What would it be
about?
Without a doubt. I'd love to write a comic book or a fantasy novel. I'm a champion of imagination. There's nothing wrong with historical non-fiction or biographies or literature, but I prefer to get lost in a world of whimsy and wonder. Some people might criticize that as arrested development on my part. If so, just call me Peter Pan. I'll take a strong dose of magic and mystery any day.
Do you have a library card?
When I first moved to El Dorado in 1996, I got a library card from Bradford Memorial Library. I left town for a few years and when I moved back to El Dorado earlier this year, I brought my old library card in and traded it for a new one.
Thanks to Jon. Great interview!
Keep reading!
Teresa
The first guest reader is Jon Pic, a recent addition to the staff at the El Dorado Times newspaper, here in El Dorado. He has generously agreed to donate his time and talents to our Family Storytime. Here is his interview:
What is your job?
I'm a reporter for The El Dorado Times. Glamorous, I know.
How long have you had that job?
I took this position on March 31st of this year, two days before my 25th birthday.
What do you like about your job?
I like that I get an opportunity to learn about things that I might otherwise have never taken an interest in. This job sort of forces me to learn as much as I can about other people's jobs. I often feel like I have to be as knowledgeable about the intricacies of other people's businesses as
I am of my own. In other words, I have to know a little bit about everything or at least be prepared to do some research about whatever subject I'm writing about.
Is there any advice you would give someone who wants to do the same job?
Love words. I like to enhance my vocabulary every chance I get. If I'm reading and I see a word that causes me to stumble ... I won't continue until I've thumbed through a dictionary to ascertain the meaning of that word. That may sound like a chore, but only in the beginning. Then I try to
use those words ... not only in my writing, but even in conversation. Who cares if people giggle at your verbosity? I guarantee your favorite authors love words, too.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a cartoonist or a comic book illustrator. As a kid, I would doodle during class and my mind wandered to the magical worlds that had been created in comics or animations. I would sketch pictures of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Darkwing Duck into my notebooks. I always really enjoyed hearing the compliments of my classmates when they would look over and see
my page of doodles.
Did you like to read when you were a child?
Absolutely comic books. My teachers were always so impressed with my "advanced reading level" in elementary school, I attribute that to my love of comic books. Those books sparked imagination and encouraged a surprisingly adult-level literacy that most kids' books don't offer. And I'm not talking about Archie and Jughead. I'm talking X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman and Superman. Are those books sometimes too violent for kids? Maybe. But I loved them. Still do, though I don't get to read them as frequently any more.
What was a favorite book or author when you were a child?
Well, the book that I remember being read to me in elementary school is "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day". In truth, I haven't read the book in ages, so I couldn't begin to tell you what it's about (a bad day, obviously). But I've always been a fan of hyperbole and with a book title like that, Alexander is the king of exaggeration, in my book! Now that I'm reading books to a two-year-old every night, I think Dr. Seuss (A.K.A. the late Theodore Geisel) was a mad genius. Talk about creativity.
What do you like to read now?
I don't read as much as I should, but I'm flat-out voracious when it comes to J.K. Rowling's boy wizard saga, "Harry Potter." Maybe you've heard of it? Otherwise, I try to pick up books that cover subject matter that I find interesting. I picked up a book called "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking". It's an interesting read about the human mind's remarkable ability to act instinctively. I've read a couple of books by Dan Brown..."The Da Vinci Code", of course, and "Angels and Demons". I picked up a copy of Sun Tzu's "Art of War", but I've had a little trouble getting started on reading it. I'm also trying to start reading Frank Herbert's sci-fi "Dune" series. I also like to read books about quantum mechanics (don't laugh) and filmmaking. On the rare occasion that I find a place that carries comic books or graphic novels, I try to find something I can read. I've most recently read Alan Moore's "The Watchmen", which is about to be turned into a movie next year and Neil Gaiman's "Marvel 1602", which imagines the struggles of major superhero icons like Dr. Strange, The Fantastic Four and Nick Fury as if they had existed over 400 years ago.
Do you have a favorite story/author?
I don't think I do. I've always been kind of adverse to the idea of picking favorites. Each story has its own unique charms and reasons for being enjoyable. Why limit yourself to a favorite book or song or actor or anything? Exploration of new things is always a joy.
Are you reading anything now?
Apart from my subscription to Entertainment Weekly magazine? After finishing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", I felt inspired to re-read the entire series, so I'm in the middle of "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone" right now.
Did you ever try to write a story?
Sure. Every time I come to work I get to write a story. Some require more creativity than others, some require none at all. As far as a purely creative endeavor ... I'm more of a movie fan, myself. In the last few years, I've tried to pen a couple of scripts, but I find I get distracted too easily. I did write a ten-minute play and a children's book during high school for my classes.
Would you like to write or illustrate a book someday? What would it be
about?
Without a doubt. I'd love to write a comic book or a fantasy novel. I'm a champion of imagination. There's nothing wrong with historical non-fiction or biographies or literature, but I prefer to get lost in a world of whimsy and wonder. Some people might criticize that as arrested development on my part. If so, just call me Peter Pan. I'll take a strong dose of magic and mystery any day.
Do you have a library card?
When I first moved to El Dorado in 1996, I got a library card from Bradford Memorial Library. I left town for a few years and when I moved back to El Dorado earlier this year, I brought my old library card in and traded it for a new one.
Thanks to Jon. Great interview!
Keep reading!
Teresa
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