#sparkchamber 051120 — Kimberly Rues

No matter where you are, a book can take you somewhere else entirely. Today, #sparkchamber is thrilled to welcome one of the great magicians of the entire universe of books, librarian Kimberly Rues.

In her own words:

“There’s nothing better than connecting a young reader with a book that allows them to experience all that’s wonderful about books — a tear-jerking ending, a bit of inspiration, edge-of-the-seat suspense, or a character that makes us LOL.

I’m a career educator [this is year 29] and the first half of my career was spent as a middle-grade classroom teacher. One day in 2005, a lightbulb went off above my head and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my career as a school librarian.

I now know that connecting kids with books is only one tiny piece of the job, but it’s still my favorite moment of the day.

I’m inspired by the power of a story to change lives, to open minds, to be a window into another world. It’s a gift I can give a child. Every. Single. Day.”

For more, you can follow Kimberly on Twitter, or connect via LinkedIn.

1.] Where do ideas come from?

I’ve found that some of the best ideas are those that germinate on the fly — a quick chat with a teacher in the hallway, a text message with a colleague, a musing about “I wonder what would happen if...”

2.] What is the itch you are scratching?

I believe in the power of story. Most everything I do has something to do with bearing witness to that idea.

3.] Early bird or night owl? Tortoise or hare?

Early morning. Cup of coffee. Quiet.

The hardest part are the first few words. Sometimes I just have to jump in... and I never know quite where the words will take me. I’ll start with the hint of an idea — a belief, a dream, a smidgen of possibility — and as I write, the words carve out the final form.

4.] How do you know when you are done?

Done — that something that never really has an expiration date. I know when the thoughts are done when they wrap up in a tidy little package. As for the spit and polish, that could go on forever — change a word here, adjust a comma there ... and at some point, you just have to decide to let it be.