On October 29, Steward welcomed New York Times-bestselling author Meg Medina to campus. Ms. Medina, known for her picture books and middle-grade and young adult fiction, served as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature 2023-24. Her book “Merci Suárez Changes Gears” was a 2019 John Newbery Medal winner. 

In the Lora M. Robins Theatre, Ms. Medina greeted students in grades 5-8 by sharing the inspiration behind her latest book, “Graciela in the Abyss,” her first foray into fantasy fiction. Fifth graders taught by Lower School Spanish Teacher Jen Blanco read several of Ms. Medina’s Spanish picture books in class, and Middle Schoolers have read some of her middle-grade books. 

Ms. Medina said that when she was mulling over what genre to focus on, she thought, “I wonder if I can … frighten children! I decided I was going to write something that I’d never written before.” But, she admitted, “I’d never written fantasy, and I didn’t know what I was doing.” She set her story in the abyss, “the deepest part of the ocean … the part of the ocean we know the least about.” That mystery compelled her to wend her way through what turned out to be years of research about the ocean and the creatures that inhabit it. 

The Power of Imagination 

Ms. Medina enthralled students with the “love-hate” relationship she has with the ocean, which she described as mystical, beautiful, and sometimes frightening. “Wiggle your fingers in the air if you love the ocean but are sometimes scared of it,” she said, and dozens of hands popped up. “At night, when it goes from that beautiful blue to a big, inky expanse,” she whispered into the microphone, “I’m not so sure about the ocean then.” The abyss, she said, can be six miles deep (“imagine eleven Empire State buildings on top of each other … that’s how deep it is”) and completely devoid of sunlight. But the animals that live in it – including jellyfish whose bioluminescence makes them neon-bright – are fascinating. “There is what we know, and what we don’t know, about the ocean,” she shared. “It’s that space in between where imagination comes in.” 

“Every writer I know has to wrestle … you start with an idea that you think is fantastic and then you come to the page and you think, no, this is terrible,” shared Ms. Medina, who begins all of her books by creating her characters. (She has never worked with an outline.) “It’s like a roller coaster,” she said of the writing process. “You start, and you think, this is fun … and then, you have that pause at the top, and you don’t know what is going to happen, and there’s no escape. That’s what it’s like to write a book, my friends!” 

Ms. Medina’s talk resonated with students, who appreciated the details she shared about her life and her work.

Campbell Vorenberg ’32 said, “Ms. Medina made me really want to read ‘Graciela,’ because I love scary stuff!” Classmate Maddie Baron ’32 noted, “I learned that it is very hard to write a book. I really liked how Ms. Medina explained her writing process in detail. I loved how she can take her time and really think about how to make her books enjoyable. I love reading her books!”

Misha Umar ’32 said, “I really enjoyed hearing Ms. Medina talk about what it was like to write the book. I felt down when she told us that her mother and aunt died the year that she began writing ‘Graciela.’ She had to hold all her misery in a mental ‘box’ and not think about it. One thing I learned from her was to never give up when it comes to challenges. Perseverance accomplishes things. Ms. Medina was funny, expressive, and confident.” 

Middle/Upper School Librarian Crystal Hamlin worked with local bookstore bbgb, which arranged and facilitated Ms. Medina’s visit.

Ms. Hamlin said, “We were thrilled to welcome Meg to campus, and we are thankful to bbgb, who made signed copies of Meg’s books available for purchase. Author visits enrich learning in many ways. Students love hearing their favorite writers talk about the nuts and bolts of the writing process and share details about character development and storylines. An author visit shows students that writers are real people just like them. Students realize that they, too, can become writers. Author visits are a wonderful way to deepen connections between students and the world of literature.”