The Coshocton County Beacon

Reporter Writes About a C.J. Heck Author School Visit

Today, Something Different: a newspaper article by a reporter who attended an Author School Visit I was doing one town over from where I was raised.

It’s an excellent article. It will give you a look into who I am, what used to be my favorite world, and what I loved doing most: An Author School Visit.

Shortly after this, because of my painful osteoarthritis, I was forced to stop doing school visits and I really miss them.

The Coshocton County Beacon (February 3, 2010 Edition) by Mark D. Fortune, Owner

Local Poet/Children’s Author, C.J. Heck, Visits Conesville Elementary
January 29, 2010

Students at Conesville Elementary received a rare treat Friday, January 29, when popular local Children’s Author, C.J. Heck, came for an Author School Visit and book signing.

Heck was there the whole day entertaining group after group of students with the brilliant poetry from her book, “Barking Spiders (and Other Such Stuff)”, published in 2000.

Heck, who now lives in Florida, is a local Coshocton native. She grew up on Elm Street and graduated from Coshocton High School in 1967. Some of her family is still living in the area. Her maiden name was Parrish.

Heck spends most of her time traveling to elementary schools throughout the country inspiring children of all ages to share her love of poetry .

Although she is an adult, Heck’s writing comes to us from a child’s point of view to more accurately portray childhood and better relate to her targeted audience the many things children question and enjoy in their world.

Most of Heck’s children’s poetry is based on her childhood experiences, or her siblings, her children, grandchildren, and even strangers and students she meets when doing school visits and they ask questions —maybe even you.

Her first children’s poetry book is called “Barking Spiders (and Other Such Stuff)”, but these aren’t your traditional eight-legged fiends she’s speaking of.

“When my children were small, we were all sitting on the floor playing Chutes and Ladders,” Heck said, “It was a wooden floor and all of a sudden, a daughter passed gas. She said, ‘Oh I’m so embarrassed’ and she covered her face.

Suddenly, my brother stood up and yelled, ‘Hey Sue, you’d better get the Raid. We’ve got some barking spiders in here.’ We all cracked up laughing and my daughter wasn’t embarrassed anymore. That’s where I got the idea for the poem, ‘Barking Spiders’, which inspired the book.”

Heck started each session by introducing herself to the kids and asking how many love poetry. Hands went up around the room.  Then she asked how many hated poetry.  A few hands tentatively went up.

Heck took that as a challenge and began teaching them a little about poetry. She explained to the kids that poetry touches their lives every day. Some doubters shook their heads ‘No’ which she expected  She taught them poetry was in greeting cards, song lyrics, commercials, and even tongue twisters.

For the next ten minutes, the class giggled and laughed as they tried their best to master the tongue twister Heck taught them. Then the large group was split in half to see which side could out-do the other, louder and faster, especially when Heck put her hand to her ear and shouted, “I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” They got very loud and very fast and Heck called it a draw.

Next, Heck had the children challenge the teachers and parents together. This time I played along and it was a lot of fun.  Heck then asked, “How many still hate poetry?” No hands went up.

After the class untwisted their tongues, Heck began reading her poetry. Heck’s writing was amazing and her subject matter was something both children and adults could relate to. The children could easily relate to Heck’s style of writing and I watched the adults nodding as they sat listening and remembering their own childhoods through her poems.

Many of the students recited Heck's poems along with her as she read her poetry to them. "There is no greater compliment to a writer than to have other people know their work," she told them.

Third-grader Megan Magee was one of them. "I loved it!" she said. "I know all of her poems and my favorite one is called 'Yes or No.'“

There are about 60 poems in her "Barking Spiders" book. Some of them are sad, such as my favorite, "Grandma's Apron," which could be about everyone’s grandmother. Others are funny, such as "Playing Cowboy," which Heck said is from her own childhood, where she put more miles on her mother's broom as her pinto pony than her mother did by sweeping the floor.

Conesville Elementary Principal, Joel Moore, asked Heck how she came up with some of the unusual names, such as the poem about Schlossenfuss.

"My dad used to blame things on imaginary people such as 'Schlossenfuss,'" said Heck. "I just feel closer to him when I use those things in my poems."

“Heck was invited to the school in honor of our upcoming Right-to-Read Week. She was highly recommended by one of our teachers," Principal Moore said. "Her visit has been a good way to get everyone excited about the plans we have to celebrate Right to Read Week.

We've had the sixth-grade students reading her poems during morning announcements over the loud speaker the past several days, and the upper grades have been studying poetry recently."

At the end of each presentation, Heck left time for questions. She really has a gift with children. Those students were actively engaged for the whole hour. Even the children who first admitted to hating poetry were asking questions about writing, getting published, and Heck’s own childhood at the end.

She also answered other very important questions such as, “What’s your favorite poem?” and “What’s your favorite animal?” and “Do you have any poems about dirt bikes?” and “Where do you get your poem ideas from?”

“My inspiration can come from anyone,” said Heck, “maybe even you. It started out to be just a record of my life and childhood, but when my kids were born, I started writing down funny things they did and said.

Now I have grandchildren. I call them on the phone and read a new poem to them and they tell me if it’s good or not. If it’s not, I rip it up and start another one, or put it in a drawer somewhere. They’re my greatest critics and my greatest fans.”

Heck does school visits, book signings, poetry workshops, and young author conferences throughout her home state of Ohio and many other states to instill a love for poetry with children. She also has written adult poetry, and is ready to publish her adult poetry and a book of short stories very soon.

Most poems Heck writes have a subtle message in them, such as “The Quarter”. It’s about a little boy who finds a quarter on the sidewalk and he’s wondering what to buy with it. As he and his father are walking downtown, they see a blind man in a wagon holding a cup.

The little boy decides to give his only quarter, all the money he has, to this blind man. Thinking his daddy will be mad at him for giving away his money, the little boy is shocked when his daddy says he’s proud of him.

“There’s no money in books,” said Heck, “but if you’re not shy and you can go out and visit these students in schools, that’s where all the fun is (and you get paid very well, too). I get an adrenalin high every time I talk to kids in schools.”

C.J. Heck has eight more books ready to be published. She is also planning on publishing two new books of children’s poetry next month.

(Article submitted by the courtesy of: Mark D. Fortune, Owner, p.2)

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