Letters About Literature
Tyler Gaines, staff writer
Festival of the Book is a local event in central Virginia that brings people together to celebrate their appreciation of literature. According to the Virginia Festival of the Book’s website, David Barclay Moore, the author of The Stars Beneath Our Feet, was called on to give honorary remarks in celebration of Virginia students selected as winners and honorable mentions in the state-wide 2018 Letters About Literature competition.
Moore’s introduction extensively talked about the inspiration behind his work and how he became a writer. He grew up in a small town in Missouri with his family before moving to New York, becoming a “Brooklynite,” as he put it.
He wanted characters in his novel that represented himself and others that felt the same way at a time African Americans lacked that representation. As he grew up, he noticed that the older his siblings and friends got, the more they seemed to lose their sense of imagination and dreams. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’engle, inspired Moore to write The Stars Beneath Our Feet.
Lolly, the main character of The Stars Beneath Our Feet, is a young adolescent in conflict with the idea of growing up and still being the kid he is, For example, he loves to play with Legos. Lolly’s conflict with being one of the weird, nerdy kids who do not feel like they are “normal” or they should be more mature at a certain age. Having all of this and dealing with the death of his older brother is a lot for anyone, especially an adolescent, to take on. Moore said, “My hope is that The Stars Beneath Our Feet, like A Wrinkle in Time before it, will help children from all walks of life to learn something about themselves, and to accept themselves for whom they truly are.”
Swarms of people showed up to the event, some portions of the event even streamed online. Parents looked on and took pictures of their children receiving their rewards from fourth grade all the way to 12th.
Photography by Tyler Gaines
Everyone spoke elegantly about the stories and authors that have inspired them to write. Each story the young writers told had meaning behind them.
It was nice to see young writers express their passion for literature.
