Bellon Visiting Author

With great pleasure, the Bellon Visiting Author Series announces Janet Wong, guest artist for 2015.  She is an author and poet of many wonderful books. And happily she will be in Pocatello March 9-11!

Wong didn't start out wanting to be an author, and in fact she says she actually hated poetry at first. But after several years as an attorney and Director of Labor Relations at Universal Studios, she felt she was becoming "a mean person" and was ready for a career change. She was visiting a small children's bookstore finding books for her nephew when she had the "ah hah" moment that she too might enjoy writing books for  children. She wanted a chance to do something meaningful that would help children. And the rest is history.

Wong and her work have been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and on NPR's Car Talk. She is a sought after lecturer for education and library  conferences, and she was even invited to the  White House National Poetry celebration. Her cultural heritage is Korean, Chinese, and American, having grown up in Los Angeles. Her writing and poetry reflects her cultural background and is notable for its honesty, warmth, and humor.

Janet Wong will appear at the Marshall Public Library on Monday, March 9, from 4-5 p.m. On Tuesday, March 10, she will present at the ISU College of Education from 7-8 p.m. with a book signing at 6:15 pm. Lastly she will speak at the Portneuf District Library on Wednesday, March 11, at 4 p.m.

Please find time in your schedule to attend one of her free performances. It will be well worth the effort to meet and listen to this fascinating woman.

Becca Hyde, Early Childhood Librarian