DEAR WONDERFUL YOU,
Letters to Adopted & Fostered Youth
Interview with Contributor:
KAYE PEARSE
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How did
you become involved with contributing to Dear
Wonderful You: Letters to Adopted & Fostered Youth?
I am a
member of several adoptee-oriented Facebook groups and someone mentioned this
[Dear Wonderful You] project in one of them.
It sounded interesting, so I looked at the details on the AN-YA Project
website and decided to give it a try.
I’m not the best writer, but my adoption history is somewhat unusual and
I thought my experiences might be helpful to a younger person in a similar
situation.
Tell us
about a memorable letter you have received. How did the letter impact your
life?
One of the
most memorable letters I received came from my bio sister when I was a
teenager. We lived together until I was
16 months old, and then I met her again — briefly— when I was eight. I really didn't know anything about her. She told me about herself and the rest of my
biological family. She showed me how to correctly
spell her (and my!) last name. In her letter, I read for the first time the name
of my birth father. That was pretty
major information for me at a time when I was feeling especially lost.
When
you reflect on who you were as a child—what three words would you use to
describe your younger self?
Imaginative, angry, hurt
Imaginative, angry, hurt
Pick one:
pencil, pen, sharpie, crayon—
Pencils— but
only the mechanical kind. I always have
a supply on hand!
If you
were having a really bad day, what song would you listen to?
““Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M. It’s
an awesome “cry-along” song, while reminding me that I’m not the only person
who feels pain and experiences difficulties in life.
If you
were having an amazing day, what song would you listen to?
There’s no
one special song for amazing days. I
have a vast collection of CD's, from Irish folk music, to indie/alt music, to
Broadway, to bluegrass, to classical, to light opera – I always manage to find
just the right one for whatever mood I’m in.
Pick one:
morning, afternoon, evening, late night
Late night! If I could write my own schedule, I wouldn't go to bed until 3:00 or 4:00 AM and wouldn’t get up until 10:00 AM. I love the night. In the darkness, the world is a quieter, more
peaceful place; and living out in the country means that the night skies are aglow
with moonlight and aglitter with all the beautiful stars.
Name a
literary character whose “character” you find admirable. Why?
I always
wanted to be Beth from Little Women. She
was kind, generous, quiet, spunky, and loyal.
She was loved by all, and when she died everyone was heart-broken.
Pick one:
blank piece of paper, lined piece of paper, piece of construction paper—
A blank piece
of paper is intimidating and a piece of construction paper is too coarse and
“unfinished”. I love lined paper. It invites you to fill it with your own
thoughts and provides “structure” to help you do so. Whenever possible, I use college ruled paper
which has narrower lines. Since my handwriting is on the small side. It allows me to put more words on the page.
Describe
your perfect dessert.
A
hand-packed pint of Baskin-Robbins strawberry cheesecake ice cream and a spoon. Yum.
Would you
describe yourself as superstitious? Why or why not?
I like to
think that I’m too smart and logical to believe in superstitions, but that doesn't stop me from occasionally —knocking on wood, avoiding ladders and, in a theater, always referring to 'the Scottish play'!
When you
are writing, do you prefer silence or sound? Why?
I always
have some kind of sound in the background.
It actually helps me concentrate.
Pick one:
Coffee, tea, water, soda—
Well, I
don’t drink coffee, so that’s out. I don’t
drink a lot of plain water but I do enjoy seltzer water with a hint of fruit
flavor. You won’t find soda in my glass
very often, but when you do, it’ll be A&W diet root beer. I guess my favorite would be fresh-brewed
(decaffeinated) iced tea, with a spoonful of Sugar in the Raw®
What is
the first thing you do when you get out of bed in the morning?
I
groan. Yes. Really.
I have to get up for work by 5:30 AM.
I’m always MUCH too tired in the morning. After groaning... I let the dogs out, feed
the cats, and then start getting myself ready for the day ahead.
Tell us
about your life now. What are you working on? Do you have any projects recently
released or in the works?
I’m a middle school
teacher: math and special education. I've participated in the Destination Imagination program for almost 20
years.
I regularly volunteer at
my local no-kill animal shelter as well with as a national program (www.siameserescue.org) that rescues and
finds new homes for Siamese cats. I
share my small acreage with various critters, and find joy in each and every
one of them (except for the snakes and stink bugs).
Right now, I’m trying to
get my blog (http://adoption-interrupted.blogspot.com/)
up to date so that I can move past the memoir phase and start writing more
about current adoption issues.
I've also created a
“clearinghouse” webpage (http://www.adoptionactivism.org/)
where individuals and groups can post information about ongoing activities in
support of open access to adoptee birth records. It doesn't get much traffic yet, but I’m
hoping it will eventually be a useful resource.
I continue to perform in
local theater and the occasional (small) film role, but my somewhat remote
location means those opportunities are few and far between. However, New York and Hollywood casting
agents take note – I can travel!
Finally —I’m writing a
children’s book (having nothing whatsoever to do with adoption) which I hope to
publish later this year.
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