What I Learned from Haper Lee
When I first heard the news of Harper Lee's passing, I felt the gut-punch of sadness--like a dear relative had died. Several of my friends and former students reached out to me via Facebook and text to "check on me" because they know my adoration for this beloved author runs deep. After a busy Friday, I finally found the time to sit with my sadness. I scrolled through my social media feeds, reading the tributes that so many of my friends and fellow authors wrote about Harper Lee. I posted on Facebook: I spent my Friday night with a glass of wine, my dog named Scout, and my well-annotated copy of TKAM thinking about all the ways that Harper Lee's words have impacted my life. I feel a blog post coming on ... So here I sit on Saturday morning (that has rolled into the afternoon)--struggling to find the words to express how a person I never met could have such a profound impact on me. Harper Lee is more than a reclusive author; she's been a teacher, a