SCH Welcomes Cordelia Jensen as Dempsey Writer in Residence

SCH welcomed author Cordelia Jensen to campus on Tuesday. She spoke with students about everything from mining everyday life for story ideas to the care it takes to start a book.

Her middle-grade books: Lilac and the Switchback, Skyscraping, The Way the Light Bends, and Every Shiny Thing draw on personal experiences, she told Middle Schoolers during her visit. She also spoke to them about how to “mine” their stories and map the world around them to “connect different pieces to something new.”

Jensen answered questions about how long it takes to get a book into the world (answer: It depends on the book!), and how she crafts dozens of exploratory poems to find the heart of a story.

This inspiring visit is made possible by the Dempsey Writer in Residence Fund, established in 2000 in honor of Deborah Dempsey, who retired after 29 years of teaching English at Springside School. The fund supports the residency of a professional writer, journalist, filmmaker, or playwright and celebrates Ms. Dempsey’s teaching legacy, ensuring that her passion for personal expression lives on.

“You never know what’s going to inspire you,” Jensen told students.