Page To Stage: 29 Dimes

On Thursday, February 26th, I was invited to East High School (NY) for a ‘Meet-the-Author/ Book Talk’ event and I was blown away by the special surprises in which the students and their teacher Mr. Wagner had planned.
The students did a great job in portraying the characters from two of my novels, ‘Wet Matches’ and ’29 Dimes’, as they acted out several key scenes from the two stories. When I first arrived at the school, I was expecting the typical Book Talk discussion which would normally take place in a large classroom, but an escort greeted me at the school entrance and informed me that we would be going straight to the auditorium first. And when I saw the colorful stage filled with the kids dressed in character and the set decorations, I was totally caught off guard. It was a wonderful surprise.
And not only was I treated to a fantastic stage performance by the students, I was also honored and presented with a nice ‘Thank You’ plaque and an elegant dime-bracelet, which was a replica of the bracelet that’s a crucial part of the plot in the ’29 Dimes’ love story.
There’s no greater compliment to a writer than seeing others take his or her characters and bring them to life. The students at East High School definitely made me feel ten feet tall on Thursday, but the true beauty of the whole event was seeing those energetic students express themselves and show off their natural talents in acting, singing, sound effects and in set design. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

No Higher Compliment

Author Tops Off Black History Month at East

The students from Mr. Wagner's Certified Nursing Assistant class paid homage to Buffalo's author, Randy Camp on Thursday, February 26, 2015. Mr. Camp was treated to two skits by the students that represented scenes from the two novels that the students recently read in class. The students also awarded Mr. Camp their Annual Distinguish Helper Award for his direct influence on their lives.

The first book the students read was "Wet Matches", a novel that metaphorically deals with the emotional impact that segregation of schools had on Mr. Camp growing up in the South. This novel is packed with empathy as race is superimposed on the journey of five lost teens who are coping with self-identity confusion, and their medical diagnoses of HIV. The second novel the students read, Mr. Camp's most recent work;"29 Dimes: A Love Story", is a very engaging story of a group of close teens, and their last summer before high school graduation. The story deeply explores teenage relationship issues with excellent characters development.

The C.N.A students easily related to the multiple issues that were addressed in this swiftly moving love story where the hero is a special needs high school boy who overcomes multiple obstacles to become the star of the story by giving his life for another. The students spent 20 minutes of each class period reading out loud and then were engaged in  daily writing assignments that dealt with the topic that was addressed in the book for that day. Mr. Camp's response to the event was "...there's no higher compliment for a writer than to see his characters come to life."

After the skits, Mr. Camp led the students in a round table discussion about not only the story, but the process, frustration, and challenges involved in publishing his books.

More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp  

Student of Life

As some of you already know, I attend college here in New York. But what you probably don’t know about me is that I consider my best classes the ones off-campus, the ones happening every day in the parks and on the metro.
One of my best classes is when I’m riding the metro and I’m observing the people around me. And another favorite class is when I’m walking through this tranquil city park, just a short distance from the campus, and a few of the regulars (the homeless, panhandlers, and the cigarette peddlers) wave hello to me and invite me to sit down for a brief chat.
Yes, indeed, the conversations and discussions we have with everyday people can be just as educational, engaging and interesting as those within any classroom. -Randolph Randy Camp

More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp