In this engaging presentation, author Cindy Baldwin will share how growing up with cystic fibrosis (CF) influenced her author journey, teaching her resilience and the true power of books. Through the story of how Cindy became an author, she'll show how the hardest things in our lives can sometimes lead us to our strongest superpowers.
Cindy Baldwin is the author of No Matter the Distance, a Junior Library Guild selection and this year's A Novel Idea Youth selection. She has also written the critically acclaimed novels Where the Watermelons Grow (an Oregon Spirit Book Award Honor, Indies Introduce title, and Indie Next selection), Beginners Welcome, and The Stars of Whistling Ridge. She lives just outside Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter.
About No Matter the Distance:
Penny Rooney has cystic fibrosis, which means she has to do breathing treatments to help her lungs work. Some days, it seems like her CF is the only thing Penny knows about herself for sure. From her point of view, everyone around her can make sense of their place in the world. So why can't Penny even begin to write a poem about herself for school?
Then, during spring break, Penny spots something impossible in the creek behind her house: a dolphin, far from its home. Penny names the dolphin Rose and feels an immediate bond, since the dolphin is also sick. But as Penny's CF worsens, she realizes that Rose needs to return to her pod to get better. Will Penny be able to help guide Rose back to the ocean, even if it means losing her friend?