Greetings from Normal, Illinois! Yoo discovered Normal is far from “normal”… it’s awesome! I had a wonderful time meeting the faculty and students at University High School at the Illinois State University campus for an all-day visit to talk about my recent books, RISING FROM THE ASHES and FROM A WHISPER TO A RALLYING CRY.
(Thank you again to my booking agency THE AUTHOR VILLAGE for arranging this visit. For more info on how to book Yoo for future visits, please go here: https://theauthorvillage.com and https://theauthorvillage.com/presenters/paula-yoo/)
I was very moved by the students’ thoughtful questions and dedication to learning more about diverse events in American history and their commitment to social justice and raising awareness about solidarity between all our communities. Our future is in good hands! This Gen Xer hearts our Gen Z and Gen Alphas! 🙂
Some fun pics below of my whirlwind trip which included delicious dinners at Destihl Brewery & Restaurant (#CheeseCurdsFTW) and Medici (#AllThePastaFTW) and checking out the eclectic and charming stores along Broadway in downtown Normal, including cool vintage vinyl record stores and a skate shop!
But it wasn’t all fun and games. Yoo had to work! I spoke to several classes at University High School on April 1, 2025. I also enjoyed a yummy catered lunch from Chipotle with student members of many activist groups and the book club! Everyone asked such insightful questions and I was inspired by their activism in helping others less fortunate with their charity and activism groups. And I LOVED that they were all bookworms!
I really appreciated the hard working and brilliant teachers and librarians at University High School. Thank you to English teacher Cassie Graham, library specialist Stacey Durham, Assistant Professor English Education Dr. Shelby Boehm, English/journalism teacher Paulina Dabrowska, and especially librarian Amy Brokaw who also kindly drove me everywhere and we had a chance to bond on our adventures exploring downtown Normal together on my first day here!
We also talked about the importance of teacher unions in our country to provide fair living wages and protections for all teachers, librarians and faculty. What makes University High School unique is that it is a “laboratory” school. According to their website, that means: “The Laboratory Schools have been part of Illinois State University since its inception and have offered exemplary teaching for more than 150 years. We are one of the oldest and largest lab school systems in the United States and a department within the College of Education at Illinois State University. Both schools also serve as an environment to conduct research and development activities.” The school is located on the campus of Illinois State University, founded in 1857 as Illinois’ first public university. For more information, go here: https://uhigh.ilstu.edu and https://illinoisstate.edu
Yoo are on the road again soon for the upcoming ALA (American Library Association) June 26-30 conference in Philadelphia, PA to receive the 2025 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award and my May 29 event at my alma mater Seoul Foreign School in Seoul, Korea to speak at the graduation ceremony as Alumna of the Year (Class of 1987). Stay tuned for future blogs on those upcoming adventures!
Finally, when I’m not traveling, I’m in the #AmWriting Catcave. Many of you know we have three black and white cats – Oreo, Beethoven & Charlotte. Oreo even has his own Twitter/X page: https://x.com/oreothecatyoo And I often post cat videos on my Youtube page, like this silly one: https://youtu.be/AJHkZfSIQ9A?si=LsAhfT_m3DvJ-eOg and okay, this one: https://youtu.be/rdEVBXzJV8c?si=JMnOcuteCMMIDVSi
Well guess what? We now have FOUR cats. This little black and white cat started visiting us in November 2024 and we fed him several times a day. We did our research to make sure he was not lost and confirmed he was definitely a famous neighborhood stray cat. Well, we finally decided to adopt him after taking him to the vet to give him his health shots and make sure he did not have FLV. He had a clean bill of health and was given all his protective vaccines and he’s now an indoor cat. We named him after Lee Rocker, the bassist for one of our favorite bands The Stray Cats (haha get it?) and we call him “Rocky” for short because he’s such a “Survivor” (haha get it? Eye of the Tiger? 🙂 ) Thank you as always to the wonderful staff and doctors and vet techs at Culver City Animal Hospital. We love our #CCAHFamily! Remember to spay/neuter your pets to protect them! Please visit our awesome vet with your fur babies if you are the neighborhood! Go here: https://ccahospital.com
Welcome Rocky to the #AmWriting Catcave! Before and after pictures below. Happy #GotchaDay March 29, 2025!
Right now, Rocky is isolated until we can get the other cats used to his scent. Stay tuned for a future cat blog where hopefully the entire fur family can co-exist together! Oreo, Beethoven and Charlotte can’t wait to meet their new brother!
Until then, as I always say… WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT! #WriteLikeYooMeanIt Back to the #AmWriting Catcave until the next road trip adventure!