Local author, illustrator host book signing March 25
City resident Nada Brown spent almost three decades as a teacher, many of those years as a Bellefontaine Middle School language arts educator, and loved inspiring her pupils to uncover their passions and also to find joy in writing.
“Sometimes, students don’t think they like writing, but I would encourage them to find topics they enjoyed writing about…and that really made a big difference.”
Now in her retirement, Mrs. Brown has put her own passion for poetry into action and accomplished her goal of publishing a book of poems, with the help of local artist and illustrator Cassie Hassel.
A witty and light-hearted spin on traditional nursery rhymes with a dose of adult humor, Grandmother Goose & Company for Seniors, is now available for purchase at several area retailers, and also for sale online.
The author dedicated her book to her former Bellefontaine students. Her 29 years in the education field included 25 years in Bellefontaine City Schools.
“You helped to define the writer that I became,” she said to her students. “Your youthful hopes and dreams were contagious and empowered me to realize my own dreams. I hope you are still writing!”
Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Hassel are also looking forward to sharing the book with the community at an upcoming book signing, slated for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at The Nest, 204 W. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine, where the book is currently available for purchase.
Other locations to purchase Grandmother Goose & Company for Seniors include A Robbins Nest Antiques & Gifts, 112 S. Main St., Bellefontaine; The Fun Company, 136 S. Main St., Bellefontaine; and the Mary Rutan Hospital gift shop.
A native of Sterling, Ill. who taught first-grade in Columbus before moving to Bellefontaine, Mrs. Brown said poetry always just “clicked” with her. For years, she enjoyed writing poetry for special occasions when asked by family and friends, such as baby showers, anniversaries and birthdays.
Along with entering her students’ work in poetry and writing contests regularly, Mrs. Brown said she entered her own pieces as well. Three of her poems won Editor’s Choice Awards and were published by the Library of Congress, she noted.
The idea for Grandmother Goose & Company for Seniors first began after her youngest grandchildren were born in 2015 and the retired teacher bought them original nursery rhyme books. In the spring of 2018, she began reimagining the nursery rhymes as if a senior citizen wrote them from a humorous perspective.
“Having reached Medicare age, I wondered what they might sound like if rewritten highlighting the slanted generalizations that society makes regarding senior citizens. My mind zoomed outside of the box, as it often does, and the book was born.”
That summer, Mrs. Brown said she shared some of her poetry with her small group Sisters by Choice, a group of seven women, all former educators, who enjoy meeting for fellowship and Bible study. They encouraged her to pursue publishing the book, and also helped her start to look for a publisher.
Around the same time, the author also reached out to Mrs. Hassel to see if she would be interested in providing illustrations for the book. The pair had previously connected through BMS, where Mrs. Hassel’s husband Michael served as a principal.
Then in more recent years, they were in touch when Mrs. Hassel had created paintings as wedding gifts for Mrs. Brown and her husband Roger’s children.
“I’ve been very familiar with Cassie’s work through the Logan County Art League and she created the most beautiful paintings of our children’s honeymoon locations. I thought it would be wonderful to be able to partner with her for the book.”
“It was fun to be creative and was a great experience,” city resident Mrs. Hassel said.
“I’m glad that Nada entrusted me to illustrate the book.”
The next several years were somewhat challenging determining how to publish the book, Mrs. Brown said. She noted she received the “nicest rejection letter ever” from one publisher, stating that they had a full slate of books at that time, but encouraging her to reapply.
“But I was almost 70 already, and didn’t have up to another year to wait,” the now 71-year-old said.
So she looked at self-publishing through BookBaby, and the book was published in the fall of 2022. Health issues hit Mrs. Brown and her husband hard in the months that followed, so she is excited to now be in better health and be able to promote the book.
“We learned so much as we went, as it was our first time publishing a book,” she said about her and Mrs. Hassel’s collaboration. “There was lots of trial and error along the way.
“I think we need a little more humor in the world, and we’re hoping it can bring some laughter to the whole aging process.”
Grandmother Goose & Company for Seniors also is available on Amazon; ebooks are $9.99 and paperbacks are $13.99. Locally, the books are sold for $15, with tax included.
A poem from Grandmother Goose & Company for Seniors:
One, two,
Velcro shoes.
Three, four,
“What hit the floor?”
Five, six,
“Honey come quick!”
Seven, eight,
“We’re already late.”
Nine, ten,
“Where have you been?”
Eleven, twelve,
“Waiting for help!”
