The Rural We: Vicki Kinsella
The Goshen resident wrote a bilingual book for both children and adults.
Vicki Kinsella describes herself as an avid walker and a dreamer, and those two activities inspired her to write and publish Come Look Up with Me ("Ven A Buscar Conmigo"). The book is written for a bilingual audience; each page is written in English and Spanish. Kinsella, who has lived in Goshen, Conn. almost all of her life, worked in the medical field for many years. The self-published book has been in the works for many years but seems particularly relevant these days in that it encourages us to think about inclusiveness, kindness, and observation. Kinsella will be signing books at The Wish House in Cornwall, Conn. on Saturday, May 8 from 2-5 p.m.
I wanted to write a book about imagination. Come Look Up with Me takes you through the power of poetry and the simplicity of the magic around us and above us, especially the sky, which we don’t really look at anymore — everyone’s always looking down at their cellphones. If people really started looking around themselves, we’d be less self centered. I think it’s important to be inclusive, and not think of ourselves as separate entities. We’re all living under the same sky.
As the social gaps grow wider, we can’t miss this opportunity to come together. The book includes a coloring book, so everyone can sit around and color together and create their own magic. Sharing makes it more meaningful.
The book art originated from my sister-in-law’s mother, who is in her late 80s. Over the years she’s sent me beautiful cards, which I’ve kept. She has a unique, simplistic way of drawing and I realized that she had basically illustrated the entire book. A local artist tranformed her work for use in Come Look Up with Me.
The book is meant to be for all generations, and it has a voice of its own because it’s bilingual. When I started writing it, I’d read it to my grandchildren to get their response, but now my grandchildren read it to me.
