Paulette Whitehurst Booksigning

An English teacher writes her story of how teachers made a difference in her life

A Child Is a Poem You Learn by Heart, A Memoir in Verse

Mechanicsville, VA – Paulette Whitehurst, a local writer and retired educator, will be at Books,
Beads, and More on Saturday, October 3 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm selling and signing her first book, A Child Is a Poem You Learn by Heart, A Memoir in Verse. Books, Beads, and More is located at 8106 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Mechanicsville, VA 23111.

Whitehurst started by writing a family keepsake for her children and grandchildren. She wanted them to know what it was like growing up in the 50s and 60s. It developed into a story of love, abuse, and forgiveness written in lyrical free verse. It is a tribute to the teachers throughout her high school years who saved her from continuing in a cycle of poverty and abuse by encouraging her to follow her own path in life.
Mrs. Whitehurst, an award-winning teacher, taught elementary and middle school in Henrico County Schools for more than 30 years, and after retirement, she taught students at John Tyler Community College. While coaching and mentoring new teachers as well as supervising student
teachers for Virginia Commonwealth University, she became aware of the need for all teachers to feel they are making a difference. “That’s why we entered this profession, to make a difference. Teachers made a difference in my life. This year, more than ever, teachers need to know what they do matters.”

Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of Tony’s Wife and many other novels, wrote. “A Child is a Poem you Learn by Heart is an original, heartfelt and sweeping memoir in free verse of a South Carolina girl who dreams of being a writer and becomes one. The American south of the 1940’s
comes to life through the eyes of a girl who somehow, despite her youth and pain is able to see beyond the rolling green hills to a place in the greater world where she belongs. Beautiful!”

The book is available at Books, Beads, and More and on Amazon.com.