Cathy Spagnoli

Cathy has written 18 books, received fellowships from The Japan Foundation, The Korean Foundation, USIS, and more organizations, made several cassette tapes, a CD, and many articles. Unfortunately, 10 years ago she was struck with brain cancer. After much hard work, she's back, working from her wheelchair at times, but still eager to share.

"The children were all excited from the movie," said the teacher, "but to have deprived them of this time with dance would have been unspeakable. The look they have in their eyes when we go into the dance room or the way they talk with about it with their hands afterward.... They adore it. To take that away from them would be like giving them double doses of Ex-Lax and sending them to bed". I was so moved by her words that I literally flew down the hall (and I also loved her description!)

Cathy wrote her first book when she was in third grade!

Once in the kingdom far away lived five brothers. One was named Gilbert, another Harry, another Herman, another Larry. And the fifth and littlest Simon. Well, one day when they were chopping wood, Gilbert said "let us go marry". Now the brothers were between 15 to 19 and Herman didn't think they would find wives so he spoke up and said, "why would want to get married, we're so young." "Well, we could at least look for a wife," said Larry. "Well I guess that would be all right" answered Herman. So the five brothers set up to find some wives (and so it starts, .......)