Caroline Kennedy is My New Best Friend

This is kind of old news, but still worth noting: on April 12, 2011, I became friends with Caroline Kennedy.

Setting: 100 people in small room at a Barnes and Noble in Seattle
Context: Book signing of her newest poetry anthology She Walks in Beauty

When I went up to get my book signed, our conversation went something like this:
Me: "I used to be a NYC public school teacher and I want to thank you for all you do for public schools."
CK: "Did you try to get as far away from there as possible?"
Me: "Not exactly, but when I was there, I did poetry slams with my students in the Bronx, like you talked about, through a group called DreamYard."
CK: "Really?! I work with DreamYard! What school were you at?"
Me: "PS 32."
CK: "I've been there! What is your name? Do you know [so-and-so]?"
Me: "I'm Jen Nuckols, but I don't know her. She must have come after I left."
CK: "Did you know there was a peom about PS 32 in the book?"
Me: "Really? I had no idea! That's awesome."

I sit down in the front row of chairs, snap some pictures of her, and look for the poem. I find it, but it is actually about a middle school, not the elementary school I taught at.

After a few minutes, she looks down at me between autographs and says, "Did you find it?!"
Me: "Yes, it's great! Thank you so much for telling me about it." 

We're bonded now. I feel like we're kindred spirits. Besties. I want to call her up and go out to lunch together and discuss public education, poetry and being a woman.

My favorite detail about her that night was that she was wearing fluorescent-orange-and-pink Nikes with her pant suit and silk scarf. At the end of her remarks, she explained that she had forgotten to pack her dress shoes, and her running shoes were all that she had with her. I love that she didn't just go out and buy herself another pair.

She also said that she regrets that her mother, Jackie O, is primarily remembered for her fashion and style, because what she actually valued were words and literature. She would ask her children to memorize poems for her as gifts; she kept a book of all the poems her children had "given" her. Caroline memorized her first poem - it was 3 lines long - at the age of 3.

Caroline said that because poetry is bite-size, it "works" in our fast-paced society. She said that she has watched how memorizing and reading and writing poetry has built confidence in the lives of the students she has worked with in the Bronx. I can attest to that too. And finally, she argued that poetry is the simplest way to express human emotion - and the expressing and sharing of human emotion helps us to live better lives.

I wanted to stand up and shout "Amen!" numerous times as she spoke. We get each other. I am grateful for her and for all the other strong, articulate, intelligent, motivated women in my life who inspire me by contributing so much beauty and goodness to the world.