"A reader is born--maybe not even made," says Ashland University Professor and author Dr. Jane Piirto. " All we can do in schools is model that kind of behavior so people can see other people reading and that there are books around.",br.'There is no doubt that books surround Piirto (pronounced "peer toe"). And many of them are her own creation. The Three-Week Trance Diet, a novel characterized as "post feminist satire," was written in 1985 (Carpenter Press, Columbus, OH). A Location in the Upper Peninsula (1994, Sampo Publishers, New Brighton, MN) is a collection of essays, poems and short stories about her hometown of Ishpeming, Michigan, and the surrounding communities dominated by iron ore mining. "mamamama," "Postcards from the Upper Peninsula," and "Between the Memory and the Experience" are poetry chapbooks published between 1977 and 1996. Her 1992 textbook Understanding Those Who Create (Ohio Psychology Press, Dayton) is in its second printing and has even been translated into Chinese. Talented Children and Adults (Macmillan/Merrill, New York 1994) is scheduled for reprint 1999. "Writing for me is a natural means of expression," says Piirto. "I cannot not write. It keeps me mentally healthy. I would go crazy if I were not able to write." "Piirto is director of
Talent Development
Education at Ashland University. She helps train teachers at graduate
level
who are working toward licensure for teaching talented and gifted
students.
Her Understanding Those Who Create was so popular that it
received
an extensive review in the Columbus Dispatch in 1992.
"I told the textbook salesman who wanted me to write on this subject that writing a textbook is quite pompous. I said it isn't for me. I write poems, stories and novels." Nevertheless, she took on the task and produced Understanding. 'Academia is also a key part of Piirto's life. She received her under-graduate degree in English from Northern Michigan University, a master's in English from Kent Sate, and a master's in education guidance and counseling from South Dakota State University. She received a Ph.D. in educational administration from Bowling Green State University. Despite her strong affection for the Upper Peninsula (or "UP" as she calls it), she has lived and worked in Ohio for 23 years. "Ohio's a very beautiful state and it is progressive," Piirto says of her adopted home. "Ohio is a wonderful place to breed writers." To help with that breeding, Piirto has been an active member for the Ohio Arts Council and has chaired the Council's Literary Panel which screens writers and recommends grants. Piirto has received two Individual Artist Fellowships from the OAC. She is concerned, however, about the large number of authors who leave the state. "I don't think Ohio's education system is any better or worst than any other state. Maybe it's geographical or historical. I don't know." "Should young writers be encouraged to publish? "I'm of mixed opinion and I get that question a lot," she says. "The life of a writer includes a lot of rejection. Young authors need to get some writing under their belts before publishing. Books are like children. You send your children out there and a cold editor sends them back rejected. If you don't have a sense of self, you'll probably be very disappointed." 'If looking for what makes Piirto tick, A Location in the Upper Peninsula is a good place to start. The collection of essays, poems and short stories reflect the challenging beginnings of a serious writer and educator's life. The daughter of a welder father and an artistic mother, Piirto moves readers through the iron mines, isolated communities, a remote Air Force B-52 base, and birch branch switching in ubiquitous saunas. Her Finnish background plays a major role in the life portrayal. . . It is out there for everybody to read. As a poet, Piirto
believes memorization
still plays a key role in school. "In high school, my English teacher
had
us memorize poetry and that was wonderful. I encourage my graduate
students
to have their students memorize the soliloquies and sonnets of
Shakespeare
so that when they're dying they don't say, 'Oh baby, oh baby, oh
baby...'"
She also encourages teachers to take students to local poetry readings
at
coffee houses, bookstores or libraries. "It's hard to listen, but very
worthwhile. It can be awe inspiring."
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