About

When I was little, I couldn’t wait to go to the library and check out all the books I was allowed to bring home. In our house, we didn’t own any picture books, novels, or encyclopedias. My parents had immigrated from India to start a new life in Canada and had only brought their suitcases with them. They spent their wages on the fundamentals: mortgage, food, clothing, and trips back home. Books were considered an unnecessary expense, especially since I could borrow them.

Maybe this is why I thought the library was a magical place. It was my connection to the wider world: dreams I hadn’t yet dreamed, perspectives I hadn’t considered, adventures I needed to take. This delight in reading and learning has stayed with me all these years. Even now, you can almost always find me with a book, notepad, and pencil within reach. And I’m still enchanted by libraries.

In 2003, my husband and I moved to a small, upstairs house in Leiden, the Netherlands. Our two children were born soon after. When they reached school age, we decided to continue learning together as a family. It turns out that if you homeschool your kids, you have an excellent excuse to turn your home into a library. We have books tucked away in every room and often on every surface. Even though we keep adding bookshelves, the books refuse to fit.

I created Tumbleweed Writers after our children started attending more classes. Now that the kids had other teachers, I missed having my own learning community. Discussing stories and ideas nourished my soul, and supporting kids as they worked out how to become better writers gave me joy. I wondered if there was a way I could keep spending my days reading and learning, and also help a new generation of thinkers, writers, and readers. Tumbleweed Writers gives me the space to do this.

You can read more about my background in teaching on the FAQs page.