In Memory and Honor of Paula Cohen

Dear friends, You may already know that I lost a dear friend, Paula Cohen-Martin, on February 24, 2022. Many of you will know her as the genius art teacher-professional illustrator I used to collaborate with on Summer Camps for Fanwood Recreation.

Fearless Dragon Writers: If you were in our camps, you’ll know her as the one who let you throw plastic rings at her head (for our “Ring the Minotaur” game in Mythology camp) or perhaps, you asked her a question while she was dressed as “The Oracle” for “Ask the Oracle”—another game in Mythology camp. No matter what you said, Paula always had a snappy answer:

Camper: “What will I eat for lunch today?”

Paula/The Oracle: “Oh, today’s a good day. You will eat chocolate cake today.”

Camper: “But I don’t like chocolate cake.”

Paula/The Oracle: “Oh, you only think you don’t like chocolate cake, but you’ll see….”

Or, maybe she taught you how to pronounce, “el-e-va-tor” (“elevator”) in “World of Wizardry” camp while we were pretending to be Wizards in England, on a “fictional field trip” to America. (Because, after-all, we were “British,” and we all knew elevators to be “lifts”. The joy I had watching a roomful of children pronounce words they already knew with her, will remain with me forever.) Maybe, you laughed alongside her when she accidentally locked herself in the supply closet room, that one year. (Our attempts to free her with our “Alohomora” spell having failed, we simply went around the back and opened the other door for her.) Maybe she called you “Fred” that entire week, because, well, she’d admit names weren’t really her thing, but she loved teaching art to you, no matter. She loved showing you what art meant to her and how simple, recycled everyday objects could become—magical—whether we were in Wizardry camp or not. She was magical, all covered in glitter or glue, with a big smile on her face.

For me, she was a fabulously supportive friend, that rare creative soul-mate, and one of those people that you just know if you had run a DNA sample, you’d ultimately find you were in fact—sisters, somehow. There’s too much to express, and not enough time to process it all, but suffice it to say that the loss is deep and devastating. But, that’s not the purpose of this blog post. The purpose is to tell you that Paula, through her steadfast determination and hard work, achieved a dream of hers, before she passed.

She became a published author!

And, even better, she was able to hold her debut picture book, Big Dreams, Small Fish, in her hands.

Now, writers, if you are reading this, I want you to take note.

Writing books is hard, often lonely, soul-testing work. If you are mired in self-doubt, I want you to pull yourself back to your writing and keep working. There is no time to waste with self-doubt. If Paula taught me anything, it was to say “YES” to opportunities before knowing exactly how to do things—to figure it out later, to move forward…. Every. Single. Day. To swing for the fences. To dream, and dream big…. And, speaking of Big Dreams….

Big Dreams, Small Fish is charming, entertaining, and empowering for young children; how could it not be, when it was written and illustrated by Paula? I like to think of each copy of Big Dreams, Small Fish as a star in the constellation that is Paula, shining brightly for all to see and cherish. There are many outlets to purchase her book, but her preferred outlets were the independent bookstores: Bookshop: Buy books online. Support local bookstores. But, of course, you can also purchase her book on Amazon, where it has already become a bestseller: Big Dreams, Small Fish. (Please note, this is an Amazon affiliate link. I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases. However, all purchases made through this link I will contribute to the Highlights Foundation scholarship in Paula’s honor: Paula Cohen Scholarship for Picture Book Creators - Highlights Foundation. Thank you for your support!

If you are gifting this book to someone and you would like a letter to include to explain a little bit about the magic of Paula—and the magic of her book—I have written this letter in tribute of my friend: Paula Cohen Tribute Letter. (You may have to fiddle with your printer settings to get a nice copy, but it should work. If not, reach out to me at fearlessdragonwriters@gmail.com and I will email a copy to you.)

Thank you for sharing Paula’s book far and wide.

With gratitude,

Andrea Felcone

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