), it might be good to take turns in the chair and share some stories...The first novel I ever read as a kid was Fahrenheit 451 in the sixth grade. At that point, I had already discovered Shakespeare, mythology and comic books, and so I was well on my way to what would become my life's path. But this was different. Bradbury flipped a switch in my brain, for the power of storytelling and of language, how you could weave worlds out of mere words. You could tell these small human stories, our little failings and minor victories, writ large against dystopian backdrops or alien landscapes. A child's imagination walking through a field could set the cosmos to spinning. Nothing I read or wrote after that would ever be the same. He was a childhood hero of mine and an influence throughout my life. He will be missed, but the universe vibrates with the power of his tales. And I'll forever be grateful for that gift.
