Scotch Plains-Fanwood Teacher To Sign Copies Of Her Books

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ — Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School English teacher, Gwyn E. Nielsen will be signing copies of her four book titles at The Town Book Store in Westfield on Saturday.

The signing will be on April 6 at the store at 270 E Broad St. in Westfield from 2 to 4 p.m.

Nielsen was born in Westfield before moving to Mountainside and then finally to Scotch Plains where she has been for the past 22 years and raised her family.

Nielsen began writing books when her daughter was just a child.

"Becoming a writer was not something I wanted to do consciously," Nielsen said. "When my daughter was growing up, she was demanding and loved stories and got tired of storybooks. She would say, 'I want you to compose a story for me and for it be a completely original story.' "

Nielsen then penned her first book "Torey the Turkey Goes Skiing," a children’s book in 1998.

As Nielsen’s daughter got older she wanted to continue to spark her daughter’s interest in reading. That’s when she composed her second book "Serendipity & the Dream Catcher," a chapter book for teens.

She later put together a book of poetry called "Teaching Love Life" and finally her most recent book "From Footlights to Flashlights: Ten Conceptual Plays That Reach And Teach Teens."

Through all of her books and the signing event, Nielsen’s main goal is to reach teenagers.

"Young people today don’t value books. They spend too much time on their phones and are overly concerned with social media," Nielsen said. "What I am really selling to them is the concept of books over what they can find online."

Nielsen is inviting her students, teenagers from all over and their families, and community to come to the book signing to meet her and also check out the book store.

"It’s all about keeping books in print," Nielsen said. "I just feel there is something about a book that is so timeless. There is just something about curling up with a book in your hands, turning the page and experiencing the sensory sensation."

For more information on Nielsen and her books visit www.gwynenglishnielsen.com or amazon.com/Gwyn-English-Nielsen. Her books are also available at Barnes & Noble.

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