The Guest Author program at SJS, supported by Annual Giving, welcomes talented writers from across North America and further afield to share their life stories and their journey to becoming published authors.
Often, an author’s journey to becoming a published writer is something that they have been working towards since they were a young child. Others find their way into writing through a life full of adventure, filling their spirit with stories meant to be told. Such is the case with our latest visiting author, Dion Leonard.
Dion has had a remarkable journey and he shared an exciting insight into his determination, empathy and sense of humour that has turned him into a New York Times Best Selling Author. After a successful career in the business world, Dion decided to take up running as a hobby. He not only set a goal to run races, but began to train and became an elite ultramarathon runner.
During the course of a seven day race through the Gobi desert, he formed a bond with a stray dog who joined him along the 155 mile long race. The students were entertained and enthralled by the extreme race conditions that both Dion and the pup (who was given the name Gobi) endured together. In a race where only half the entrants completed, both Dion and Gobi received finisher medals.
The friendship and loyalty between Dion and Gobi was evident from their very early days together. In response to a student question about their connection, Dion described their bond as “unbreakable.”
The Grade 3 and 4 students got to answer trivia questions for the opportunity to pet Gobi and all Kindergarten to Grade 4 students enjoyed plenty of photos, videos and interactive engagement as Dion shared their story. Many went home with signed and pawtographed books that they are eager to read. Dion’s many inspirational stories with messages of compassion, community and never giving up will surely leave an indelible mark on these young minds.
Our guest author program is funded by our generous donors, bringing wonderful storytellers and writers from across the world to SJS.
We will be looking out for the Hollywood movie version of Dion and Gobi’s novel for adults in a couple of years. In the meantime, their books are available for a wide range of ages to read!