Step into the glittering world of 1920s New York and the intimate corners of a first-grade classroom in this deeply personal Literary Lines episode. Host GiGi Meier sits down with Elaine Sprawn, whose extraordinary journey from 40-year teacher to historical novelist will leave you inspired.

Elaine's writing career blossomed unexpectedly when she transformed her grandparents' real-life Jazz Age romance—including her grandfather Bill Corum, the sports journalist who coined the phrase "Run for the Roses"—into the sweeping love story Kiddie & the Major. But her literary path took a poignant turn with Strokewaves, her raw memoir of resilience after personal tragedy.

Between tales of tracking down speakeasies for research and her upcoming spring bookfair circuit, Elaine reflects on how forty years of teaching first-graders prepared her to write across genres. Listeners will be captivated by her insights on bridging generations through story, the bittersweet process of fictionalizing family history, and where she’d time-travel if given one magical year.

For anyone who believes it’s too late to start a new chapter, Elaine’s story—like the enduring love between Kitty and the Major—proves the most compelling narratives often unfold when we least expect them.

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