Janet May

Who has inspired you in your life and why?

Roberto Clemente and Annie Proulx, among others.  We mostly know about Clemente due to baseball and he was a great player. However he did many things that in his time were courageous, including pushing back against discriminatory housing practices that were rampant in baseball, particularly during spring training.  He also, when televised after a playoff game spoke in Spanish to send greetings to his family after a game, taking the network by surprise.  Clemente “pushed the envelope” through how he lived every day and that is why I admire and respect him.

I admire Annie Proulx for the stories that she tells and her gritty, challenged characters.  I particularly like her book, The Shipping News, a tough story with redemption and renewal at the end.