Meet an Artist: Jackie Minniti

It may be difficult to have a child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, but it is also tricky to make ADHD the subject of a compelling novel.

Author, former teacher and Treasure Island resident Jackie Minniti has done just that. At its heart, her critically acclaimed first novel is about teaching children with ADHD.

On Monday, Minniti will be the subject of a "Meet the Author" event at the St. Pete Beach Library.

There are many signs of ADHD, according to Minniti. She knows of which she speaks. For over 25 years in New Jersey, Minniti was a schoolteacher of grades kindergarten through eight. There she gained firsthand experience.

"There is a whole spectrum (of symptoms) and a gamut in between."

"In the late 80's, nothing much was known about ADHD," says Minniti. "It was then referred to as ADD, and was a catchall for things like autism."

Several encounters in the classroom inspired Minniti to understand the disorder.

"I wanted to learn as much about ADHD," she says.

Minniti scoured sources looking for whatever information was available. As she gained knowledge about the "new" disorder, she soon became an expert. In her school, whenever a child displayed symptoms of ADHD, they would turn to Minniti for advice.

"I became sort of the ADHD 'whisperer'," she says.

Later, Minniti left teaching middle school to work towards her Master's degree. Her thesis was in developing a classroom approach for teaching students with ADHD. Minniti considers the disorder "learning differences" as opposed to a "disease." Minniti speaks fondly of the time she spent researching kids with ADHD.

"I loved working with them," Minniti says. "They have a different way of looking at things."

"Project June Bug" is the story of Jenna Bianchi, a young high school English teacher challenged by a rebellious tenth grader. A poetry assignment reveals the student's behavioral patterns, and lead to series of events affecting the lives of Jenna and those around her. Like Minniti, Jenna makes it her "project" to learn and help the smart but troubled student.

The title refers to kids who cause problems for a teacher from the first day of school. They would "bug" the teacher so much that they would "pray for June."

In the narrative of "Bug," Minniti creatively incorporates a list of strategies for identifying and dealing with kids with ADHD.

"At first, it began as a young adult novel," but writing in a voice of a teacher as the lead character led Minniti to broaden her audience.

"I wanted to let kids see it from a teacher's perspective," says Minniti. "Teachers like it, and the ADHD community really identified with the characters."

"Project June Bug" has been well received, with several awards and nominations, including the Eric Hoffer Award for Short Prose and Independent Books. Minniti is also invited to speak on ADHD at a conference in Minnesota.

"Project June Bug" is available through Minniti's website, www.jackieminniti.com.

The St. Pete Beach Library's "Meet the Author" will be held at 7p.m. on Monday, August 22. The library is located at 365 73rd Ave., St. Pete Beach. For further details, call (727) 363-9238.