Lisa Luedeke '81 Visits Campus to Present Her Debut Novel Smashed and the Art of Storytelling

On Tuesday, December 6, alumna Lisa Luedeke '81, presented the art of storytelling and shared with FA students the building blocks like imagination, observation, and research that are essential to crafting an engaging story.
Using experiences from her personal life, Luedeke recounted a harrowing story about a car accident she was involved in as a student at Fryeburg Academy. This memorable experience became a major scene in her debut novel Smashed, published in 2012 by Simon and Schuster.

"Prior to Smashed, I’d only written short stories, so I learned by doing--and by revising, and revising and revising. I talk with kids about what I call the building blocks of a story. For starters, where ideas can come from. And then about how there is a central problem at the heart of any story that needs to be resolved," says Luedeke. "Characters grow out of the problem: who is in this mess? Why? What got them to this point? What are they going to do now that they’re in it? We talk about how you use experience, observation, and research to build a story. These are the basic tools I used while writing Smashed, and they can help students think about how to approach writing stories and tools they also have at their disposal."
 
Luedeke's debut novel tackles the issues of addiction and the challenges of adolescence. In her work with schools, Luedeke addresses how and why she wrote the book with students, using the story's narrative as a way to not only share how to craft a good story but to also encourage students to take responsibility for the choices they make.

"When I write, I always start with a complicated problem that interests me, and then think, Who would find themselves in this situation--and why? The question that guides me is, how did they get to this point--and how are they going to overcome it," continues Luedeke. "In a complex story, some things that happen have to be related to the main character’s choices and actions and motivations, and beliefs--some of which will be faulty. Then there are things that are beyond the character’s control. Part of Katie’s growth in Smashed is her coming to terms with what is her fault--what she must take responsibility for--and what isn’t."

An anthologized piece of Luedeke's work was also recently published in the book, Developing Contemporary Literacies: A Guide for the English Classroom - a collection of lessons and commentaries from various educators, scholars, and authors about developing student literacy through sports.

Luedeke is currently working on her second novel. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and daughter. To learn more about Luedeke, please visit her Facebook page.
 
Back

List of 5 news stories.

  • Fryeburg Academy Fall 2023-24 Honors/High Honors Roll Recipients Named

    We are pleased to announce the following students who have earned academic recognition at Fryeburg Academy for the Fall of 2023-24:

    HONORS
    Grade 12: (Honors)
    Charlotte Adamus
    Vittoria Bernardini
    Natalie Berry
    Dom Bond
    Jordin Booker
    Owen Burford
    Tori Butters
    Jilyan Byrne
    Lorenzo Catana Vallemani
    Jonah Densmore
    Vitoria Do Espirito Santo Teixeira
    Elle Dooley
    Austin Dorner
    Deniz Eroglu
    Manu Fandos Martinez
    Aidan Flanigan
    Amber Gagnon
    Mia Grandchamp
    Gal Hanan    		Emily Hoosier
    Noah Jacobs
    Emma Keaten
    David Kim
    Joey Kim
    Kardelen Lacinok
    Helena Landry
    Margherita Lassini
    Leo Lee
    Celine Lee
    Ana Maillett
    Moss Marques
    Caroline Masterman
    Asher McKenney
    Ryan Meade
    Natalia Millan Arenas
    Mina Milosevic
    Tommy Morini
    Tasia Nason    		Rachel Pizzo
    Grace Porcaro
    Abby Pratt
    Ashe Rabideau
    Winter Raymond
    Dustin Rhoda
    Gideon Richard
    Leah Rokes
    Margherita Rossi
    Gunnar Saunders
    Louie Shin
    Lamar Smith
    Hunter Tripp
    Tanner Tripp
    Gabby Udoto
    Logan Walton
    Kara Willette
    Connor Williams
    Mary Wing
    Kevin Zhou

  • Academy Students Earn Silver and Bronze at the National FFA Convention

    From October 31 through November 3, five members of the Academy's FFA Chapter (Future Farmers of America) and faculty member Jennifer Solter Jones attended the National FFA Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

  • FA's Falls Sports Assembly Honors Student-Athletes

    On Thursday, November 16th, Fryeburg Academy celebrated the fall sports season with its annual fall sports awards assembly held in the Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center. The following student-athletes were recognized for their outstanding performance during the fall 2023-24 season:
     

  • Joseph R. Manning Installed as the Academy's 55th Head of School

    Fryeburg Academy and the Board of Trustees announce the installation of Joseph R. Manning as the Academy’s 55th head of school. The Installation Ceremony was held on Friday, November 3, 2023, with members of the Fryeburg Academy community, the Board of Trustees, and former head of school Erin P. Mayo in attendance as a guest speaker. Manning steps into this new leadership role during the school’s 232nd year, following a long-tenured and successful career at the Academy spanning twenty years of service. 

  • FA Students Earn Letters of Commendation in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program

    Fryeburg Academy seniors Tyler Bartick and Jiwon Choi have earned Letters of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSC) for their performance on the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).

Fryeburg Academy

FRYEBURG ACADEMY
745 Main Street
Fryeburg, ME 04037
p. (207) 935-2001      
f.  (207) 935-5013      
admissions@fryeburgacademy.org
Fryeburg Academy is an independent boarding and day school, serving grades 9-12 and postgraduate. We invite you to explore our site and learn how students from around the globe find their place in the world through our exceptional academic, art, and athletic programs.