How to Meet Famous People in the Airport

Years ago, my wife and I began making a list of 50 things we’d like to do before we turn 50. Some items are easy, some hard to accomplish. And then some of them are just plain weird.

For so long I’ve wanted to meet someone famous while traveling through and airport. To be walking along and see a popular TV or movie star would be incredible.

I would walk up and ask, “hey, are you [ENTER FAMOUS NAME HERE]?”

“Why yes,” they grin in their terrible disguise of ballcap and sunglasses. “Would you like a picture?”

I would get a selfie and have them sign something, then we’d go our separate ways.

The problem? I’m pretty sure that I could never recognize anybody. And I don’t keep track of who’s popular anymore. It’s a paradox. I want to meet somebody famous. But I never will.

That is, until I walked up to my gate in the Atlanta airport. The delay on our flight to Lima grew longer and longer. We’d boarded and deplaned after a mechanical problem. I stood toward the back of a line of tired passengers, ready to be at their destination. My attitude had faltered, but I was determined to recover it.

So I struck up a conversation with a lady in front of me.

“We’ll eventually get there,” I said, making small talk. She was a kind-looking lady of maybe 60, traveling with her son. Another son was getting married in Peru. We talked of Peru, our respective plans, and then our conversation turned to occupation.

“What do you do?”

“I’m a children’s book author. “

“That’s incredible!”

“Thank you. I write stories and poetry.”

And Joyce Sidman isn’t just any author. She is a multi-award-winning crafter of words. Her poetry and stories bring joy, provoke thought, and nurture souls. If you can find Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night, please pick it up (link below). This Newbery Honor winning collection of poetic animal tales and night reflections is breathtaking for kids and adults alike.

As I found my seat and tucked into our six-hour flight, it hit me. I had just met somebody famous in the airport. It hadn’t been the latest action star or big-name in music. Joyce was so much more than that. Her work is actually important. Her work inspires, educates, nurtures hearts, and downright delights.

And it delighted me to meet her.

anthony forrest

About Joyce:

Joyce Sidman is the author of many award-winning children’s poetry books, including the Newbery Honor-winning Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night, and two Caldecott Honor books. Her recent book The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science won the 2019 Robert F. Sibert Medal. She also received the NCTE Award for Excellence in Children’s Poetry, in recognition of her body of work. In her home state of Minnesota, she teaches poetry writing to school children and walks through the woods with her dog Watson.