Juanita & Lee Raymond 

Website:

www.cypress-starpublications.com

Orion the Skateboard Kid is at once a tale of modern kids, trying to solve a very modern problem in their community, and an introduction to Astronomy, with its shapes and patterns in the stars the ancients believed were placed in the sky to teach valuable lessons to human beings.

In Orion, Juanita and Lee Raymond tell the story of Orion Hunter and her friends who are nearly hit by a van while skateboarding in a bank parking lot, and find themselves in trouble with the law. Inspired by the Milky Way, "a path of shining stars," Orion and her friends set out to build a skateboard park and bike path in their North Florida town.

Through hard work and perseverance, they must obtain the support of the entire community to make their dreams come true. Using the night sky as it's canvas, Orion the Skateboard Kid paints a story of heroes, conflict, honor and respect.

Juanita Raymond has been an amateur astronomer since 1985, introducing young and old to the wonders of the night sky through classroom lectures, planetarium shows, star gazes and publication of monthly star charts (see www.stargazers.org). She has been an active member of the Tallahassee Astronomical Society and a member of the ODYSSEY Science Center (now Mary Brogan Museum) since 1990. She has studied the mythology of many cultures in order to expand the learning experiences of young people as they study Astronomy.

Lee Raymond has been writing and editing professionally since 1983. His publication credits include personality profiles, newspaper features, essays and numerous articles on the subjects of writing and editing. He is a founding member of TWA and has served as editor of the TWA newsletter, Markings, since 1994. He has also provided publishing services for TWA's annual publications, Penumbra and the Seven Hills Review.