News about Terry Lee Marzell’s public appearances, past and future, reviews of her work, and articles/media coverage can be found on this page.

 

2024: November 9, 2024

Author Terry Lee Marzell and her celebrity spokes-dog Kurby made an appearance at the Bark Around Ayala Park in the city of Chino to promote Marzell’s latest book, Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles, on Sat., Nov. 9. This novel for young people—which is loved by adult readers, too—describes the adventures of the animals that live in the local dog park, and the dogs that visit the facility.

 

 

2024: September 7, 2024

Author Terry Lee Marzell made an author appearance at the Paws in the Park event held at Vila Borba dog park in Chino Hills on Sat., Sept. 7. There she introduced her new book, Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles, released just last month.

Vila Borba is the setting for the novel, which is an engaging story written for children, but is also entertaining for adults as well. The episodes teach important life lessons about kindness, resilience, and personal responsibility.

Terry was accompanied by her husband, Hal, and her pooch, Kurby, who actually appears in the book as a character. Kurby’s story is the basis for the the character named Bowser. In addition to the dogs who visit the park, the characters include two rabbits, a raccoon, and a squirrel whose antics will make the reader laugh out loud.

The Paws in the Park event featured a doggie fashion show, pooch races, and vendors. The heat was intense, but the event was a rousing success!

2024: April 28, 2024

I am excited to announce that BOTH my books have been selected as finalists for the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards by American Book Fest! Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes were selected as two of the five finalists named in the Education//Academic category. Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of American Book Fest, stated that this year’s contest yielded thousands of entries from authors and publishers from around the world, which were then narrowed down to the final results. American Book Fest covers books from all sections of the publishing industry, including mainstream, independent, and self-published. Awards were presented for titles published between 2010 and 2013. To see the entire list of this year’s winners, click on this link: 2024 American Legacy Book Awards.

 

Publications

 

2023: December 15, 2023

Author Terry Lee Marzell has been published in the 2022 edition of Writing from Inlandia. This is the third year in a row that Terry’s work appears in an Inlandia anthology. One of the pieces published in this year’s anthology is an amusing anecdote entitled “One Wild Ride.” The story describes her hair-raising experience riding an ATV in Mexico’s Sonoran Desert. The other piece is a poem entitled “The Pen.” To purchase the volume, click on this link to 2022 Writing from Inlandia on amazon.

2022: December 9, 2022

Terry Lee Marzell, author of Chalkboard Championsand Chalkboard Heroes, announces that two of her short pieces have been included in an anthology published by The Inlandia Institute. The anthology, entitled 2021 Writing from Inlandia, was just released in November, 2022. The first piece, “A Sewing Machine,” explores Terry’s personal recollections with the lost art of sewing. The second piece, “My Introduction to French Cuisine,” describes a dish that Terry sampled while on a tour of France, and then how she tried to re-create it when she returned home.

 

2021:  Sept. 2, 2021

Terry Lee Marzell, author of Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes, announces that two of her short pieces have been included in an anthology published by The Inlandia Institute. The anthology, entitled 2020 Writing Writing from Inlandia, was just released on September 2, 2021.

The first piece, “Flash Flood Casualties,” describes a true event from Terry’s life, when she was caught in a flash flood while driving through the Southern California desert. The second piece, “The Beauty in a Hundred Mundane Moments,” also nonfiction, describes a typical day in the life of individuals taking part in a community service project. Terry is among some 65 contributors to the collection, which features poetry, nonfiction, and fiction selections. The volume can be purchased on amazon.

Awards

2019:  May 9, 2019

Author Terry Lee Marzell received a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Legislature on May 9, 2019. The certificate, which was presented to her by Assemblyman Phillip Chen (District 55), was to honor Terry for her leadership and service. “We appreciate the vital role you play in the 55th Assembly District,” reads the certificate. “Thank you for your dedicated commitment and great contributions to our community.”

Terry earned the honor, in part, for her work towards recognizing and celebrating great teachers through her published books, her website, her daily blog, and her public speaking events. Terry is, herself, a retired teacher with a total of 36 years in the classroom.

“I was really surprised to receive this honor,” says Terry. “And I am very grateful to have my work recognized.”

 

Appearances

2021: November 15, 2021

Author Terry Lee Marzell was invited to address the Glendora Chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) at Glendora Public Library on Sat., Nov. 13. She spoke about the books, the two books she authored to recognize the achievements of remarkable American teachers. Many of those in attendance were retired or currently working classroom teachers.

 

 

2019:  Monday, May 20, 2019

Terry Lee Marzell addressed the Beta Phi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International on Monday, May 20, 2019. Terry discussed her two published books, Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes, and her other work to recognize and celebrate great teachers. She also shared her favorite stories about a few of the teachers featured in her books.

2019: Saturday, March 2, 2019

Terry Lee Marzell was inducted into the prestigious Delta Kappa Gamma International Society on Saturday, March 2, 2019, in an impressive ceremony held at Sierra Lakes Golf Course in Fontana, California. The organization was founded in 1929 to offer opportunities for women educators to assist each other in their efforts towards becoming better teachers.

2019:  January 10, 2019

 Author Terry Lee Marzell made an appearance on January 10, 2019, at the monthly meeting of the San Bernardino Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. The meeting was held at St. John Bosco Church Hall at 28991 Merris Street in Highland, California.

Terry shared some of her favorite stories about remarkable teachers that are contained in her two published books, Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes. She also shared information about the book she is currently working on, tentatively titled Chalkboard Politicians.

2018:  March 10-11, 2018

Terry Lee Marzell appeared at the 2018 Tucson Festival of Books held on March 10-11 on the campus of the University of Arizona, Tucson. She was one of 17 featured authors who appeared in the booth of Wheatmark Publishers. This year’s celebration of literature was the tenth year of the annual festival. Over the last decade, the two-day event has grown to become the third largest reader event in the country. Each year, the festival attracts more than 130,000 book lovers who enjoy author presentations, panel discussions, workshops, exhibits, and great food.

2015:  August 15, 2015

Terry Lee Marzell will appear at a local authors event at the Ceasar E. Chavez Library in Perris, California, on Saturday, August 15, 2015, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The event will feature raffles, a children’s storytime and craft, face painting, and refreshments. Terry, who will be one of two featured speakers, will talk about her two published works, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers Who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students (Tucson: Wheatmark 2012) and Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teaches and Their Deeds of Valor (Tucson: Wheatmark 2015). This event is open to the public and all are invited to attend. The Perris library is located at 163 E. San Jacinto, Perris, California 92570.

2015:  June 9, 2015

Terry Lee Marzell appeared at the Corona Public Library in Corona, California, for their Book-a-Paloosa celebration and local authors fair.

2015:  April 18 and April 19, 2015

Terry Lee Marzell appeared at the Barnes and Noble at 3625 Grand Ave., Chino Hills, California, 91719, at 1:00 p.m. for a book signing. Copies of her first book, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers Who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students and her second book, Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and their Deeds of Valor, were available. “I just love to tell stories about outstanding teachers,” Terry expresses. “And there are so many amazing stories to tell!” The event was scheduled to coincide with this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week celebrations.

2015:  March 8, 2015

The book Launching Party for the new book, Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and Their Deeds of Valor, took place in Chino Hills. Here’s the designer cake created for the occasion.

2014:  July 19, 2014

Terry Lee Marzell appeared at the Local Authors Fair at the Perris Public Library in Perris, California, on Saturday, July 19, 2014.

2014:  January 11, 2014

On Saturday, January 11, 2014, Terry Marzell participated in the Local Authors Fair held at the Eastvale Community Library in Eastvale, California. Here is Terry with Sharon Edwards, author of the fiction work Pioneer Boulevard.

2013:  October 19, 2013

Terry Marzell participated in the Local Authors Fair at the Glen Avon Library in Jurupa Valley, California. October 19, 2013.

2012:  September 15, 2012

Terry Marzell participated in the Local Authors Fair at the Glen Avon Library in Jurupa Valley, California. September 15, 2012.

Articles

The Press Enterprise in Riverside, California published an article on February 7, 2014, about Terry Marzell’s work as the librarian in the school library at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, California. Access the article at this link: School Librarian Doubles as Author.

Reviews

“You know what I love? Stories of awesome people. They inspire, teach, and lead by example. Such is the case with Chalkboard Heroes, a marvelous new book by Terry Lee Marzell… This is a remarkable, inspiring book of – yes, you guessed it – remarkable, inspiring teachers. What springs to mind when I read this? That ordinary people can do extraordinary things. That beliefs COUNT. That teachers are pretty special, indeed… What I love most about this book is the care taken in writing these lives. You can tell that Terry loves teachers, writing, researching, and the selflessness and caring that teachers bring to their students. This book? It’s a gift to the world, an act of love that shows how important teachers are, throughout history. We know the stories of some – Christa McAuliffe, Robert Moses, Dave Sanders. The stories of others I didn’t know both educate and warm my heart, from coping with racism to the frontier, from gender to social change. This is a history book, an ode to the teaching profession, and a deep look into the lives of teachers. But most of all, it’s a compilation of incredible lives, spent in the pursuit of something they cherished. That is, indeed, remarkable.”

—Dr. Jessie Voigts, Wandering Educators

You can read the entire review at: www.Wandering Educators.com

 

“Today, when teachers are in the throes of bureaucratic paperwork, subjected to administrators who make unrealistic demands, respond to parents who question a teacher’s seemingly unreasonable assignments and deal with students who, the teacher knows, come from incredibly difficult home environments, reading about these teachers’ lives will be an inspiration because, in the end, all a teacher wants to do is teach…I recommend this book to teachers of all grade levels. Middle and high school students would also benefit from the author’s clear, concise and correct telling of historical events and people.”

—Mary Breu, Author, Last Letters from Attu

 

“What an excellent job done on the chapter for Prof. Henry Cameron!  You actually brought him to life and gave him an identity and an existence. I commend you for your research and writing ability.”

—Donald L. Johnson, Cameron High School Alumni Association