Nancy Roe Pimm & Shaesta Waiz

Shaesta Waiz and Nancy Roe Pimm

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Show notes

While FLY, GIRL, FLY is a beautiful picture book for young readers, this interview is for everyone. Shaesta Waiz, an Afghan refugee, became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world at thirty years old. That mission, with 32 outreach events around the world, was focused on inspiring young people in aviation and STEM and to show them that if you dream it, you can do it. In the interview we talk about Shaesta’s childhood, growing up in two worlds as an Afghan refugee in the United States, her solo trip, nineteen year old Zara Rutherford, who is on her voyage to break Shaesta’s record, the Aviate with Shaesta podcast, and the current situation in Afghanistan. Nancy Roe Pimm is the author of eight books for young readers, including THE JERRIE MOCK STORY: THE FIRST WOMAN TO FLY SOLO AROUND THE WORLD . . . and there are more to come. We’re so grateful to Nancy for her curiosity, enthusiasm, and writing craft to tell the stories of these inspiring women in aviation. And special mention to the artist, Alexandra Bye, whose gorgeous illustrations in this book provide a perfect visual interpretation of the text on the page to spark the imaginations of young readers.

You can find them at their websites: Dream Soar, Aviate Platform, Nancy Roe Pimm, Alexandra Bye.