B.E. EXON – Brenda Embrey Exon

10 THINGS ABOUT B.E. EXON:

#1. Brenda Embrey Exon was born in Riverside, CA. She lived in California until she was ten years old.

Her dad, Jack D. Embrey, moved the family to Topeka, KS when he was promoted to Chief Chemist with the Santa Fe Railroad. In Kansas, Brenda “Bren” met her future husband, Randall Exon, at Jardine Junior High! They married at age 23, and Bren became “Brenda Embrey Exon” ~ B.E. Exon! The newlywed couple lived in Iowa City before settling in Wallingford, PA. There, they live to this day, beside Crum Creek, with four foxes, three frogs, two turtles, two cats, and one, very old ground hog!

#2. Thanks to her dad, J.D., working for the railroad, Bren got to ride the Santa Fe train for FREE! She loves trains a lot. B.E. Exon has completed a story, Mr. Martin Rowpa, that features a most unusual “train ride!” She is currently working on the illustrations and hopes to have the entire piece completed soon…. Stay tuned!

#3. Her mother, Lou Embrey, seemed to be good at everything, plus she had a fun imagination, that she displayed in creative ways constantly! Mother Lou especially enjoyed designing and sewing her children’s and grandchildren’s Halloween costumes. Her designs were all about the details, like the handmade, paper mâché crow that sat, just so, on the shoulder of Brenda’s Wicked Witch attire! B.E. Exon remembers her mother smiling, lovingly, admiring her achievement, and saying, “Yes! Little Bren, you are perfectly spooky! The best Halloween Witch EVER!” Then she coached her little daughter on the most effective witch voice for trick-or-treating, “HA! HA! HA!”

Mother Lou was also an avid Gardner – appreciating beauty in the world. Annually, it was a glorious day at the Embrey house when her magnificent Bird of Paradise plant finally bloomed… it took a very long time for the big flower bud to grow! Mama Lou would gather her children around the exotic plant to applaud the amazing gift from Mother Nature, in full bloom, before their very eyes! And it DID (actually does) resemble an elegant bird with a bright blue feather! Yes, B.E. Exon was truly blessed to have wonderful parents who fostered her imagination, both as a child and as an adult.

#4. When Little Bren was in second grade, she was very sick with Scarlet Fever. She had to stay at home in bed for six weeks! As Brenda started to get stronger, Mother Lou gave her a drawing pad and drawing pencils. Bren began by trying to draw the things in her bedroom, including her stuffed, black cat, named Spooky, and the large trees outside the window! She got better and better with her drawing as she practiced the skill, daily, surprising herself and her family. The drawing activity was good medicine! When she was well again, Bren took the drawings to show her teacher, Mrs. Hilber. Mrs. Hilber liked what she saw and put one of the drawings in the school Art Fair – it won 1st prize!!! The Librarian put a gold frame on the drawing and hung it up in the Library until the end of the school year! Bren kept drawing… In 7th grade, she learned about watercolor painting from the Art Teacher, Mrs. Linda Miller. Mrs. Miller was a very good teacher. With the lessons she acquired at a young age, and through continued observation of the world around her, “by littles,” (to quote Abe Lincoln) B.E. Exon taught herself to draw and paint the illustrations for her stories. Also, B.E. Exon was most fortunate to have her husband, Randall, offer his masterful instructions over their many years together.

Randall Exon became a famous Artist, showing his beautiful paintings in New York City, while also becoming a beloved Professor of Art and Design at Swarthmore College. B.E. Exon is happy to be a self-taught artist, like her idol, Beatrix Potter, who wrote and illustrated the classic tale, Peter Rabbit. Beatrix, too, at a very young age, learned to draw from observation! … And you know what, so can YOU, if you’d like to give it a go. All you need is a bit of paper, a pencil, and a good eraser. Yes, little Bren did a lot of erasing, and she still does! Drawing does prove to be difficult at first, but with lots of practice, you may discover that you have the ability to recreate the world around you, as B.E. Exon did. And then…, I wonder what stories YOU will write and illustrate?

#5. Since she can remember, Bren has been fascinated with Monarch butterflies. She even dresses up like a Monarch and marches in Monarch Parades! B.E. Exon dreams about seeing the secret Monarch Forest in the country of Mexico – just outside Mexico City! She has been working many years on a fantastical tale about Monarch butterflies and a REAL Witch, titled, The Morphing of Mrs. X! The complete story is told in a chapter book format, but B.E.Exon has also written/illustrated a picture book for younger readers. Stay tuned, B.E.E. is currently writing the final chapters! It’s an epic tale, that requires many pages to fully explain a most unexpected and quite remarkable friendship with a Witch….

#6. NOW, for the most important thing to know about B.E. Exon…. She truly believes that there IS Enchantment in the world, and that magical things happen quite often. Arf-Arf, the REAL Puppet, is her living proof regarding this fantastical fact! You may meet Arf by CLICKING the Arf-Arf button on the Home Page. Go ahead. See what you think! He’s rather hard to explain… better to see the magic in action! Arf loves music boxes and he has quite a collection. His favorite music box plays “Swan Lake” and the sound of this music puts Arf to sleep in an instant and guarantees Sweet Dreams! Yes, “Enchanting Experiences” are a part of B.E. Exon’s life and stories. Hands down, Arf is the best magical gift ever! …. She does live in a World of Wonder!

#7. At one point in time, B.E. Exon was an elementary school teacher and loved it!!! Her students called her “Mrs. X.!”

She and her students would dress up like Monarch butterflies and “fly” in a Monarch Migration Parade through the town, on their way to Mexico, every October! And yes, Enchantment happened in the classroom, too. The magic of Arf-Arf was an experience that each child looked forward to daily, upon entering Room 7. Nothing quite like talking, singing and playing with a REAL Puppet! Now that Arf-Arf and Mrs. X have stepped out into the big world, maybe, you will experience the magic, too…. One can hope!

#8. This is B.E. Exon’s Moxie and the Kite-Biten’ Tree storytelling apron. She likes designing and sewing Story Aprons, based on her enchanting tales. Arf likes wearing a matching shirt, so she creates clothing for him, too! Arf-Arf joins B.E. Exon at all scheduled Events – wearing his “matching gear,” of course!

Mrs. X promised Arf-Arf that he could come along to “this and that” – as long as he behaves himself! Sometimes, he kinda’ forgets that promise! They hope to meet you, in person, at one of our Storytelling Events!

#9. Sometimes B.E. Exon is the “Philly Pride Lady!” promoting civic pride with the citizens of Philadelphia. She has sewn several P.P.L. Aprons to teach children about the FIRST City Flag in America, the Philadelphia Civic Flag! Arf -Arf has a Philly Pride Pup shirt, too! Mrs. X loves the Philly Flag and its message of Love and Unity for everybody! LOVE can create the best magic, if you let it…. Yep, here’s another storybook needed, to tell children about the wonderful Philly Flag! Phew! B.E. Exon has a lot of work to do! Stay tuned….

#10. Best of all, B.E. Exon loves to write her fanciful stories and create her storybook paintings!

Her fingers are crossed, that she brings you a little joy, fun and a “magical feeling” from her enchanted World of Wonder….

THANK YOU FOR READING ABOUT B.E. EXON!

You may contact B.E. Exon by clicking the CONTACT button on the Home Page!