On Wednesday, May 13, the Lakewood Public Library hosted a meet-the-author event with Dr. Michael Barnes, the former superintendent of Lakewood City Schools. During this event, Barnes discussed his book, Winning: Lessons on Life, Learning and Leadership, and how events in his life have shaped who he is today.
At the beginning of the event, Barnes explained that the book was split into 50 chapters, each detailing a meaningful life event that he had learned a lot from. The book takes you through his whole life, from childhood to his career in education. With the end of a chapter, he finishes each one with a life lesson he had learned from each event. This is meant to inspire readers and give them a moment to reflect on themselves.
Barnes started writing the book during Memorial Day weekend in 2024 and finished by Christmas of the same year. Barnes wanted to create something deep and personal.
“How do I leave something behind that could potentially inspire the next generation?” said Dr. Michael Barnes, author of Winning: Lessons on Life, Learning and Leadership.
A big part of the book revolves around his family, and you can find the beginning of that story in the chapter “Love in Rockport,” where he meets his wife, Laverne. His whole family was at the event supporting him and showing their love. His daughter, Maya Barnes, added that his family is crucial to his writing process.
“He likes to have a quiet environment to write, but what he will do is he’ll start talking to us, bounce ideas off of us,” Maya Barnes said. “We’ll start having conversations about his childhood. We’ll ask him questions that will bring up some things for him that he recalls, and then he’ll write those down.”
Throughout the conversation, Barnes emphasized that his story is not just about personal achievement, but about persistence through struggle and the importance of education as a turning point. He repeatedly returned to the idea that success is built through a willingness to learn from failure, no matter how difficult the circumstances may be.
A part of the story Barnes emphasized was his time at Edinboro University. After his first college assignment was returned covered in red ink, he quickly realized that he was less literate than the average college student. Discouraged, he walked out of class. A professor stepped in and helped him learn to read and write better than he ever had before. It taught him resilience and perseverance, even when he didn’t want to.
The audience was very perceptive about the book, and many enjoyed hearing the words he offered.
“It’s a reminder… parts of these things that he focused on are things that you and I probably focus on. But do we focus on them enough? And is frequently enough, you know?” said attendee Jay Foran.
These events are a way for you to meet local authors and to connect to new stories you wouldn’t have heard otherwise. Everyone is invited to the meet-the-author events and to truly immerse themselves in the advice of others.
