Jesse Anna Bornemann

Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m a Southerner who lives near Boston, a vegetarian who salivates for barbecue, a fan of Ludacris and Cole Porter (Cole would have “Area Codes” on his iPod, I’m certain), and I’ve got both Goofus and Gallant on speed dial.

What’s your passion? What makes you tick?
The list is long: my family, almost any type of music, anything written by Rodgers & Hammerstein or Stephen Sondheim, Grape Nuts with soy milk, Ira Glass, old Dragnet podcasts, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Scrabble, orange soda, punny t-shirts (half of my wardrobe is from the Mental Floss store), and more.

What’s your wildest dream for Project OpenBook?
As a kid, I memorized almost every word of Jack Prelutsky’s “The New Kid on the Block,” and in my ripe old 30s I can still recite most of “Bleezer’s Ice Cream.” I love the idea of transforming “rhymes that stick” into lasting social change. My dream for Project OpenBook is that it will simultaneously encourage creativity, make people smile, and raise enough money to give all children the opportunities they deserve.

Where can people find out more about you?
I’m on Twitter @rhymeswithmessy, or–even better—take a look at my blog.

Jesse’s OpenBook works
Broccoli
The Plum
A Lemon’s Plea