Gidion’s Knot

When a mother arrives for a parent-teacher conference, the teacher is shocked she has shown at all. Gidion was a deeply creative 5th grader, but recent tragic events have cast a long shadow over his brilliance. Nominee for the 2011 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize honoring female playwrights, and a 2013 Steinberg Award Finalist, Gidion’s Knot is a story that brings some explosive questions to the table. What are appropriate limits to a child’s freedom of creative expression? How does one address a single child’s growth and development while respecting the needs of the community? Ultimately, who is accountable for a child’s actions?