By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

CHELSEA – Calera author Amy Leigh Strickland considers the ability to accept and implement constructive criticism the most valuable thing she has learned through writing.

“Not everyone is going to like what you do,” Strickland, 29, said to a group of students at Chelsea High School on Oct. 13. “You cannot please everyone, nor should you have to.”

Strickland’s visit at CHHS was part of the Shelby County Arts Council’s 2015 Visiting Writers Series made possible by a grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation secured by the SCAC.

“We’re just interested in promoting all art forms, but in this case, specifically creative writing,” SCAC Executive Director Bruce Andrews said. “Chelsea embraced it. We’d love to do more of it (at schools). We need to know where the need is and where the desire is.”

Strickland gave examples of times she received criticism regarding her work, explained how she used it to improve her products and herself and said she hoped her message would resonate with all of the students, regardless of whether they want to pursue writing careers.

Strickland’s published works include the “Olympia Heights” four-book series in the young adult fiction genre; the “Royer Goldhawk” book series in the “steampunk” Victorian science fiction genre; and the “Olympia Heights” web comic series, all available via Matter Deep Publishing, a small, Pelham-based publishing company Strickland’s family founded in 2011.

Strickland said authors J.K. Rowling (“Harry Potter” series) and Neil Gaiman (“The Graveyard Book,” “Coraline”) are among her favorites.

She credits her fifth grade teacher in Massachusetts with sparking her interest in writing.

“I started writing Harry Potter fan fiction in ninth grade,” Strickland said. “It was my first taste of having people excited to read my stories.”

Strickland earned a bachelor’s degree in performing arts Savannah College of Art and Design and a master’s degree in secondary English language arts from the University of Montevallo.

She recently finished a nine-week stint as a substitute at Pelham High School.

Strickland answered students’ questions and encouraged them to use criticism as a tool for improvement.

“Students can get discouraged and want to quit what they’re pursuing,” she said. “We cannot see our own flaws because we live with them every day. We are a rough draft, but every revision is a chance to become a better version of ourselves.”