You may remember the biography of young Wesley by Paul Fleischman that was published in 1999. It told the story of how young Wesley, then only 10 years old, formed Weslandia. It’s been 20 years since that book was published. Many people have wondered what happened to Wesley since then. Schooltastic News got an exclusive interview with Wesley.

 

SN: Wesley, you’re a hard man to track down. Why is that?

 

W: I live off-grid, which means that Weslandia Colony is entirely selfsufficient.

 

SN: Can you explain what that means to our readers?

 

W: We make everything we need to live. We don’t get water from the water company or power from the electric company. We make everything we need to live inside The Colony. We make our own clothes, homes, furniture, and food.

 

SN: Wow, that’s amazing! Can you tellme a bit more about The Colony?

 

W: Sure. After I began Weslandia in my parent’s backyard, people came from all around to see it. Lots of people wanted to live like I did in Weslandia.

 

I made a lot of money from selling what I didn’t use in Weslandia.

 

SN: I’m guessing the money you made from Wesball also helps.

 

W: Well, yes. I got a patent for the sport I invented as a kid in Weslandia. Very simply put, it means that if other people wanted to play the game or make products for the game, they had to pay me to do so.

SN: So how did you start The Colony?

W: I used the money I made from Wesball to buy some land in Kentucky. I invited people to join me in living on that land. At first there were only around 20 people. But now we have more than 400. We’ve bought more land since then, obviously.

 

SN: Why Kentucky?

 

W: That’s a good question. There are a few reasons. The first is that it turns out that swist grows really well in Kentucky’s climate and soil. The second is that it had to have a clean source of water. Water is important for drinking as well as for farming and our factories.

 

SN: Factories? I thought you don’t use electricity.

 

W: That’s incorrect. We do use electricity, but we aren’t connected to the electric company. All our energy is solar-powered. We leave zero carbon footprint.

 

SN: OK, now a change of subject. Are you still in touch with any of the folks who appeared in your biography?

 

W: Yes. Well, obviously my parents. Several of the neighborhood kids were the first to join me on The Colony.

 

SN: Actually, we spoke to your nextdoor- neighbor. Would you like to hear what he had to say?

 

W: (laughs) Wow, yes! He’s really old now!

 

SN: He is. Here’s what he said: “I never understood that Wesley boy. He grew weird plants and even spoke some weird fantasy language. He was a good boy, I guess. But I still think brussels sprouts are a more worthwhile crop.”

 

W: Well, I’ll always prefer brussels sprouts to pizza. But I still think he’s the weird one. Who doesn’t love swist?

 

SN: I love it! Do you all really speak only Weslandian in the colony?

 

W: No, not anymore. We tried to make that the official language of the colony at first. But it was too hard for people to learn and use. It just seemed more logical to switch back to English.

 

SN: Here’s my final question. Are you happy?

 

W: I’m so happy. I live life just the way I want to live it. I do things that help the environment rather than harming it. And I have friends, lots of friends. Who could ask for more?