Oh hi there!
This month, I hope you’ve been marching to the beat of your own drum with a hint of madness. So far my March has been filled with exciting art style epiphanies for my second picture book, a gal pal party, some Jason Reynolds inspiration, and kid table vibes like…
Note: You can listen to this entire newsletter as a podcast or read it below.
Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time
Many a kid table squabble was started by someone putting their foot in their mouth. Recently we had a guy come over to give us an estimate for gutter protectors and oh boy did he put his big foot in his big mouth.
In the end, HE was the one needing the gut-ter check. Buh dum psh.
(Like I always say, you get what you pay for here at the kid table.)
Let’s set the scene…
I was in the groove working on that second picture book, so like the amazing wife I am, I sent Aaron in alone to answer the door and talk to this man.
Luckily I could hear every word from my office perch upstairs.
INT. Our house — Day
The man looks at our gutters, then sits down with Aaron. Tells him a bunch of gutter stuff using a bunch of gutter jargon. And then..
MAN: So what do YOU think a good price for this would be?
AARON (awkwardly): Umm…I don’t know.
MAN: No really.
AARON: Okay, a couple thousand I guess.
MAN: Oh uh, well actually it’s $10,000 but I can get you a good discount. Right now it is 30% off. But you’d have to tell me before 9PM tonight. (Says some more jargon).
AARON: Okay, I’ll talk to my wife and let you know.
MAN: What do you think she’ll say?
AARON: Maybe?
MAN: How long you been married?
AARON: Almost seven years.
MAN stares at Aaron for an uncomfortably long time.
MAN: Well, it’s about that time.
AARON: Time for what?
MAN: You know, most marriages only last about five to seven years. I told my ex-wife, “I gave you seven good years.”
MAN chuckles like there was an actual joke somewhere in there.
AARON: Uh…
MAN: So yeah, that 20% discount should set you up nicely. Only as long as you tell me by 8PM.
Aaron tries many tactics to get MAN out the door as his wife laughs upstairs.
END SCENE
Okay, so I know one of my recent posts was all about lying for a living, but I DIDN’T MAKE ANY OF THIS UP! Needless to say, when the guy called us that night at 7:30PM, we didn’t answer.
Last week I got to sit at the kid table in person with two of my favorite gal pals.
If you’ve been following this newsletter for a bit, you’ll know that I’ve opened up a lot more to female friendships in the last few years. I was a bit wounded due to a few damaging female relationships and closed up my lil’ heart. Then, after some therapy and soul-searching and a rediscovery of my love for children’s books, I started to meet kindred spirits who made it feel easy to open up again.
I got to see two of them last week, and their celebration of each other as creators and people was beautiful to witness. The talented author and community builder Natasha Tripplett has a debut THE BLUE PICKUP that just came out (buy it here!). The nurturing, bright, pun-loving Martha Brockenbrough interviewed Natasha with her personal touch (buy her books here!).
Powerhouse books made by powerhouse women. Happy Women’s History Month!
This week I’m sitting at the table with author Jason Reynolds.
You may have heard of this Newbery Honor winning, New York Times best-selling author for his books like Look Both Ways, All American Boys, and Long Way Down. Or maybe his incredible service as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Or maybe even his famous late night show appearances on Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, Jimmy Fallon, and more (I included some links so you can hear him talk about anxiety as a super power, his craft, book banning, and the cool car he drives).
But you may NOT know that he read his first novel at age 17, that he loved writing before reading due to Queen Latifah, that he did a podcast on Radiotopia with his mom, and that he actually doesn’t want his books to be read in 40 years from now.
I’ve read every book he’s ever written — watched hours of his spoken poetry and interviews — and he’s inspired me in every way.
Here are just a few things I’ve learned from the great Jason Reynolds.
Give readers a space to feel seen (and do it in an engaging way).
Reynolds didn’t read growing up because he didn’t see his own life reflected in books. When describing what changed this, he said, “It was in the ownership of my own story that my life was sort of expanded. It was in the honesty in my own experiences that made room for me.”
Creating work that “helps young people feel cared for” became one of his major creative drives. To him, caring for young people means writing stories that make them say, “Yo, this feels real. Feels like me. Feels like the people I know. Feels like things I’ve heard about.”
I love his philosophy that caring for readers means giving them a space to feel seen.
But he also just wants to get kids to read. Period. Which is why his number one goal is written in big letters across his website: “HERE'S WHAT I DO: NOT WRITE BORING BOOKS.”
The best way to encourage kids to read is to tap into the stories they have within them.
Reynolds says one of the worst ways to get a kid to read is to tell them to read. Instead it is more powerful to encourage them to share the stories they have within them.
The video below talks about how he encourages other people’s stories but also how he got into stories. And one of my favorite moments is when we learn that he loves to crochet :)
Write the complicated stuff, because kids deserve books that reflect their actual lives.
While some creators believe that children’s literature is limiting, Reynolds argues the opposite. He says that young people have “a sense of wonder and a sense of curiosity and a sense of innocence and a sense of preciousness and a sense of fear and anxiety that adults tend to mask. There's an imagination that adults tend to lose.”
And though some will tell you that “you can’t say this or you can’t say that” in children’s books, Reynolds writes about whatever he wants to write about, “no matter how traumatic or how complicated it is. I write about that because that's the lives of children in America today.”
This is exactly why he doesn’t want his books to be read in schools 40 years from now.
I always say if my books are still being read 40 years from now…as the books that are introducing young people to literacy in schools, I failed. 40 years from now, we ain't figured out new books yet? Language is living, it's growing, it's expanding, it's changing, it's evolving. People are living and growing and changing and expanding and evolving. Books have to continue to do the exact same thing…in order for them to see eye to eye with the young people they're trying to engage with. Simple as that.
Remember the power you have off the page, a power that comes from being present with those around you.
What I love about Jason Reynolds is that he respects and loves his readers both on and off the page. You can tell he actually HEARS them. Their stories. Their worries. Their joys.
In fact, he carries them with him.
I remember a kid in Philadelphia once looked me in the face and asked me if I ever wish my skin was different. I carry her a lot because I think about how these books have an opportunity to let her know that it's okay. That we're okay. And that not only should we be all right with who we are, we should celebrate it.
I come from a people who was never supposed to read and here I am. Writing.
I come from a legacy of people who weren't supposed to be here, so to look that little girl in her face—I think she was like nine—and to pour into her and to let her know that she's much bigger than she could ever know, that the codes that come along with this skin, the history that comes up— oh, she has no reason to be ashamed.
One of the many things I admire about Reynolds is how present he is with his audience. If you have the chance to attend one of his events, I highly recommend it. You’ll be blown away by his poetic words, his thoughtfulness, and his presence.
The white space is just as important as the words.
If you’ve listened to or read anything by Jason Reynolds, you know this guy is an amazing poet with a fine-tuned sense of rhythm. And when he writes, a major part of his process is thinking about the space in between his words.
When you use space or you use the page, you can kinda create your own sort of score with the white space…
A box. A heavy box.
is different than…
A box.
A heavy box.
He says that all his work — his writing and rewriting — boils down to trying to achieve the right rhythm. The white space between words is a tool he uses to encourage the mind to create that rhythm.
I recommend putting that in your writer’s craft tool belt.
And one last thing to inspire you…
If you want to see everything I’ve talked about — his rhythm, presence, and power — I highly recommend watching this video. You’ll feel seen in your brokenness and your imperfect steps toward achieving your own dreams. He acknowledges both the pain and the joy of walking your authentic path in such a beautiful way.
As you can see from everything I have included (it was so hard to stop here!), Jason Reynolds is an author to spend your time reading. He is vulnerable, honest, and inspirational. I hope you consider buying one or more of his books (you can find and buy them here) as they are SO GOOD.
A big thank you to the sponsors of this post!
Thanks to Whiskey Geraldine for our podcast music and Joanna Rowland, Marietta Apollonio, Saki Tanaka, Angela Pham Krans, and Nyasha Williams for sponsoring this episode. Definitely check out their amazing websites and books!
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Thanks for sitting AT THE KID TABLE today.
Until next time! I’ll save you a seat right next to me.
Your-wishing-she-could-crochet-cool-hats-like-Jason-Reynolds friend,
Rachel
Well, it's about that time. (Dun dun dun!)