The Reading Culture

"There's these universal truths [...] specific details, but universal feelings and universal experiences that people hopefully can relate to. And that's what I go for in all of my books. Common humanity.” - Hena KhanHena Khan didn’t believe her perspective mattered. As a Pakistani-American Muslim, she grew up not seeing her or her family reflected in the media she was consuming. As any kid might do, she concluded that it was simply because her experience was not important, a realization that became clearer in hindsight. Recalling her childhood writing, she discovered she had unintentionally white-washed her own homemade family newspaper.Building confidence in her perspective was a gradual process, extending into adulthood. Initially lacking self-assurance, she began writing while toning down her cultural identity to conform to perceived publisher expectations. Over time, her confidence grew, and today, she is recognized for authentically portraying stories rooted in her culture and religion.Reflecting on her own reading experiences, Hena values shared human experiences that transcend cultural backgrounds. She aims to demonstrate that these relatable moments exist in stories featuring non-white characters and diverse cultures.Renowned for works such as "Amina's Voice," its sequel "Amina's Song," the "Zara's Rules" series, and "More to the Story," Hena Khan shares her journey of grappling with invisibility as a young reader and the evolution of her faith in herself and her unique perspective. She also recounts the unexpected connection to a book about Christian white sisters in the 1800s in her unconscious quest for stories reflecting her Muslim immigrant family.***Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. ***In Hena’s reading challenge, "Read Desi" she encourages us to celebrate South Asian American writers.You can find her list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.Today’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Allie Buffington, Library Media Specialist at  Holley Navarre Intermediate School in Santa Rosa County, Florida. She tells us about the importance of making the library a space that kids want to come back to.ContentsChapter 1 - “Religious Holiday” (2:38)Chapter 2 - Gogol Search (6:16)Chapter 3 - Little Women (and the Khanicles) (9:43)Chapter 4 - Three Cheers From Andrea (18:17)Chapter 5 - Just Living (22:18)Chapter 6 - Common Humanity (30:20)Chapter 7 - Curious About Curious George (33:50)Chapter 8 - The Door is Open (35:31)Chapter 9 - Read Desi (37:28)Chapter 10 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (38:54)LinksThe Reading CultureThe Reading Culture Newsletter Signup (for bonus content)Hena KhanLittle Women by Louisa May Alcott | GoodreadsHena Khan's More to the Story is a Love Letter to Little Women | School Library JournalSikh temple shooting in Wisconsin The Salam School for Girls Alli Buffington's Library (this week’s featured librarian)The Reading Culture on Instagram (to see reels of author conversations)Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

"Don't follow your dreams if that's the only thing you're doing. Ask yourself, what will make you most useful? What will make you most, in terms of a purpose, help you do meaningful work?” - Daniel NayeriYou want Daniel Nayeri at your dinner party. Always with a story or an insightful question, it turns out he is also the person you want on your podcast! The Iranian-American author of the Printz Award-winning “Everything Sad is Untrue,” and the more recent “The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams,” offered up fresh conversation and a good deal of humor. As a writer, Daniel Nayeri is deeply aware of the impact his writing has on readers. As he noted in our conversation, there is perhaps no more intimate power than becoming the dialogue in one’s head. And Daniel feels strongly about using that power to have a positive impact on those who read his words. Part of his purpose, or obligation, he believes, is to “remystify the world.” Just wait until we talk about why cherries grow in pairs! In this episode, Daniel explains what he means by remystifying the world, talks about the roadside storyteller that initiated his storytelling journey, and shares his views on purpose (why he takes his so seriously). From his life-changing experience with the Junior Great Books program in elementary school to his current film and book projects, Daniel delves deep into his role as storyteller. ***Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. ***In Daniel’s reading challenge, "Wise Shorts" he keeps our work and life load in mind offering a curated selection of short stories, reminding us that even the smallest things can have a major impact.You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.Today’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Nikki Hayter, Library Manager at Franklin Avenue Library in Des Moines, Iowa. Nikki tells us about a program that highlights the deep impact libraries have on communities.ContentsChapter 1 - The Ferris Wheel and The Storyteller (2:15)Chapter 2 - A Retired Conan the Barbarian (6:43)Chapter 3 - Alberic The Wise (11:30)Chapter 4 - Remystifying the world (7:18)Chapter 5 - You get a memoir! And you get a memoir! And… (25:25)Chapter 6 - How to be interesting (28:20)Chapter 7 - Wise Shorts (33:31)Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (34:32)LinksThe Reading CultureDaniel NayeriAlberic the Wise by Norton Juster | GoodreadsThe Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

We revisit our Halloween special episode with Lamar Giles.******On Today's Show"The fear is like the ramp on the roller coaster. It's that build-up of adrenaline intention that you're having in that moment when that roller coaster is cranking. It's not the same fear of you walking through a dark alley at night and you sense someone's behind you in real life. That's a different type of fear that I don't know that anybody really wants. This is controlled fear. This is me going into it saying, Okay, I know this part's gonna be scary, but this part's gonna be fun and I want all of it." - Lamar GilesLamar Giles says horror is a pressure valve. It has the ability to release pent-up anxiety and fear in a controlled, safe, and fun environment. That's why he'll watch Hellraiser at 4 a.m. to comfort himself when he can't sleep. While the genre isn't for everyone, he knows there are other young readers that will resonate with it the same way he did when he first read Stephen King at 11 years old.Giles' career has been full of mystery and thriller stories, but with the 2022 release of The Getaway, he has finally fulfilled his lifelong dream of writing a true horror novel. He tells us more about how the genre has helped him in his life and why he thinks kids resonate with his writing.ContentsChapter 1 - Growing Up as Lamar Giles (3:16)Chapter 2 - The Dinosaur in the Cereal Box (5:48)Chapter 3 - The Draw to Horror (8:26)Chapter 4 - It (9:30)Chapter 5 - The Pressure Valve (13:54)Chapter 6 - Connecting with Young Readers (17:23)Chapter 7 - Writing Black Characters (16:19)Chapter 8 - Publishing Horror (20:19)Chapter 9 - The Getaway (22:07)Chapter 10 - A Vehicle for Social Commentary (23:59)Chapter 11 - Fear On Screen (25:10)Chapter 12 - Scary Good Stories (27:18)Chapter 13 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (27:53)This episode's Beanstack featured librarian is Christopher Parker, a media specialist at Blue Ridge Elementary in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Today he shares with us more about his most successful library program, 'Book Buddies'. LinksLamar GilesDon Cheadle & Sony Pictures TV Developing YA Book ‘The Getaway’ For TV – DeadlineThe Reading Culture PodcastBeanstackHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show"It (TV) was my junk food, but also it was my in with the kids to be able to talk about pop culture, to know all the little nuances and jokes about the cultural zeitgeist things.” - Dan SantatMedia and stories around us around us are more than just entertainment. They provide a common space, a piece of the world around us that connects us to others. We learn from these stories, shape our own views and ideas, and listen to and share these ideas with others. Dan Santat, a son of Thai immigrants in rural SoCal, found solace and belonging in the storytelling of 80's TV shows and movies, connecting with others' experiences and perspectives. His fascination with storytelling coupled with his talent for drawing led him on a journey of self-discovery that would ultimately diverge from the career path his parents had urged him to pursue.In this episode, Dan shares openly about his fraught relationship with his dad. Dan’s honesty is humorous and nostalgic and real all at once. He talks about the freedoms and limitations of growing up in the 1980s and how they helped him discover a passion for storytelling as a means of communicating. Dan also tells us about his experience of embracing art, despite his parents' differing expectations, and how his journey has impacted the messages he imparts to students he meets today.***Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. ***In his reading challenge, "Profound Panels" Dan wants listeners to embrace the hidden wisdom in the medium that first sparked his love of storytelling: comics.You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Connie Sharpe from Metro Nashville Public Schools. She told us about the importance of the connection between administrators and librarians. ContentsChapter 1 - Thai in SoCal (2:25)Chapter 2 - Crime Fighting (vehicle here) (6:55)Chapter 3 - The Trial and Death of Socrates (12:59)Chapter 4 - A Book About Dan (21:04)Chapter 5 - Passing on Heritage (and advice) (24:09)Chapter 6 - A Storyteller’s Legacy (31:03)Chapter 7 - Profound Panels (34:17)Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (35:40)LinksThe Reading CultureDan SantatDan Santat | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | LinktreeThe Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureLonglist for National Book Award for Young People’s LiteratureShane (movie) - Dan’s dad’s favorite movie before moving to AmericaX-Men (comics that changed Dan’s life)Flowers in the Attic (how were we allowed to read this at such a young age?!)The Trial and Death of Socrates (a critical book for Dan)The Replacements (Dan’s show on Disney)Kung Fu: The Movie (starring David Carradine…hmmm)Dan’s acceptance speech at Caldecott-Newbery banquetA conversation about “Drawn Together” by Dan and Minh LêAmerican Born Chinese (a book that is very important for Dan)Dan SantatDan Santat | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | LinktreeConnie Sharp at MNPS (this week’s featured librarian)The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)Host: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show"I think that has a lot to do with why I was so interested in writing for children. It's like, I was trying to heal. I was trying to heal my childhood experiences through writing, through these characters.” - Kacen CallenderJust as books provide readers with a space to learn, see themselves, reflect, and cope with their inner thoughts, writing has served as a means for Kacen Callender to process and heal from their own trauma. Throughout their writing journey, Kacen has traversed the various stages and ages of their life, opening wounds and finding ways to heal them through fiction. This transformative process began with their debut novel “Hurricane Child” in 2018 which not only earned Kacen critical acclaim but also accolades such as the Stonewall Book Award and Lambda Literary Award. Since then, Kacen has authored other titles such as “Felix Ever After” and “King and the Dragonflies”, the latter of which won a National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Now, Kacen is entering the next phase in their writing journey, delving into the enduring adult repercussions of childhood trauma.Kacen’s vulnerable and emotional storytelling has had profound impacts on readers around the world, particularly Queer readers who often find their own journeys reflected in Kacen’s work. In this episode, Kacen shares more about their personal journey of processing trauma through writing. They also discuss how fanfiction played a pivotal role in inspiring their creative path and how the fictional storyline within a Canadian teen drama that helped them come to terms with their own identity.***Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. ***In their reading challenge, "Trans YA Spec"  Kacen wants readers to imagine freedom for the trans community through works of speculative fiction.You can find their list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Meredith Derrick, library coordinator for Klein Independent School District outside of Houston, Texas. She shares a funny story about a student’s attempt at a thoughtful teacher appreciation surprise.ContentsChapter 1 - Reckoning with TraumaChapter 2 - Annie JohnChapter 3 - Fiction in Our Own HandsChapter 4 - Honest RepresentationChapter 5 - The Journey ContinuesChapter 6 - Dream StateChapter 7 - Diversity on the ShelvesChapter 8 - Trans YA SpecChapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian LinksThe Reading CultureKacen CallenderFan FictionAdam Torres (Degrassi)Annie JohnStonewall Book Award | Kacen CallenderKlein ISDThe Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show"I'm just being real. I'm telling my story. I think Nikki Giovanni calls it dancing naked on the floor. I am unafraid and I'm doing my dance… I don't feel like I can go wrong if I'm just being me.” - Kwame AlexanderExciting reluctant middle school kids about reading (or really, anything) can be a battle. Getting them to think reading is cool is another. Kwame Alexander excels at both. His ability to authentically relate to his readers is a skill around which he has built his career.Kwame is beloved by parents, educators, and students, for his ability to ignite a love of reading (especially middle school boys) through poetry and characters who reflect their real experiences. But his impact extends beyond just an introduction to books, he also opens the door for readers to explore their own emotional depths. As he tells us, “I think part of my job is just to show a different side of masculinity.”Kwame is best known "The Crossover," "The Undefeated," "The Door of No Return," and numerous other novels and poetry collections. He also recently authored his memoir "Why Fathers Cry at Night." He won the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Book Award among many other awards, and this year "The Crossover" was adapted into a Disney Plus original TV series. In this episode, he tells us about his own upbringing surrounded by Black storytelling and literature, reveals his secret to making middle-schoolers think he’s “cool”, and shares about a letter he received (which was “not fan mail”) that inspired a surprise visit to an unsuspecting kid.***Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. ***In his reading challenge, "Blackout,"  Kwame wants listeners to utilize their favourite books to look inward and make some art of their own.You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Kirsten, the programming specialist for the Indianapolis Public Library. She shares some moving stories about a book club she runs for teens at a residential treatment facility. ***ContentsChapter 1 - Glasses first (2:10)Chapter 2 - Mom’s stories, dad’s garage (3:53)Chapter 3 - Love After Love (9:11)Chapter 4 - The “Reluctant” Readers (14:01)Chapter 5 - Kwame Shows Up (17:50)Chapter 6 - America’s Next Great Authors (24:18)Chapter 7 - Blackout (27:34)Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (28:09)LinksThe Reading CultureKwame AlexanderFolly IslandNYT article by Teddy Wayne about the potential benefits of clutterBeef, No ChickenLove After Love by Derek WalcottKwame’s Newbery Banquet SpeechWhy Fathers Cry: The Podcast | Kwame Alexander#KwameShowsUpNikki GiovanniCollected Poems, 1948-1984 -  Derek WalcottThe Crossover | Official Trailer | Disney+America's Next Great AuthorThe Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show"I think it comes down to caring about the characters. When you care about the characters, you care about the world that they live in.” - Neal ShustermanWhen Neal Shusterman was in college, he was told to stop building worlds and start building characters. He listened. And from then on, his worlds became more magical and deep than ever before, because, as he says, when you care about characters, you care about the world they live in.Neal’s career has revolved around incredible and fantastical lands of his own creation. In these worlds, he builds rules and structures that he sticks to rigidly, even if that means following a story arc he had no intention of writing to begin with (he tells us that story in the episode). Getting immersed in settings unlike – but not far from – our own provides crucial lessons about perspective. This outside perspective allows us to shed our preconceptions and witness characters and events in a way we would be unable to otherwise. It’s an incredibly impactful storytelling style for young readers just learning these skills, and Neal is a master at it.Neal Shusterman is best known for his "Unwind Dystology" series, his Printz-winning "Scythe" trilogy, and "Challenger Deep," which won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2015. In this episode, Neal shares how getting immersed in his favorite fictional worlds inspired him to create some of his own, he’ll talk about how and why he prioritizes characters to enhance immersion, and how seriously he takes sticking to the rules of his world.***Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. ***In his reading challenge, "The Nature of Consciousness," Neal wants to send us into various fictional worlds to challenge our perception of a prevailing debate in our own world: A.I.You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Danielle Masterson, assistant director at the Wilmington Public Library in Massachusetts. Danielle shares some wisdom to settle the debate of what “qualifies” as reading.ContentsChapter 1 - The Trouble with Star Trek Blueprints (2:11)Chapter 2 - The Jaws of (Neal’s) Life (9:02)Chapter 3 - Desktop Quotes (10:32)Chapter 4 - Stories From the Cabin (15:14)Chapter 5 - No Characters, No World (18:02)Chapter 6 - A Sense of Hope (24:10)Chapter 7 - The Power of a Teacher (27:12)Chapter 8 - The Nature of Consciousness (30:30)Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (31:23)LinksThe Reading CultureNeal ShustermanNeal’s National Book Award Speech for “Challenger Deep”Jaws movie trailerThe TalmudNeal’s Upcoming Graphic Novel, “Courage to Dream”The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and extra content)Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureChallenger Deep - National Book FoundationWilmington Memorial LibraryThe world of Scythe - An interview with Neal ShustermanHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show"That's still my trick too, never tell them how they're feeling. Never begin to even show how they're feeling. They'll get it anyway. You're describing negative space and the negative space you can't even get at.” - Jon KlassenWhere there is empty space, our brains will fill in the blanks, and often, the way in which we personally fill those blank spaces is far more potent than anything that can be written in words or shown in an image. That’s why despite being gifted in both illustrating and writing, Jon Klassen always intentionally restrains himself from specificity. Jon is a Caldecott Medal winner author and illustrator known for his distinctive minimalistic art style and quirky but profound writing. His work includes his Hat Trilogy, starting with "I Want My Hat Back", along with newer works such as "The Rock from the Sky," “The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale” and many collaborations with his longtime friend and author Mac Barnett. In this episode, Jon tells us the story of how he learned to embrace the unspoken through a “gunshot moment” in his youth. He’ll talk about how he intentionally incorporates negative space into his work and why that is so impactful for young readers in particular, and we’ll hear about the SNL classics that inspired his coy sense of comedy. ***Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. ***In his reading challenge, "A Tale to Remember," Jon invites readers to follow a process that for him emerged unintentionally in the creation of his latest book, "The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale." You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Ellen Clark, the Children's Outreach Librarian for Kokomo Howard County Public Library in Indiana. Ellen shares an experience she recently had that highlights the emotional impact librarians have not just on a community writ large, but on each individual reader.ContentsChapter 1 - Seventies University Guy Reads (2:25)Chapter 2 - Sketch Book Art Kids (not Jon) (7:51)Chapter 3 - Waiting For Godot (13:10)Chapter 4 - The Existential Gun Shot (19:40)Chapter 5 - No Sad Bears (21:47)Chapter 6 - Part 2 (28:34)Chapter 7 - A Girl and Her Skull (30:37)Chapter 8 - A Tale to Remember (34:51)Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (36:12)Show LinksThe Reading CultureJon KlassenThe Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and extra content)Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureElm Trees of ManitobaP.D. EastmanMac BarnettJon’s Ghost StoryThe Hat TrilogyWaiting for GodotFor Whom the Bell TollsJack Handy - Fuzzy MemoriesGeorge and Martha by James MarshallBook Review: ‘The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale,’ by Jon Klassen - The New York TimesThe Far Side ComicsBill WattersonBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthyThe Children’s Book PodcastKHCPL.orgHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Grace Lin (The Year of the Dog, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon) shares her thoughts on the value art provides to those who experience it and those who create it, and how it contributes to getting us in touch with our own humanity.****On Today's Show"Maybe if they haven't been in that situation, they know someone who has, or they have friends who have really struggled with losing loved ones. That all helps build empathy." - Karina Yan GlaserKarina Yan Glaser is always emotionally honest in her stories. Pulling largely from her own experiences, she lets her feelings seep onto the pages in a way that makes it impossible not to feel as a reader. But despite writing for children, she doesn't hide any of those hard emotions such as anger, sadness, and grief. She believes in the power of stories to help kids practice empathy and be prepared for the tough situations we all face in life.Her takes on community, diversity, and hardship are what make her series The Vanderbeekers such a success. In this episode of The Reading Culture, she joins to share how her own reading journey has shaped who she is as a writer and how she approaches building empathy into her stories.Karina has also developed a reading challenge in partnership with Beanstack for listeners and Beanstack partners. Her theme is books where New York City is a character. You can learn more about the challenge here.ContentsChapter 1 - Getting to know Karina (3:53)Chapter 2 - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (8:22)Chapter 3 - Becoming a Writer (16:36)Chapter 4 - Empathy in Stories (20:16)Chapter 5 - The Culture of Reading in Schools (28:59)Chapter 6 - A Question From a Reader (33:35)Chapter 7 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (36:41)This episode's Beanstack featured librarian is Megan Wilson, a librarian at Aggieland High School in College Station, Texas, which is part of the International Leadership of Texas charter schools network. Today, Megan shares with us a book she loves to recommend to her students.Show LinksKarina Yan GlaserOnly in New York reading challengeOnly in New York reading challenge on Bookshop.org (all proceeds go to fighting book bans)Karina’s EpisodeThe Vanderbeekers final installementA Tree Grows in BrooklynAll of a Kind FamilyThe MoffatsThe SaturdaysClaudia Kishi (The Babysitters Club)Linda Sue ParkGrace LinJacqueline WoodsonHomes for the HomelessColumbus School for GirlsAggieland High SchoolLovely War by Julie BerryBeanstack

We revisit our episode with Renée Watson.****On Today's Show"There's just something about literally raising your voice and letting these words come out of you. That's powerful." - Renée WatsonMaya Angelou was mute for six years. After a traumatizing childhood experience, the famous poet and activist retreated inward and lost her voice. In Renée Watson's kid-friendly but unflinching retelling of her story in "Maya's Song", Watson shows how poetry was the means to Maya finding her voice and going on to use it in unforgettable ways. That's the power of poetry. And that power is something that Renée is passionate about giving to kids.From incorporating poetic elements in her stories to writing entire stories in verse, Renée utilizes poetry in her writing frequently. In this episode, she joins to tell us more about how she came to believe in the power of poetry, how she makes it accessible to children, why she thinks it's so important for youth, and more.ContentsChapter 1 - Intro to Reneé (2:43)Chapter 2 - 1619 project (5:24)Chapter 3 - Knoxville, Tennessee (10:36)Chapter 4 - Telling Maya's Story (14:11)Chapter 5 - Teaching Youth Poetry (19:37)Chapter 6 - Music as a Gateway to Poetry (22:42)Chapter 7 - Writing About Portland (27:26)Chapter 8 - Sharing Joy With Ryan Hart (29:39)Chapter 9 - Library visits (32:02)Chapter 10 - Voice Through Voice (33:02)Chapter 11 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (33:54)Linkshttps://www.reneewatson.net/https://www.beanstack.comhttps://thereadingculturepod.com/renee-watson