A Chat at the Pratt

An inspiring evening with the prolific YA author Jason Reynolds

It all started when…

Award-winning author Jason Reynolds got his start in storytelling around the kitchen table with his lively family, where everyone “competed” to see who could hold the table’s attention with the best stories.

Now the National Book Award finalist has made a career putting those stories to paper. As this year's featured author through One Book Baltimore, CHARM's workshop participants got to read Reynolds' book "Long Way Down." And last month, CHARM students had the opportunity to hear Reynolds—pictured below with City Schools' Youth Engagement Specialist, Rashad Staton—speak at the Pratt Library on a wide range of topics from violence to the literary merits of Jay Z and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Our monthly Young Writer's Workshop series is held at the Pratt's newly renovated Creative Arts Center, and is a partnership between CHARM, Maryland Writing Project, Enoch Pratt Free Library, and One Book Baltimore.

Reynolds was a perfect fit for the program, writing characters that hit home on the toughest issues facing young people. Many are based on the charms—and the tragedies—of people he knew growing up, like one young man known and loved for wearing socks with flip flops, who was tragically killed after getting caught up with the wrong crowd.

He may seem born to it, but Reynolds' start in young adult storytelling came somewhat by chance. After creating a book project with a friend, publishers realized his stories would land best in that market. And thank goodness they noticed that gift. Now he wants to widen the net around what counts as literature and how it's taught.

“We gotta use comic books, we gotta use song lyrics, advertisements, the sports pages," and also embrace the classics that are unique to each culture, he suggests.

And the traditional literary canon? Contextualize it with colloquial language. One possible assignment: Ask students to translate Shakespeare into modern English, “and then translate that to North Avenue.”

Asked for advice by an audience member, he offered some tips on engaging young people.

“I think young folk really want adults to approach them with a little humility and I think we struggle with it.” Adults think their seniority gives them “the right to dismiss kids’ realities," he says.

His approach: Talk to them, but be patient, and don’t take it personally if they don’t talk back. “I’m not about to be offended by you trying to figure out your emotions," he said.

—Annalies Winny