>> Marie Arana: Hello to
all of you, and welcome back
to the Library of Congress.
My name is Marie Arana, and
I'm the Literary Director
of the Library of Congress.
We're delighted to have you
join us for this conversation
with our National Ambassador
for Young People's Literature,
the author of so many
best-selling and beloved works
for teens, Jason Reynolds.
Jason, whom you may
know from his vibrant
and imaginative books Stamped,
Ghost, All-American Boys, Sunny,
Lu, When I Was the Greatest,
The Boy in the Black Suit,
Look Both Ways, and many,
many others is just back
from his virtual tour
around the country
as the Library's
Ambassador to the Young.
Jason was inaugurated
as National Ambassador
for Young People's Literature
in a ceremony at the Library
of Congress in January of 2020,
and since that very first day,
he has been tireless in reaching
out to teens on their own terms,
and in their own spaces.
Jason's mission has been
to hit the back roads,
go to places well beyond
the city where he grew up --
Washington DC -- and
meet young people.
Maybe people like you
who have a story to tell,
a moment to share, a point
of view no matter you
who are, or where you're from.
You can find Jason in his
role as National Ambassador
for Young People's Literature at
guides.loc.gov/jason-reynolds.
We're very proud to have
Jason represent the Library
of Congress in his ambassadorial
role to the nation's teens.
Here making that pride very
clear, is the Librarian
of Congress herself Carla
Hayden, to talk about his term
so far, his tour, and ask him a
bit about the people he's met,
and what he's learned
on the digital road
during this past year.
And why he loves young
people as much as he does.
Please welcome the Librarian
of Congress, Carla Hayden.
>> Carla Hayden: Hello
Jason, and welcome!
>> Jason Reynolds:
Hi Dr. Hayden.
It's good to see you.
>> Carla Hayden: Good
because we're here to talk
about your term as the Library
of Congress National Ambassador
for Young People's Literature.
And it's something to think
that you were installed
at the Library on
January 13th, 2020.
>> Jason Reynolds: I was.
I feel like it's a strange
thing to look back on now,
because everything changed just
two months later, you know?
Who would have guessed that the
term would have gone the way
it's been?
>> Carla Hayden: That's true.
And it's clear though, that your
ambassadorship has been very
meaningful to the kids and
the teachers and the families.
Everybody that you've
touched during this year.
Because this is difficult
for so many of us.
And you've been able to connect.
So I thought before we talk in
more detail about your term,
and what happened, could you
inform our audience today
on the role as you see it
of the National Ambassador?
>> Jason Reynolds: Absolutely.
The National Ambassador
for Young People's
Literature is a two-year term.
Sort of orientated by you
and the Library of Congress
that basically allows me
to serve as the person
to proliferate and perpetuate
and encourage young people
to read and write in
creative relationship
with literature and literacy.
It's been wonderful.
So all things reading
and writing when it comes
to young people,
I am the billboard
for those things [laughs].
>> Carla Hayden: Wow.
And you were literal
billboard too,
in Times Square for
about a week!
>> Jason Reynolds:
For about a week.
It was just a week so --
>> Carla Hayden:
It was still good!
>> Jason Reynolds:
It was, it was.
>> Carla Hayden: Well,
each National Ambassador
develops a platform
that illustrates how they plan
to get young people excited
about reading and writing.
And your platform GRAB
THE MIC: Tell Your Story,
was unique in its approach.
Could you describe what
that was all about?
Because it was very different.
>> Jason Reynolds: Sure.
Sure. I mean -- you know,
I try to always push myself
to think outside the box, so
to think about how to connect
with young people in a way
that feels a little bit
different than normal.
Usually when we're encouraging
young people to read and write,
we're doing so pretty
straightforwardly, right?
Reading and writing is good
for you for these reasons.
And all of that's fine.
And I think that's
important and it's fruitful,
but I was the kind
of young person
that that would have been
a little challenging for.
So instead what I
decided to do was
to address it from
the inside out.
What if we could convince young
people that their stories,
their intrinsic internal
personal stories, matter.
And if we could convince them
that their stories matter,
then it might just be a
little easier to convince them
that other stories in the
world that happen to exist
in these books also
matter as well.
>> Carla Hayden: And part
of GRAB THE MIC was Write,
w-r-i-t-e; Right,
r-i-g-h-t; and Rite, r-i-t-e.
And that was a digital series
that you ran over the summer.
And some of the videos
really got the participants
into dreaming and
writing and imagining.
And it seemed like it
was all about invention
and creating authentic
expression.
So why is it so important for
kids to experiment when writing,
and that authenticity too?
>> Jason Reynolds: You know, to
be honest Dr. Hayden, I think --
I think that the key to
everything in our lives,
especially as it pertains to
pushing our country forward,
pushing our young people
forward, and helping them
to build the world they want to
see is for us to use language
and literature as a springboard
to tap into imagination.
I actually think imagination
is the thing that we're really,
really trying to push when
it comes to this relationship
with language and literacy.
I really think it's about like,
how do we keep young people's
imagination firing off?
So the "Write.
Right. Rite."
series was literally just
a series of video prompts,
writing prompts, to
jar the imagination.
To shake it loose;
to shake it free.
And to say what if we could
eliminate rules for a moment,
and push you to see
yourself as anything
that you want to
see yourself as?
Or to write something however
you choose to write it.
Think of a new award
for yourself.
Think of something clever
to write on your COVID mask
that we all have
to wear right now.
Think of ways to
describe the TikTok dance
that you're making
up at this moment.
Or write it down and
describe it to somebody
where they can get it
without having to see it.
This is all sort of like
activating an imagination
that we desperately need
young people to hold on to.
>> Carla Hayden: Wow.
I have an imaginative
mask right here.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
"Never underestimate the
power of a girl with a book."
>> Jason Reynolds:
There you go [laughs].
>> Carla Hayden: So with that
virtual GRAB THE MIC tour now,
this past December, I understand
you made seven separate virtual
appearances, and you
connected with students
from 11 different
school districts.
And you held events in
small towns across Illinois,
Mississippi, Wyoming,
South Carolina.
Why did you pick small towns?
>> Jason Reynolds:
You know, I --
before I got this role
as a National Ambassador,
I was fortunate to see
so much of the country.
And what I realized was
that children exist
everywhere, right?
I live in a big city.
I feel very fortunate
to live in a big city.
I live right down the street
from your office you know?
And I'm grateful to
be a Washingtonian,
to be around so much
busyness and so much energy.
But the truth is that
literacy and literature
and authors don't --
they're not relegated
or specific just to big cities.
There are children everywhere
in small towns all over America.
And the quote-unquote
"battleground,"
or the heartland, these
are also special places
with their own identities and
they also deserve the experience
of meeting an author, or talking
about literacy and literature.
Or having someone outside
of their community
listen to their dreams.
And I really wanted
to shine a light.
>> Carla Hayden: Right,
and all those places
and each time you
had a tour stop,
you had two students you
called student ambassadors
who interviewed you, asking
you questions about your books,
your inspiration,
your ambassadorship,
and I know you felt strongly
about involving the young people
at each program, and talking to
them as honestly as possible.
In fact, I had the
opportunity to hear some
of those discussions,
and one young lady --
I'm going to hold it up.
One young lady mentioned
and asked you --
or you asked her about what
book she liked of yours,
and she mentioned The
Boy in the Black Suit.
And you said Wow, that's the
one that means a lot to me.
And you respected her
opinion and the truth-telling.
So how do you think that respect
and truth-telling
helps unlock potential?
>> Jason Reynolds: I think from
my travels and my experiences
with young people Dr. Hayden,
the one thing that so many
of them say to me
after a presentation is
that they're grateful that I
spoke to them like human beings.
That I respected them enough
to just be honest with them.
I've gotten myself in trouble
over the years sometimes,
because I like to
tell the truth.
And I think that our young
people can handle the truth.
I just think that we're so
afraid to say the truth,
and to speak that truth to them,
that we're never giving
them an opportunity
to be responsible with it.
But when we give it to
them, 9 times out of 10,
they meet us exactly
where we are.
And that young lady
was a prime example.
She had -- her favorite
book is one
of the toughest books
of mine to read.
It's about grief, and
about young people dealing
with real-life situations
as it pertains
to the loss of a parent.
And if you remember Dr.
Hayden, in that conversation,
I entrusted one of my own
secrets to that young person.
>> Carla Hayden: Yes.
>> Jason Reynolds: Told her that
I was going through some grief
as my father, who has now
passed away, but at that moment,
at the time, he was dying.
And I got to share
that with her.
And we got to have that moment.
And it's one of those things
where you can feel the
discomfort of the adults,
but she was there for me.
Right?
>> Carla Hayden: She was.
>> Jason Reynolds: And we
shared that moment together.
And it's something
that I'll remember
for the rest of my life.
And I'm so grateful for her
and for all the young people
of the world who have been
able to share those moments
with me over the years.
>> Carla Hayden: And
that's what your books do.
And that book in
particular, it drove me.
That conversation about grief
and loss, drove me to get a copy
and read it, and I was
blown away by what I read.
And I was also blown
away in terms of the tour
with just the way you
connected over Zoom, no less.
>> Jason Reynolds: Over Zoom.
>> Carla Hayden: And you
said something so powerful.
You said, the moment I
could share my story,
my whole life changed.
>> Jason Reynolds:
It's the truth!
>> Carla Hayden: Could you just
talk about that for a minute?
>> Jason Reynolds: I think
as young folks sometimes
there's so much pressure.
Pressure to fit into all the
categories and the boxes,
pressure to mold yourself
into something far
from who you naturally are.
Pressure to hide
some of the things
that people have made
you feel shameful about.
Even though you have no
reason to really feel shame.
Or you shouldn't feel shame
about your life experiences,
your family, your
neighborhood, your home life.
There's nothing to
be ashamed of.
We all are who we are.
And if there are
things we don't like,
we have to own those things
before we can change them.
We have to grab the wheel
before you can turn it, right?
And so I think the moment I was
able to feel OK with the fact
that my family dynamic
was an interesting one,
or be OK with the fact
that my neighborhood was an
interesting one.
You know, once I was able to
sort of sit in those things,
and be proud of those
things, and own those things,
and write those things down, all
of the sort of stigma attached
to that stuff ended up
making space for me.
Because a lot of us
feel those same things.
A lot of us have those same
dynamics in our households,
and our neighborhoods, and our
communities, and we have --
and we have similar experiences,
and the moment I was able
to share mine, I
realized I wasn't alone,
and that the world -- that my
world was not a small world.
It was actually a
much, much bigger world
than I'd every imagined.
>> Carla Hayden: And you
shared it with other people,
that you weren't the only
one feeling those things.
>> Jason Reynolds: Absolutely.
>> Carla Hayden: So what
encouragement can you provide
the young people
watching right now
about unlocking your own
story, even if it's difficult?
>> Jason Reynolds:
Yes, the one --
your story, if it is difficult,
it's OK if you just
tell it to you, right?
Like, we don't -- I'm careful
about pushing young people
to tell hard stories
to everybody,
because I think it's OK for
you to not trust everybody
to be able to hold that story.
I understand that, right?
And like trauma is real, right?
Pain is a real thing.
But I will encourage
you and do encourage you
to at least tell you
the story, right?
For you to tell yourself
this story,
and be OK with you telling
you the secrets, right?
Because sometimes we push
things so far back in our minds
and our psyches that we
pretend it doesn't exist.
But whether -- sooner or
later you're going to have
to tell you the secrets.
At least tell yourself
the truth, right?
Other than that I would
encourage everyone
to truly believe
that oftentimes,
the things that make "them."
And when I say "them," I'm
usually speaking of the haters,
some of the adults in
our lives unfortunately.
The things that make them mad
are usually the very things
that make us magic.
You know? But you
got to believe that.
And if the greatest gift you
could give yourself is yourself.
We've run from ourselves so
much, and we try to be anybody
but ourselves for
so long, that --
you can ask the adults
in your lives.
They'll tell you the same thing.
If you ask the adults how long
it took them to be themselves,
most of them will
tell you the truth.
That it took way longer than
they wish it had [laughs].
>> Carla Hayden: [laughs] Yes.
Sometimes it's still a journey.
>> Jason Reynolds: Sometimes
it's still a journey,
so if I could just get the
young folks to see now, at 14,
at 17 that the greatest gift you
could give yourself is yourself,
by the time you're 25 boy, oh
boy is life a little easier.
Not that the details
of life are easier.
But the internal life
is much, much easier,
which makes the external
life much more bearable.
>> Carla Hayden: And at
that time when you're young,
you think that there's maybe not
a future, and you encourage them
to think beyond the
here and now.
>> Jason Reynolds: Absolutely.
I think -- I encourage them
to think about both things.
I think life is big, and
vast, and hopefully long.
And that you won't always be 14.
And that -- the trials
of a 14-year-old life
will feel very small
in five years, in
10 years, right?
But, but it does not
mean that the bigness
of 14-year-old life
today isn't valid.
Because it is.
The pain you feel
is a real pain.
The fear you feel is
a real fear, right?
And so what I would challenge
everyone to do you know,
adults we have this weird thing
that we do with young people,
where we go to them and
we say what do you want
to be when you grow up?
And the real question is,
what do you want to be today?
Right? Because that's what will
affect wherever you are 10 years
down the line.
And that doesn't mean you
have to choose a career,
but it could be I want
to be happy today.
I want to be courageous today.
I want to be myself
today, right?
If you can do that, then this is
big world that we're giving you,
this normal life
that we're hoping
for you will be much more
beautiful when you get there.
>> Carla Hayden: What you're
saying, I think back even
in my own life, you
wish that I had someone
like you saying that
at 14 or 15.
>> Jason Reynolds: Yes.
Me too [laughs].
>> Carla Hayden:
Letting people know that.
We all do.
So I don't know if you know
Jason, but we keep track
of the success of our programs,
and it's no surprise to you
and anyone listening that
the tour was successful.
But I'm told the
students who participated
in your events reported feeling
more confident, more capable
to read and share their stories.
And so was confidence
the single biggest thing
that helps prepare
people for success,
especially young people?
Is confidence that thing?
>> Jason Reynolds: I think so.
I think it's definitely one
of the biggest, absolutely.
I think confidence is --
here's what I would tell you.
The lack of confidence is
definitely a killer of dreams.
I can tell you that much.
Right? I don't know if
confidence is the only thing
that sort of propels
young people to greatness.
I think confidence is
definitely a huge part of it.
I think preparedness
is another part of it.
You know, there are some
pillars there, right?
I do think a lack of confidence
can single-handedly destroy your
dream for sure.
And so hearing that they
feel a little more confident
when it comes to reading, and
when it comes to sort of --
even just engaging in a
conversation with a stranger,
we really underestimate just
the value of being able to talk
to someone you don't
know [laughs], right?
Like that alone opens up
a world, because now all
of a sudden, all
of the human beings
of the planet are no
longer implementers of fear.
Instead they are
avatars of opportunity.
Imagine that, right?
Imagine that.
And I think if that's what we're
doing here, that's what happened
on that tour, then you know.
I couldn't be more grateful.
>> Carla Hayden:
We couldn't either.
So Jason, we asked young
people to send in questions
in advance of today's event.
And we know that
that's important to you.
So I'll start with Nicole
from New York, who says,
How do you think you
are making history?
And what exactly is making
history in your eyes?
>> Jason Reynolds: How do
I think I'm making history?
I don't like to think
about that [laughs].
I don't like to think
about that.
I'm a man who can't even
put his awards on the wall.
I don't like to think
about that.
What I will say is that
I want to make sure
that I'm making somebody's
life better today
and tomorrow, right?
Every day.
Trying to figure out how to
help somebody's life be a little
easier or happier.
Or a little more
confident, right?
If I could do that every single
day, just one person right,
even if it's the same person,
every single day, then maybe,
hopefully down the line someone
will say that I made history.
But I can't live my life
thinking about that.
It'll get in the
way, I'm afraid.
So I'm -- because
with confidence also
comes overconfidence.
And I don't need that.
>> Carla Hayden: Ah.
No. Well, we also have a
question from Aisha who asked,
What is a piece of advice
that has stuck with you?
That you received?
>> Jason Reynolds:
That's a good one.
You know, I'll tell you
this quick story, Aisha.
When I was a kid, my mother
would tell my older brother
and I to go outside
and rake the leaves.
And I would rake and rake and
rake, but we had neighbors,
we had next-door
neighbors right,
who also had leaves
in their yard.
So we'd rake all the leaves,
and she'd say don't come back
in the house until all
the leaves are raked up.
And so we'd rake them all up.
We'd put them in the
bags, and then we'd go
and say Mom, we're done.
And she'd come outside, and by
the time we would go to the door
and back, the wind would blow,
and it would blow our
neighbor's leaves into our yard.
My mom would say there are
still leaves in the yard.
And we'd say no, no, no.
Those aren't our leaves.
Those are our neighbor's leaves.
And she said, Well I've given
you a task, and the task is
to get every single
leaf out of our yard.
And it does not matter
what's happening next door,
nor can you control
what the weather does.
You still have to
complete the task.
No excuses, right?
I have no control
over anybody else.
I have no control over what
the next person is doing better
than you, or differently
than me.
I have no control over what
complicated things may come
into my life.
I still have to do my work.
I still have to do what
I've come here to do.
And nothing can get -- I
can't allow for any excuse
or for anything to get
in the way of that.
>> Carla Hayden:
That's good advice.
You can't control
other people's leaves.
>> Jason Reynolds: Nope.
We can't control --
or the wind [laughs].
>> Carla Hayden: That's right,
what brings it your way.
Thank you so much for
your contributions
as National Ambassador,
and spending this
time with us, Jason.
I've so enjoyed our
conversation.
And for those curious to learn
more about Jason Reynolds,
you can visit the
link shown below.
Also follow his newsletters
by subscribing
to the Library's main
blog, shown below.
So thank you again.
>> Jason Reynolds:
Thanks, Dr. Hayden.
Good to see you.
>> Marie Arana: Thanks very
much, Jason, Dr. Hayden.
And now here to tell
you a bit more
about Jason's work
is Anya Creightney
of the Literary Initiatives
Division,
who manages the National
Ambassador
for Young People's
Literature on behalf
of the Library of Congress.
Anya?
>> Anya Creightney:
Thank you, Marie.
Wasn't that a fantastic
conversation?
Did Jason Reynolds leave
you hungry to learn more
about the resources
described in this program?
Well, Jason's platform
GRAB THE MIC:
Tell Your Story is
encapsulated in this Library
of Congress research
guide seen here.
This guide is a one-stop shop
for all things Jason Reynolds.
In it, you'll find
Jason's bio, bibliography,
selected presentations
at the Library, blogs,
alongside a rich host of
external resources like TV
and radio appearances,
book reviews, podcasts,
even an up-to-date list
of Jason's many awards.
Especially important are these
two pages describing his GRAB
THE MIC tour, and summer
digital series "Write.
Right. Rite."
Dr. Hayden just mentioned.
If you're like me, and love
the way Jason described Write.
Right. Rite.
as a springboard for
building imagination,
you'll want to try one of
his prompts for yourself.
And just to give you a special
sneak peek, why don't we listen
to one such prompt right now?
>> Jason Reynolds: Let's see.
For this "Write.
Right. Rite."
the challenge is for you,
all of you out there listening
who've been doing "Write.
Right. Rite."
two times a week and
stretching those imagination,
those writing muscles
and everything,
this week I want ya'll
to come up with a "Write.
Right. Rite."
prompt. I mean, I
can't do everything.
Can't do all the work,
you know what I mean?
And so this week, you see
how I've been doing it.
How I've been pulling from
things in my own life.
I've been pulling
from things around me.
Nothing major.
It's not anything
even super deep.
It's just like hey,
let's think about this.
Let's do the TikTok challenges.
Let's do this; let's do that.
Whatever it is, right?
Whatever we're normally used
to doing, let's take that
and turn it into
a writing prompt.
Your turn.
You write a "Write.
Right. Rite."
prompt. And pitch it.
And let's see what
y'all come up with.
I think it's going to be
something far more brilliant
than anything I've
given us this far.
Way better than all the
things I've come up with,
and I'm excited to
see what you all do.
>> Anya Creightney: These
activities are great
for the classroom: digital,
hybrid, or otherwise.
It is true our lives have
been full of complication
and challenge in
2020, and now 2021.
But Jason's term as National
Ambassador has certainly been
one highlight.
I hope you can carve out a
little space to both explore
and share Jason's GRAB
THE MIC offerings.
And just so you know,
you can always subscribe
to a newsletter Jason
writes himself,
and is distributed monthly
by the Library of Congress
by visiting blogs.loc.gov/loc.
Thank you for watching.