WEBVTT 00:14.050 --> 00:19.860 align:start >> In memory of Dick Robinson, and sponsored by the Institute 00:19.860 --> 00:21.990 align:start of Museum and Library Services. 00:21.990 --> 00:26.800 align:start >> Monica Valentine: Good afternoon. 00:26.800 --> 00:29.560 align:start I'm Monica Valentine, Program Specialist of the Library 00:29.560 --> 00:32.870 align:start of Congress, and I'm here today with Derrick Barnes. 00:32.870 --> 00:36.030 align:start Good afternoon, Derek, and welcome to the 2021 Library 00:36.030 --> 00:38.230 align:start of Congress National Book Festival. 00:38.230 --> 00:39.530 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Hey, hey. 00:39.530 --> 00:40.830 align:start Good afternoon. 00:40.830 --> 00:42.130 align:start How you doing? 00:42.130 --> 00:43.430 align:start >> Monica Valentine: I'm doing great. 00:43.430 --> 00:44.740 align:start Looking forward to our conversation today. 00:44.740 --> 00:46.390 align:start For our audience, welcome. 00:46.390 --> 00:50.820 align:start You can check out our video-on-demand sessions, 00:50.820 --> 00:52.120 align:start particularly the one 00:52.120 --> 00:55.970 align:start with Derrick Barnes at loc.gov/bookfest. 00:55.970 --> 00:59.040 align:start This time is primarily for you and your questions. 00:59.040 --> 01:00.440 align:start We have up to 30 minutes. 01:00.440 --> 01:02.900 align:start I have a few questions for Derek to start us off, 01:02.900 --> 01:05.000 align:start but it's really your time. 01:05.000 --> 01:08.690 align:start We'll go as long as we can to answer all of your questions. 01:08.690 --> 01:11.210 align:start All right, so Derek, if you're ready, we can begin. 01:11.210 --> 01:13.380 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Great. 01:13.380 --> 01:14.680 align:start >> Monica Valentine: All right, 01:14.680 --> 01:16.980 align:start so in the video you recorded earlier for the festival, 01:16.980 --> 01:18.640 align:start you mentioned a retail ad 01:18.640 --> 01:22.260 align:start that you thought sent the wrong message about black boys. 01:22.260 --> 01:25.360 align:start You said that it inspired I Am Every Good Thing, 01:25.360 --> 01:26.810 align:start and all of your books seem 01:26.810 --> 01:29.920 align:start to have a really positive message about black boys. 01:29.920 --> 01:31.840 align:start Can you tell us why that's important to you? 01:31.840 --> 01:33.230 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Yeah. 01:33.230 --> 01:37.570 align:start That ad was a clothing ad, and it was a international ad. 01:37.570 --> 01:39.660 align:start I don't even think it ran in The States, 01:39.660 --> 01:44.180 align:start but it was from the company H&M, and they have boys 01:44.180 --> 01:48.620 align:start of different nationalities and the little African boy, 01:48.620 --> 01:52.280 align:start I think he was maybe around 10, maybe 10 years of age, 01:52.280 --> 01:56.000 align:start his shirt said the coolest monkey in the jungle, 01:56.000 --> 01:58.910 align:start and I always try to explain to children 01:58.910 --> 02:02.330 align:start when I do school visits, you know, when you study the history 02:02.330 --> 02:06.560 align:start of this country in regards to, you know, marketing, literature, 02:06.560 --> 02:08.570 align:start you know, it was very -- 02:08.570 --> 02:12.550 align:start you know, we have a very dark history in regards to, you know, 02:12.550 --> 02:16.490 align:start the racial, you know, epitats and stereotypes, 02:16.490 --> 02:19.870 align:start and one of the very, you know, derogatory names 02:19.870 --> 02:22.010 align:start that black people were called were apes, 02:22.010 --> 02:23.470 align:start monkeys, you know, simian. 02:23.470 --> 02:26.810 align:start So, in this modern day age, you know, in this -- 02:26.810 --> 02:30.880 align:start for that huge cooperation, to not have anybody in the room 02:30.880 --> 02:33.630 align:start to squash that idea, was just crazy, you know? 02:33.630 --> 02:35.220 align:start I thought about my sons. 02:35.220 --> 02:37.930 align:start I have four beautiful black boys. 02:37.930 --> 02:39.770 align:start Ezra is 20. 02:39.770 --> 02:42.010 align:start Solo is 17. 02:42.010 --> 02:48.310 align:start Silas, who's the cover boy for Crown is 15, and Nnamdi is 10, 02:48.310 --> 02:50.910 align:start four totally different personalities. 02:50.910 --> 02:55.680 align:start I put so -- you know, my wife and I have put so much love 02:55.680 --> 03:00.170 align:start and energy into these boys to go out into the world to be, 03:00.170 --> 03:03.860 align:start you know, not only productive citizens, but it's a term we use 03:03.860 --> 03:07.330 align:start in the house, you know, to be a difference maker, and it's one 03:07.330 --> 03:09.320 align:start of the terms I use in the book. 03:09.320 --> 03:13.040 align:start So, you know, if someone is not, you know, 03:13.040 --> 03:15.150 align:start doesn't have the luxury or is not blessed enough 03:15.150 --> 03:18.930 align:start to have a black boy in their immediate environment, 03:18.930 --> 03:21.980 align:start they are probably more apt to go off of these stereotypes, 03:21.980 --> 03:24.240 align:start you know, and that's one thing that we have to squash, 03:24.240 --> 03:29.260 align:start and I feel like, my job as not only a black male author, 03:29.260 --> 03:33.710 align:start but a father, black husband, a black son, a black brother, 03:33.710 --> 03:37.730 align:start as a artist, I have a obligation. 03:37.730 --> 03:40.490 align:start If I'm making books for black children, it shouldn't have 03:40.490 --> 03:45.360 align:start to be this way, but it is what it is, you know what I mean. 03:45.360 --> 03:51.580 align:start I have a obligation to make sure that every time I write a book 03:51.580 --> 03:54.690 align:start or I create a character, or I tell a story, 03:54.690 --> 03:57.310 align:start that I'm putting black children, black and brown children 03:57.310 --> 03:59.540 align:start in the most positive light that I possibly can 03:59.540 --> 04:03.590 align:start to counter these negative images that we still have 04:03.590 --> 04:08.240 align:start in American pop culture, and even, you know, 04:08.240 --> 04:12.360 align:start international pop culture. 04:12.360 --> 04:13.660 align:start >> Monica Valentine: Right, right. 04:13.660 --> 04:17.900 align:start So you just mentioned your sons and that leads me to a question, 04:17.900 --> 04:20.500 align:start do the mighty Barnes brothers ever review your drafts 04:20.500 --> 04:22.600 align:start when you write and what role do they play 04:22.600 --> 04:24.930 align:start in your writing process, if any? 04:24.930 --> 04:27.680 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Most definitely. 04:27.680 --> 04:29.850 align:start You know, as they've gotten older, 04:29.850 --> 04:34.300 align:start I'm writing more middle grade novels and graphic novels. 04:34.300 --> 04:37.120 align:start The books I'm probably most famous for are, you know, 04:37.120 --> 04:41.020 align:start picture books, which are really just poems that, you know, 04:41.020 --> 04:42.320 align:start have been condensed 04:42.320 --> 04:46.440 align:start and of course added this beautiful illustrations 04:46.440 --> 04:49.820 align:start from Vanessa Brantley Newton and Gordon James 04:49.820 --> 04:52.760 align:start who did I Am Every Good Thing and he illustrated Crown. 04:52.760 --> 04:55.580 align:start Shout out to Gordon. 04:55.580 --> 04:59.510 align:start So when they were younger, it was a little bit easier for me 04:59.510 --> 05:03.220 align:start to get a thumbs up from them, but you know, 05:03.220 --> 05:04.520 align:start as long as they've been alive, 05:04.520 --> 05:09.330 align:start that's the only thing they know me as, as a author, as a writer, 05:09.330 --> 05:12.620 align:start poet, so now that I'm writing for older children, 05:12.620 --> 05:16.240 align:start they give me a thumbs up in regards to the language, 05:16.240 --> 05:19.230 align:start in regards to the dialogue, which is so important, you know, 05:19.230 --> 05:24.380 align:start not in regards to slang or keeping up with the, you know, 05:24.380 --> 05:28.850 align:start current dialogue that kids are using, but it's very important 05:28.850 --> 05:32.790 align:start that the dialogue between characters are, you know, 05:32.790 --> 05:36.350 align:start really believable, and real, and it really helps to have a 15 05:36.350 --> 05:38.100 align:start and a 17 year old in the house 05:38.100 --> 05:41.960 align:start that I can bounce my characters off of, 05:41.960 --> 05:44.960 align:start bounce my dialogue off of, and my wife kind 05:44.960 --> 05:46.930 align:start of helps me now with the poetry. 05:46.930 --> 05:50.200 align:start You know, she reads everything that I may finish, 05:50.200 --> 05:53.780 align:start partly because I just love hearing her voice, 05:53.780 --> 05:56.020 align:start and I love hearing her read my work, you know, 05:56.020 --> 06:00.210 align:start so this is like a cooperation we got here, you know? 06:00.210 --> 06:03.870 align:start This is a family business in a sense, 06:03.870 --> 06:05.170 align:start and I'm so grateful [inaudible]. 06:05.170 --> 06:06.470 align:start >> Monica Valentine: Yeah, 06:06.470 --> 06:08.570 align:start I love to hear the whole family's involved, 06:08.570 --> 06:13.200 align:start so you talked a little bit about dialogue. 06:13.200 --> 06:15.870 align:start Maria M. has a question about illustrations. 06:15.870 --> 06:18.970 align:start She says the illustrations in your book are gorgeous. 06:18.970 --> 06:21.340 align:start What is your process working with your illustrator? 06:21.340 --> 06:25.160 align:start Do you have much input in creating them? 06:25.160 --> 06:27.050 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: You know, when you first start out, 06:27.050 --> 06:29.550 align:start you don't have a lot of input. 06:29.550 --> 06:33.720 align:start The publishing company actually picks who the illustrators are, 06:33.720 --> 06:38.230 align:start but once you've had a little bit of success, you get a say 06:38.230 --> 06:42.070 align:start so in you may want to work with and, you know, 06:42.070 --> 06:45.820 align:start the whole process is you don't really interact 06:45.820 --> 06:47.140 align:start with the illustrator. 06:47.140 --> 06:53.500 align:start They give the illustrator the manuscript, 06:53.500 --> 06:58.220 align:start and the illustrator does their own interpretation of the text 06:58.220 --> 07:02.210 align:start and of the story, but now that I have a little bit of clout, 07:02.210 --> 07:04.160 align:start I don't really work like that. 07:04.160 --> 07:07.360 align:start I'm a very personable person, so as soon as I -- 07:07.360 --> 07:12.180 align:start as soon as we've landed a deal for a picture book, 07:12.180 --> 07:14.490 align:start I already have in my mind who I want to work with, 07:14.490 --> 07:17.770 align:start what I want the images to look like, and as soon as we're able 07:17.770 --> 07:21.430 align:start to land that illustrator, I want to give them a phone call, 07:21.430 --> 07:23.130 align:start and I want to have a conversation 07:23.130 --> 07:24.560 align:start with them about what I see. 07:24.560 --> 07:27.430 align:start Now, they may use everything that I give them, 07:27.430 --> 07:31.710 align:start or they may not use anything that I tell them, you know, 07:31.710 --> 07:35.280 align:start at all but, I'm not just an author. 07:35.280 --> 07:38.570 align:start I see myself -- I mean, you know, I like to see myself work 07:38.570 --> 07:40.380 align:start through the whole creative process. 07:40.380 --> 07:45.310 align:start Like, I have an idea about how I want the characters to look, 07:45.310 --> 07:49.560 align:start certain scenes in the book I wish to be illustrated, 07:49.560 --> 07:52.300 align:start and I'm not a bossy kind of author, 07:52.300 --> 07:54.710 align:start but I think it's important. 07:54.710 --> 07:57.680 align:start I also think it's helpful to get that information 07:57.680 --> 08:00.640 align:start to the illustrator early on, and then I just leave them alone 08:00.640 --> 08:02.340 align:start and let them do their thing. 08:02.340 --> 08:05.130 align:start Now there's some illustrators who want that input, 08:05.130 --> 08:06.800 align:start and there are some illustrators who don't want to hear 08:06.800 --> 08:08.100 align:start from the author at all. 08:08.100 --> 08:10.170 align:start They just want to do their own thing, but again, 08:10.170 --> 08:11.830 align:start I don't really work like that. 08:11.830 --> 08:13.720 align:start You may not want to hear from me, but you're going to hear 08:13.720 --> 08:16.980 align:start from me, and I think it can't do anything 08:16.980 --> 08:20.410 align:start but help the illustrator just as long as I'm not impeding 08:20.410 --> 08:22.860 align:start on their, you know, creative process, 08:22.860 --> 08:26.150 align:start which I never want to do. 08:26.150 --> 08:27.450 align:start >> Monica Valentine: Right, right. 08:27.450 --> 08:29.480 align:start So I see like to be involved with the whole concept 08:29.480 --> 08:32.190 align:start from the beginning to the end. 08:32.190 --> 08:33.490 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Yes, yes. 08:33.490 --> 08:34.790 align:start >> Monica Valentine: All right, so interesting. 08:34.790 --> 08:39.470 align:start We have a question from Maria M. She says 08:39.470 --> 08:42.010 align:start that her six year old daughter actually has the question 08:42.010 --> 08:43.310 align:start for you. 08:43.310 --> 08:46.310 align:start Who is your hero? 08:46.310 --> 08:49.510 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Oh, man, my heroes are my sons. 08:49.510 --> 08:51.630 align:start You know, it's something. 08:51.630 --> 08:56.290 align:start You see these little people enter into the world, 08:56.290 --> 08:59.870 align:start and you have to do everything for them, fend for them, 08:59.870 --> 09:02.210 align:start feed them, clothe and bathe them, 09:02.210 --> 09:06.250 align:start and then one day they become their own person, 09:06.250 --> 09:11.360 align:start and they start accomplishing things and achieving things 09:11.360 --> 09:15.920 align:start that either you could have never seen yourself, you know, 09:15.920 --> 09:18.770 align:start accomplish, and they go places and, 09:18.770 --> 09:21.210 align:start and places that you've never gone before, 09:21.210 --> 09:23.800 align:start and they've achieved things that you've never achieved before, 09:23.800 --> 09:30.590 align:start and it's [inaudible], you know, I want to impress them as much 09:30.590 --> 09:33.370 align:start as I'm sure they want to impress, 09:33.370 --> 09:38.440 align:start you know, my wife and I. 09:38.440 --> 09:41.590 align:start Their opinions me a lot to me, so does my wife. 09:41.590 --> 09:43.750 align:start I want them to be proud of me. 09:43.750 --> 09:47.320 align:start I want my sons to be just as proud of me as I am of them. 09:47.320 --> 09:51.090 align:start I want my wife to be proud to be married 09:51.090 --> 09:52.390 align:start to me, you know what I mean? 09:52.390 --> 09:57.040 align:start So I guess it's my family, but most of all, my sons, you know, 09:57.040 --> 10:00.180 align:start just see these guys launch, to see my 20 year old go 10:00.180 --> 10:02.620 align:start out into the world and, you know, 10:02.620 --> 10:08.600 align:start become a mechanical engineer and my second eldest boy, 10:08.600 --> 10:12.390 align:start he's one of the best football players in this entire state, 10:12.390 --> 10:15.660 align:start and he has business, you know, aspirations and my, 10:15.660 --> 10:18.340 align:start the cover boy, the Crown, Nestle Snipes. 10:18.340 --> 10:19.960 align:start We call him Nestle Snipes. 10:19.960 --> 10:26.550 align:start His name is Silas, but he wants to become a respiratory surgeon 10:26.550 --> 10:29.870 align:start and Nnamdi, you know, he's doing great things now, 10:29.870 --> 10:32.500 align:start excellent student and he's glad he's back in school, 10:32.500 --> 10:35.060 align:start and you know, these guys motivating me 10:35.060 --> 10:38.050 align:start to be a better father and a better person, 10:38.050 --> 10:42.700 align:start and they always lift me up just by just being who they are, 10:42.700 --> 10:46.930 align:start and I'm always get, you know, kind of emotional 10:46.930 --> 10:48.260 align:start when I talk about my sons. 10:48.260 --> 10:52.250 align:start I'm just extremely proud of them. 10:52.250 --> 10:53.550 align:start >> Monica Valentine: Oh, no, no, 10:53.550 --> 10:54.850 align:start it's fine for you to get emotional. 10:54.850 --> 10:56.460 align:start That's a lovely answer. 10:56.460 --> 10:58.710 align:start You have mentioned that Langston Hughes is one 10:58.710 --> 11:01.080 align:start of your literary heroes, and -- 11:01.080 --> 11:02.380 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Yes. 11:02.380 --> 11:03.680 align:start >> Monica Valentine: -- 11:03.680 --> 11:04.980 align:start I'm wondering if you'd want to talk a little bit about him 11:04.980 --> 11:07.090 align:start as a hero to you, and then also, are there other writers 11:07.090 --> 11:11.020 align:start or non-writers that have been influential in your work? 11:11.020 --> 11:13.750 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Yeah, Langston, I was proud of one 11:13.750 --> 11:16.570 align:start of my homeboys because he's from Missouri. 11:16.570 --> 11:18.600 align:start You know, we're both from Missouri. 11:18.600 --> 11:23.170 align:start I'm from Kansas City, and he was the first poet 11:23.170 --> 11:26.270 align:start that I think I fell in love with his work. 11:26.270 --> 11:31.700 align:start I fell in love mostly, first of all, I think in the fifth grade. 11:31.700 --> 11:35.100 align:start My teacher Ms. Shelby introduced me to his work 11:35.100 --> 11:36.580 align:start because I was really falling in love 11:36.580 --> 11:39.400 align:start with hip hop music at the time. 11:39.400 --> 11:45.210 align:start That was in the mid-'80s, so I was listening to LL Cool J, 11:45.210 --> 11:48.550 align:start Run DMC, EPMD, Eric B. and Rakim, 11:48.550 --> 11:50.360 align:start and those guys were poets to me. 11:50.360 --> 11:52.990 align:start Again, I come from a very musical household. 11:52.990 --> 11:55.750 align:start My mother had a huge, you know, album collection. 11:55.750 --> 11:57.930 align:start So some of the first writers I fell in love 11:57.930 --> 12:00.020 align:start with were songwriters. 12:00.020 --> 12:03.630 align:start Stevie Wonder lyrics, I used to copy down his lyrics, 12:03.630 --> 12:06.320 align:start and I got them out the album and all the lyrics are 12:06.320 --> 12:11.510 align:start on the liner notes, and she saw how much I was very much 12:11.510 --> 12:14.620 align:start so interested in poetry, which is all hip hop is 12:14.620 --> 12:18.740 align:start and song lyrics is, you know, especially from Stevie, 12:18.740 --> 12:22.410 align:start so she introduced me to Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes, 12:22.410 --> 12:25.730 align:start and I just gravitated more towards his work because it -- 12:25.730 --> 12:28.490 align:start because of the dialogue, again, going back to dialogue, 12:28.490 --> 12:32.830 align:start I fell in love with a character of his named, Jesse B. Simple, 12:32.830 --> 12:36.330 align:start and this was about a guy in the 1940s, 12:36.330 --> 12:38.520 align:start in Harlem, 1950s in Harlem. 12:38.520 --> 12:40.180 align:start He was always down on his luck. 12:40.180 --> 12:42.040 align:start He couldn't keep a woman. 12:42.040 --> 12:46.050 align:start He couldn't pay his rent, and he was always trying to hustle just 12:46.050 --> 12:48.910 align:start to make ends meet, and it was just a dialogue 12:48.910 --> 12:51.570 align:start that this character had with the beautiful people 12:51.570 --> 12:53.870 align:start that lived in Harlem, you know? 12:53.870 --> 12:59.420 align:start And I was maybe 10, 11 years old, and just started collecting 12:59.420 --> 13:01.410 align:start as much of his work that I possibly could, 13:01.410 --> 13:04.830 align:start but you asked about other heroes. 13:04.830 --> 13:06.950 align:start Again, I'm a big music fan. 13:06.950 --> 13:08.970 align:start I'm a big jazz fan. 13:08.970 --> 13:11.800 align:start Being from Kansas City, you know, 13:11.800 --> 13:14.110 align:start Charlie Parker is a huge hero. 13:14.110 --> 13:17.150 align:start There is a big bust of Charlie Parker on 18th and Vine 13:17.150 --> 13:20.630 align:start in Kansas City for everybody, anybody who's never been there. 13:20.630 --> 13:24.350 align:start 18th and Vine is where all the hep cats used to be like back 13:24.350 --> 13:28.020 align:start in the '50s, and '60s, you know, Miles Davis, you know, 13:28.020 --> 13:31.500 align:start Cab Calloway, they used to come to 18th and Vine and play 13:31.500 --> 13:35.020 align:start in all the jazz places, so now they have a jazz museum 13:35.020 --> 13:37.600 align:start and a Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. 13:37.600 --> 13:42.430 align:start There's a huge, like I want to say like a 12, 13-foot bust 13:42.430 --> 13:46.860 align:start of Charlie Parker, and every time I go home, I sit at a bench 13:46.860 --> 13:50.380 align:start in front of that bust, and I talk to the bust. 13:50.380 --> 13:51.680 align:start I may look crazy. 13:51.680 --> 13:54.290 align:start It's mostly nighttime when I sit out and talk to Charlie Parker, 13:54.290 --> 13:57.680 align:start but I just want to let him know that I appreciate him 13:57.680 --> 13:59.650 align:start and I appreciate all the ancestors, 13:59.650 --> 14:07.170 align:start all the creative ancestors, including Langston Hughes, 14:07.170 --> 14:09.910 align:start including -- who are some of my favorite writers? 14:09.910 --> 14:12.370 align:start Derek Walcott, he's from St. Lucia, 14:12.370 --> 14:16.790 align:start one of my favorite poets of all time. 14:16.790 --> 14:21.230 align:start Who's also my favorite writers? 14:21.230 --> 14:23.920 align:start Gwendolyn Brooks, they're all pretty much poets, you know? 14:23.920 --> 14:28.430 align:start So when I sit and talk to that bust, I tell him thank you, 14:28.430 --> 14:33.450 align:start and I am trying to hold it down and I'm trying to you know, 14:33.450 --> 14:36.590 align:start take that baton and take everything that they set 14:36.590 --> 14:41.630 align:start up for her -- I mean for us, and take it to the next level, 14:41.630 --> 14:45.040 align:start and I want Charlie and all the great jazz musicians -- 14:45.040 --> 14:47.150 align:start I'm a big john Coltrane fan, 14:47.150 --> 14:51.070 align:start and I feel like I am doing their work, that I am, you know, 14:51.070 --> 14:55.060 align:start continuing their great, you know, legacy that they set 14:55.060 --> 14:57.510 align:start for not only me, but for other black artists, you know, 14:57.510 --> 15:03.090 align:start musicians, other writers, poets, and playwrights, actors. 15:03.090 --> 15:07.290 align:start Again, we have a huge responsibility and we standing 15:07.290 --> 15:11.450 align:start on some large shoulders and I appreciate that and I recognize 15:11.450 --> 15:15.320 align:start that so yeah, those are some of my heroes. 15:15.320 --> 15:16.620 align:start >> Monica Valentine: Thank you. 15:16.620 --> 15:17.920 align:start Okay. 15:17.920 --> 15:19.220 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: I'm sorry for the monologue. 15:19.220 --> 15:20.520 align:start >> Monica Valentine: That's where you're at. 15:20.520 --> 15:23.000 align:start So Theresa, first notes that she likes your t-shirt. 15:23.000 --> 15:26.520 align:start She says it's cool, but then also she wants to know -- 15:26.520 --> 15:27.820 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Thank you. 15:27.820 --> 15:29.120 align:start >> Monica Valentine: -- how you became interested 15:29.120 --> 15:30.420 align:start in being a children's writer. 15:30.420 --> 15:32.400 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: You know, I kind of fell into it. 15:32.400 --> 15:39.390 align:start I am a 1999 graduate of Jackson State University, 15:39.390 --> 15:43.320 align:start the greatest historically black college in the land. 15:43.320 --> 15:46.610 align:start I have a bachelor's degree in marketing. 15:46.610 --> 15:51.100 align:start Met my beautiful wife there, met and we were just like 20, 21, 15:51.100 --> 15:53.990 align:start and my first paid writing gig, 15:53.990 --> 15:55.930 align:start I wrote for the Blue and White Flash. 15:55.930 --> 15:57.670 align:start I worked -- I wrote for the newspaper. 15:57.670 --> 16:00.930 align:start I wrote a advice column called Brown Sugar, 16:00.930 --> 16:04.690 align:start and everybody called me Hershey Brown on campus, 16:04.690 --> 16:10.310 align:start so that was my first writing gig, and because of that column, 16:10.310 --> 16:16.250 align:start which we won the Best HBC newspaper in my senior year, 16:16.250 --> 16:19.050 align:start I landed a job at Hallmark Cards. 16:19.050 --> 16:22.120 align:start I was the first black man in the history of Hallmark Cards -- 16:22.120 --> 16:25.660 align:start they're a greeting card giant -- to be hired as a copywriter, 16:25.660 --> 16:29.210 align:start a creative copywriter, and that was a great job, and I mean, 16:29.210 --> 16:30.760 align:start I felt like I was in graduate school. 16:30.760 --> 16:33.090 align:start There was so many talented painters, 16:33.090 --> 16:35.010 align:start so many talented writers there. 16:35.010 --> 16:38.790 align:start I learned a lot about finding my voice. 16:38.790 --> 16:41.760 align:start I learned a lot about the editorial process, 16:41.760 --> 16:44.390 align:start and that's where the real magic happens. 16:44.390 --> 16:47.030 align:start Like I'm finishing up a novel right now, and I can't wait 16:47.030 --> 16:50.780 align:start to get to the whole editorial part because that's 16:50.780 --> 16:52.460 align:start where things are moved around 16:52.460 --> 16:55.790 align:start and things are made more beautiful, 16:55.790 --> 16:59.060 align:start and while I was there, I met Gordon James. 16:59.060 --> 17:00.950 align:start We've been friends for over 20 years. 17:00.950 --> 17:02.790 align:start He was a illustrator there. 17:02.790 --> 17:05.740 align:start He's the illustrator of again, Crown and I Am Every Good Thing, 17:05.740 --> 17:10.250 align:start two beautiful books, and he introduced me 17:10.250 --> 17:12.590 align:start to his literary agent, Miss Regina Brooks. 17:12.590 --> 17:17.220 align:start Love that lady, been with her since 2003. 17:17.220 --> 17:19.990 align:start She's been my literary agent for a long time now, 17:19.990 --> 17:23.370 align:start and the first project she brought to me was 17:23.370 --> 17:27.160 align:start for to early reader books entitled, Stop, Drop, and Chill 17:27.160 --> 17:28.530 align:start and The Low-Down Bad-Day Blues. 17:28.530 --> 17:31.490 align:start Those were my first two books that came out, 17:31.490 --> 17:37.260 align:start and they were early reader books, and every other project 17:37.260 --> 17:39.780 align:start that he brought to me after those two books, 17:39.780 --> 17:42.150 align:start were all children's books. 17:42.150 --> 17:45.360 align:start You know, before I signed a deal with her, I saw myself 17:45.360 --> 17:48.380 align:start as being this great short story writer, 17:48.380 --> 17:53.390 align:start somebody that writes these beautiful, you know, novellas 17:53.390 --> 17:55.980 align:start but it seemed like every time we had a child, 17:55.980 --> 17:58.920 align:start I landed a new book deal for children's books, 17:58.920 --> 18:01.720 align:start every single time, so I was like, you know, 18:01.720 --> 18:03.020 align:start I might as well stick with this. 18:03.020 --> 18:09.510 align:start There's a lot of opportunity in our children's books, and now, 18:09.510 --> 18:12.390 align:start you know, I realize it is so important that I stay 18:12.390 --> 18:17.790 align:start in this genre because, you know, for many children, 18:17.790 --> 18:22.730 align:start it's their first introduction to, you know, literature, and, 18:22.730 --> 18:26.780 align:start you know, we're responsible for creating the next, you know, 18:26.780 --> 18:31.980 align:start generation of book lovers, the next generation of avid readers, 18:31.980 --> 18:33.280 align:start and, again, I take 18:33.280 --> 18:37.860 align:start that responsibility very serious, so, I love it. 18:37.860 --> 18:40.330 align:start Even though my children are getting older, 18:40.330 --> 18:43.560 align:start I don't really see myself doing anything else. 18:43.560 --> 18:50.410 align:start I might want to do some, you know, audio, 18:50.410 --> 18:54.040 align:start or some biographical pieces 18:54.040 --> 18:58.560 align:start on my favorite jazz musicians one day, but until then, 18:58.560 --> 19:00.750 align:start I think, until I finish, you know, 19:00.750 --> 19:03.110 align:start until I can't write anymore, I'm always going 19:03.110 --> 19:06.020 align:start to write children's books, and just again, highlight the beauty 19:06.020 --> 19:07.950 align:start and the brilliance of black children. 19:07.950 --> 19:10.140 align:start >> Monica Valentine: That's good to hear. 19:10.140 --> 19:12.610 align:start We're looking forward to what comes next. 19:12.610 --> 19:13.910 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Black nerd [inaudible] 19:13.910 --> 19:15.450 align:start >> Monica Valentine: We have a question from Stacy -- 19:15.450 --> 19:16.750 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Yeah. 19:16.750 --> 19:18.250 align:start >> Monica Valentine: We have a question from Stacy who wants 19:18.250 --> 19:20.620 align:start to know, who helped you as a young writer 19:20.620 --> 19:22.210 align:start to improve your writing? 19:22.210 --> 19:24.970 align:start Do you have any advice for kids who might feel nervous 19:24.970 --> 19:27.540 align:start about sharing their writing with other people? 19:27.540 --> 19:28.840 align:start >> Monica Valentine: Yeah, 19:28.840 --> 19:32.820 align:start I have so many people that I can thank. 19:32.820 --> 19:38.570 align:start You know, my mother just has a high school education 19:38.570 --> 19:39.980 align:start but she was my biggest fan. 19:39.980 --> 19:44.220 align:start She always took me to libraries, always took me to bookstores. 19:44.220 --> 19:46.990 align:start She always made sure I had something to read 19:46.990 --> 19:49.360 align:start and she recognized that I enjoy writing. 19:49.360 --> 19:50.660 align:start I started writing when I was 10, 19:50.660 --> 19:54.440 align:start so she has always been a advocate of my work 19:54.440 --> 19:58.070 align:start and I don't -- she may not be watching, 19:58.070 --> 19:59.370 align:start but if she is, I love you, Mom. 19:59.370 --> 20:04.350 align:start Mrs. Shelby, I think I talked about her, 20:04.350 --> 20:06.870 align:start she was my fifth grade teacher. 20:06.870 --> 20:10.510 align:start She made sure that we, you know, that we had material 20:10.510 --> 20:12.640 align:start and there was once upon a time -- I mean, you know, 20:12.640 --> 20:15.300 align:start things have come a long way in this industry. 20:15.300 --> 20:18.130 align:start There was a time when there weren't any books 20:18.130 --> 20:21.930 align:start that featured black children, if they weren't, you know, 20:21.930 --> 20:25.020 align:start athletes, you know, runaway slaves 20:25.020 --> 20:26.320 align:start in the civil rights movement, 20:26.320 --> 20:29.210 align:start but just children being children, but she gave us 20:29.210 --> 20:32.410 align:start as many classic books as she possibly could. 20:32.410 --> 20:36.860 align:start Some of them were adult poetry books, where she made sure that, 20:36.860 --> 20:40.650 align:start you know, we had material and I think that sparked my love for, 20:40.650 --> 20:46.920 align:start you know, the written word, but my favorite teacher of all time, 20:46.920 --> 20:48.510 align:start and this -- Mrs. Mary Rogers. 20:48.510 --> 20:51.600 align:start She was my freshman high school teacher, 20:51.600 --> 20:53.420 align:start and she was my English teacher, 20:53.420 --> 20:57.360 align:start and she was also my creative writing teacher 20:57.360 --> 21:00.690 align:start when I was a senior, and I was 14 at the time, 21:00.690 --> 21:03.710 align:start and I was not ashamed to tell people that I was -- 21:03.710 --> 21:06.610 align:start that I wrote poetry because I also wrote hip hop. 21:06.610 --> 21:09.560 align:start I was trying to be a hip hop artist at the time, but I -- 21:09.560 --> 21:12.720 align:start that was something that I did well, so I felt very confident 21:12.720 --> 21:15.940 align:start that I did something that I knew my peers couldn't do, 21:15.940 --> 21:18.590 align:start but Miss Rogers, it didn't matter what I wrote, 21:18.590 --> 21:21.620 align:start or what I turned in, it was all Pulitzer-worthy, 21:21.620 --> 21:24.680 align:start and she thought everything I wrote was amazing, 21:24.680 --> 21:29.420 align:start and obviously, I'm pretty sure it was not, but to get that love 21:29.420 --> 21:33.920 align:start from her, to get that encouragement, 21:33.920 --> 21:37.010 align:start it's just really spurned me on to really grow 21:37.010 --> 21:41.310 align:start and to be a better writer, and I am Facebook friends 21:41.310 --> 21:45.100 align:start with her now, and I thank her every single chance that I get. 21:45.100 --> 21:49.620 align:start I think it's so important for educators, parents, 21:49.620 --> 21:53.550 align:start adults period, to, you know, really support young people 21:53.550 --> 21:56.980 align:start who have an interest, and not just writing, but just anything, 21:56.980 --> 22:00.700 align:start you know, productive, anything positive, anything creative. 22:00.700 --> 22:04.620 align:start Yeah, that little bit of encouragement, you know, 22:04.620 --> 22:10.750 align:start can go a long way, can really launch an amazing career, 22:10.750 --> 22:12.050 align:start you know? 22:12.050 --> 22:15.650 align:start It's been a long road for me, but, you know, 22:15.650 --> 22:18.490 align:start there wasn't a day that I didn't think about, you know, 22:18.490 --> 22:22.420 align:start Mary Rogers, or I didn't think about my mom and the sacrifices, 22:22.420 --> 22:25.270 align:start you know, that she made, and, you know, Mrs. Shelby, 22:25.270 --> 22:29.010 align:start all the people who've always encouraged me. 22:29.010 --> 22:32.900 align:start So, yeah, if I just shout out to all the educators 22:32.900 --> 22:35.380 align:start that may be watching right now, I love you all. 22:35.380 --> 22:39.260 align:start I know, this past 19 months has not been easy on you all, 22:39.260 --> 22:41.390 align:start and you've -- you're doing a great job, 22:41.390 --> 22:44.840 align:start whether it be virtually or you be in-person, 22:44.840 --> 22:47.060 align:start and you just keep educating the babies 22:47.060 --> 22:49.370 align:start and keep encouraging them, because you just never know 22:49.370 --> 22:52.560 align:start who these kids may turn out to be, you know? 22:52.560 --> 22:54.960 align:start I'm sure Miss Rogers knew I would grow 22:54.960 --> 22:58.080 align:start up to be a award-winning children's book author. 22:58.080 --> 23:00.460 align:start I couldn't see it at the time, but she did, 23:00.460 --> 23:03.390 align:start and maybe she didn't but just her being positive is one 23:03.390 --> 23:07.760 align:start of the reasons I'm here today. 23:07.760 --> 23:09.060 align:start So, love you Miss Rogers. 23:09.060 --> 23:10.360 align:start >> Monica Valentine: I love your answer, 23:10.360 --> 23:11.660 align:start because it is amazing what one 23:11.660 --> 23:15.090 align:start or two interested adults can do for a kid's life. 23:15.090 --> 23:16.500 align:start Thank you for that. 23:16.500 --> 23:21.220 align:start So let's come back to today, and let's talk about -- 23:21.220 --> 23:23.920 align:start talk to your young audience who might be curious 23:23.920 --> 23:25.690 align:start about what your writing process is like. 23:25.690 --> 23:28.320 align:start Can you tell us what a day in the life 23:28.320 --> 23:31.950 align:start of Derrick Barnes as a writer is like? 23:31.950 --> 23:35.390 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: I am not a very organized person, you know, 23:35.390 --> 23:40.080 align:start and in my mind, I think about how I want my day to play out, 23:40.080 --> 23:41.380 align:start so I might even write it down, 23:41.380 --> 23:43.700 align:start but it almost never goes that way. 23:43.700 --> 23:49.240 align:start I try to drop Nnamdi off, my 10 year old off at school, 23:49.240 --> 23:53.730 align:start and I say I'm going to come back and work out for about an hour, 23:53.730 --> 23:58.380 align:start but if I'm working on something, it's really hard for me to kind 23:58.380 --> 24:01.710 align:start of focus on working out when I'm thinking about the next chapter, 24:01.710 --> 24:05.270 align:start or the next scene in a book, so after I drop Nnamdi off, 24:05.270 --> 24:08.940 align:start I usually go and get my favorite drink if I don't have it, 24:08.940 --> 24:11.570 align:start which is I try to drink as much water as I can, 24:11.570 --> 24:13.100 align:start but I also drink Diet Mountain Dew, 24:13.100 --> 24:16.220 align:start and that's my caffeine of choice. 24:16.220 --> 24:19.690 align:start I come back in my office, in my beautiful office, 24:19.690 --> 24:22.460 align:start and I'm so grateful for this space, you know, 24:22.460 --> 24:27.500 align:start that I have to write in, and I write from maybe nine 24:27.500 --> 24:32.190 align:start to one o'clock, and then I'll stop and I'll get some lunch 24:32.190 --> 24:36.360 align:start and I work again until it's time to go get him, and he's going 24:36.360 --> 24:39.230 align:start to start riding the bus soon, so I don't have to stop and start 24:39.230 --> 24:44.550 align:start but I try to write maybe 8 to 12 hours a day 24:44.550 --> 24:48.360 align:start if I'm actually working on something. 24:48.360 --> 24:51.390 align:start And just having my own space to write in now and sometimes 24:51.390 --> 24:54.190 align:start like especially during last year when everyone was at home 24:54.190 --> 24:56.230 align:start and they were learning virtually, it was kind of tough, 24:56.230 --> 24:57.590 align:start not that they were loud. 24:57.590 --> 25:02.060 align:start Having four, five other people in the house is, you know, 25:02.060 --> 25:05.440 align:start very distracting, and so sometimes I will go 25:05.440 --> 25:09.370 align:start to a hotel that's around the corner and I stay there 25:09.370 --> 25:11.490 align:start for three days when I'm actually working with something, 25:11.490 --> 25:14.350 align:start especially but I just need to clear my head 25:14.350 --> 25:16.590 align:start and I have deadlines to turn in, 25:16.590 --> 25:18.860 align:start I will go somewhere for like three days. 25:18.860 --> 25:20.380 align:start There's a pond too far from here. 25:20.380 --> 25:23.690 align:start Sometimes I type in my van. 25:23.690 --> 25:24.990 align:start I type in the car. 25:24.990 --> 25:27.060 align:start I sit in the backseat and work on something. 25:27.060 --> 25:31.290 align:start I sit on benches outside, but this is my favorite space, 25:31.290 --> 25:37.610 align:start you know, is in my office and I try to type 8 to 12 hours a day. 25:37.610 --> 25:39.170 align:start >> Monica Valentine: Wow. 25:39.170 --> 25:43.070 align:start Okay. Well, we have another question from Theresa, 25:43.070 --> 25:48.560 align:start who asks what role have libraries played in your life? 25:48.560 --> 25:49.860 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Man. 25:49.860 --> 25:53.540 align:start They play different roles 25:53.540 --> 25:55.830 align:start in different stages of my life, you know? 25:55.830 --> 25:58.380 align:start My mother used to take me to the library. 25:58.380 --> 26:01.580 align:start She's used to pull me in this Radio Flyer, this red wagon. 26:01.580 --> 26:03.000 align:start I was like four or five years old, 26:03.000 --> 26:05.550 align:start and taken to the library on Saturday mornings. 26:05.550 --> 26:07.930 align:start That's one of the only days that she was off during the week. 26:07.930 --> 26:09.970 align:start My mother worked two jobs sometimes. 26:09.970 --> 26:15.930 align:start She was a LPN, so she worked in nursing homes, but on Saturdays, 26:15.930 --> 26:19.130 align:start she would take me to the library, and we'd fill 26:19.130 --> 26:23.100 align:start up that library -- and we'd fill up that wagon 26:23.100 --> 26:25.920 align:start and bring those books home, and I would sit in my closet 26:25.920 --> 26:29.640 align:start with a flashlight tied to a shoestring and sitting there 26:29.640 --> 26:31.640 align:start with pillows, you know, and read. 26:31.640 --> 26:39.120 align:start To be able to be around so much, you know, to be in, you know, 26:39.120 --> 26:41.320 align:start close proximity, to be able to run your hand 26:41.320 --> 26:44.160 align:start across all these different binds, 26:44.160 --> 26:46.250 align:start all these different characters and stories, 26:46.250 --> 26:49.400 align:start and these books took me to a different place. 26:49.400 --> 26:53.090 align:start You know, we grew up -- I grew up poor, grew up, again, 26:53.090 --> 26:56.900 align:start in a single-parent household, me and my brother Anthony, 26:56.900 --> 27:02.230 align:start so books helped me to just escape my neighborhood, 27:02.230 --> 27:04.250 align:start which was a beautiful neighborhood, 27:04.250 --> 27:06.060 align:start but I grew up in a very small house, very -- 27:06.060 --> 27:08.450 align:start a small two-bedroom house. 27:08.450 --> 27:12.780 align:start There was a lot of violence, you know, in my neighborhood, 27:12.780 --> 27:15.240 align:start but it wasn't shocking when it did happen. 27:15.240 --> 27:16.540 align:start You know what I mean? 27:16.540 --> 27:20.300 align:start So not really having a lot of money to travel, you know, go, 27:20.300 --> 27:23.130 align:start you know, summer vacations, rode a lot of Greyhound buses 27:23.130 --> 27:25.310 align:start down to Mississippi and Tennessee 27:25.310 --> 27:29.600 align:start and see my family members, so books was a way for me to travel 27:29.600 --> 27:36.250 align:start across the Atlantic, across the Pacific, to go back into, 27:36.250 --> 27:40.370 align:start you know, time machine, so to be able to sit in a library 27:40.370 --> 27:44.000 align:start and live these different lives was, you know, 27:44.000 --> 27:48.940 align:start an amazing influence on me, and when I became a adult, 27:48.940 --> 27:52.170 align:start I think after like my sixth book, after Ruby 27:52.170 --> 27:54.490 align:start and the Booker Boys came out, 27:54.490 --> 27:58.400 align:start I worked at the Kansas City Public Library 27:58.400 --> 28:01.370 align:start in the outreach department. 28:01.370 --> 28:03.140 align:start I really thought my career was over. 28:03.140 --> 28:05.870 align:start I couldn't land a book deal to save my life. 28:05.870 --> 28:08.310 align:start I think this was around 2011. 28:08.310 --> 28:12.170 align:start This was after We Could Be Brothers came out, and I did -- 28:12.170 --> 28:13.830 align:start I've had so many odd jobs, you all. 28:13.830 --> 28:15.510 align:start You all can't imagine. 28:15.510 --> 28:18.530 align:start If you name it and it's legal, I probably did it. 28:18.530 --> 28:20.460 align:start You know, I'm talking about during the course of me trying 28:20.460 --> 28:23.750 align:start to become a successful children's book author and man, 28:23.750 --> 28:26.060 align:start and one of my favorite jobs working was working 28:26.060 --> 28:27.660 align:start for the Kansas City Public Library. 28:27.660 --> 28:31.510 align:start I did outreach, and I read all across the city of Kansas City. 28:31.510 --> 28:34.970 align:start We went to, you know, juvenile detention centers, 28:34.970 --> 28:37.220 align:start and I did creative writing exercises for them. 28:37.220 --> 28:39.960 align:start I met some very brilliant young men, 28:39.960 --> 28:43.080 align:start you know, inside those walls. 28:43.080 --> 28:44.510 align:start I went to daycare centers. 28:44.510 --> 28:49.460 align:start We went to kindergarten classes, went to high schools, 28:49.460 --> 28:51.730 align:start and I learned a lot about myself. 28:51.730 --> 28:54.040 align:start I learned a lot about humility. 28:54.040 --> 28:56.900 align:start I learned a lot about my audience, my future audience, 28:56.900 --> 28:59.740 align:start people that were really going to buy my books, 28:59.740 --> 29:01.810 align:start and it really helped me to kind of key 29:01.810 --> 29:06.080 align:start in on my primary audience, going around and doing these. 29:06.080 --> 29:07.900 align:start We just did storytime. 29:07.900 --> 29:10.850 align:start I did readings, you know? 29:10.850 --> 29:12.880 align:start And I'm so grateful for that period. 29:12.880 --> 29:15.780 align:start You know, most times you go through these phases and go 29:15.780 --> 29:19.140 align:start through these periods in your life, it doesn't feel good, 29:19.140 --> 29:21.710 align:start but afterwards, you look at it, and you look at it 29:21.710 --> 29:25.020 align:start and realize how grateful you are, or you were to go 29:25.020 --> 29:27.100 align:start through that period, so I'm so grateful 29:27.100 --> 29:28.930 align:start for all the little jobs that I had. 29:28.930 --> 29:32.190 align:start They really helped me to become the person I am today 29:32.190 --> 29:35.120 align:start and working for the Kansas City Public Library was -- 29:35.120 --> 29:38.270 align:start I saw the library from a different angle from when I did 29:38.270 --> 29:41.700 align:start when I was a child, but it was one of the most pivotal moments 29:41.700 --> 29:44.690 align:start in my, you know, maturation as a man 29:44.690 --> 29:49.140 align:start and as a children's book author. 29:49.140 --> 29:50.760 align:start >> Monica Valentine: Wow, that's cool that you have that kind 29:50.760 --> 29:52.970 align:start of history and connection to libraries, 29:52.970 --> 29:56.890 align:start and that you can see how it's influenced your writing today. 29:56.890 --> 29:58.190 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Yeah. 29:58.190 --> 29:59.490 align:start >> Monica Valentine: Well, unfortunately, 29:59.490 --> 30:00.790 align:start that's all the questions we have time for. 30:00.790 --> 30:02.740 align:start You have been listening to author Derrick Barnes talk 30:02.740 --> 30:04.800 align:start about his book I Am Every Good Thing. 30:04.800 --> 30:08.970 align:start Thank you again, Derrick, for joining us at the 2021 Library 30:08.970 --> 30:10.600 align:start of Congress National Book Festival. 30:10.600 --> 30:14.230 align:start It's been a pleasure, and once again, thanks to our audience, 30:14.230 --> 30:17.160 align:start please continue to enjoy the festival. 30:17.160 --> 30:18.460 align:start >> Derrick Barnes: Thank you. 30:18.460 --> 30:19.760 align:start Take care, you all.