In Her Own Words: Meg Medina Reflects on Her Ambassadorship

This is a guest post by Meg Medina, 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature 

It’s hard to believe that my two-year term as the eighth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is closing, but here we are. I’m happy to report that I’ll be passing the torch to the incoming ambassador with a sense of peace and accomplishment – and with an enormous list of book recommendations, compliments of the over 5,000 young people I met on the road.

When Dr. Hayden asked me to start in this role in 2023, I was apprehensive. How could I make this role meaningful for me and for the nation’s young people? What would be the best way to connect authentically with thousands of children I didn’t know?

In the end, I found the answer in what has always been true in my personal and professional life. Relationships have always been the key to my sense of happiness and balance. I turn to my writing colleagues for support and advice and I offer them the same. I feel most willing to take risks as a writer when I trust my editorial team.  I cherish time with my family and friends and think of them as my north star.

I decided to use books to create relationships with the young people I met and to help them learn how to use them to connect with each other.

My platform, Cuéntame: Let’s Talk Books, was based on book talking. I asked young people to share a favorite book with me in 2 minutes or less. This served as the entry point to a conversation about who they are and what matters to them. I left myself open to hearing their book recommendations without judgment, and I found that they had lots to say. They had books they loved, books they didn’t, frustrations with the process of reading, and a low tolerance for boredom and hypocrisy. What they shared about their books also gave me a glimpse into their rich internal lives.

Starting a conversation with a one-minute book “book talk” was a painless and fun way to open the conversation about their reading life, too. Too often, we approach reading in ways that strip the joy from it. But in our chats, we talked about reading in a way far beyond a high-stakes school subject. My deepest hope is that the students will remember that approach and take the reins of their reading lives. If they do, they’ll not only entertainment and learning, but also a powerful tool in their arsenal as human beings.

I entered this role believing that I was in service to the nation’s young people, and that I owed them the best of my gifts as an author and book friend. What came as a surprise, though, were the many unexpected gifts that I received in return. There were actual presents, of course. For instance, over the course of my 30 office hour visits here at the Library, I received a lovely book of Nepalese poems, posters, handmade books, drawings, and even a delicious batch of homemade brownies.

But the gift I will treasure most are the new friendships. I met hundreds of wonderful kids and families, as well as vibrant, engaged, and fearless librarians and educators. And then there were the relationships I made right here at the Library, where their support was astounding. The staff at the Young Readers Center, for example, came in on Saturdays to make my office hours happen. The media office set more than 100 interviews in both English and Spanish-language outlets to help spread the word and enthusiasm about my work. The film office valiantly took on the production of 18 short-form videos featuring my interviews with some of our most accomplished authors in children’s literature. Archivists and librarians working on The Source (a new creative research experience for youth opening in approximately a year) pulled materials for me to peruse as they assembled a source box based on my novel, “Burn Baby Burn.” I was invited to record for the prestigious PALABRA archive and enjoyed personal tours of the Library’s astounding holdings. At every turn, the staff stepped up to help me be successful. The wonderful Anya Creightney, the program manager for my ambassadorship, was on speed dial.

I have been teasing people by saying that I won’t ever leave the Library. I’ve threatened to start living in the tunnels beneath us or to take up residence under the desk in the lovely attic office. That’s how much I have loved this role. Will I make good on that threat? Probably not. I’ll be home in Richmond, writing and enjoying some rest at last. But if you count the many sweet memories that I’ll carry forever, maybe it’s not goodbye at all.