In Jason Reynolds’ new video, part of his “Write. Right. Rite.” series for the Library, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature asks you to imagine getting a letter from your very own hero, and what that letter might say. Picture it: a note to you from Beyonce, Lebron James, maybe Stephen King.
Okay, that last one is mine. I wrote to King when I was a teen. This was the early ’80s. Loved his books. Wanted to grow up and be just like him. Lo and behold, he actually wrote me back. Just a postcard, typed, telling me a couple things about how he wrote and wishing me luck.
Four decades later, it’s still framed on my desk. It’s right next to a framed letter from Alice Walker. The author of “The Color Purple” wrote a couple of nice lines about one of my books. I died.
Reynolds’ personal icon is the poet and playwright Langston Hughes. He knows how magical these letters can be. To kick-start your imagination, he asks you to imagine getting one of those.
Here he is:
Fun, no? Want more? We have all of Jason’s videos for you to watch, anytime.
Subscribe to the blog— it’s free! — and the largest library in world history will send cool stories straight to your inbox.
Comments (3)
I love to read. . . .Jason seems well informed
Dear Mr. Reynolds,
Thank you, thank you for this edition of “Grab the Mic!” For the past several weeks I’ve been walking my Middle Schoolers through the Harlem Renaissance and an introduction to the life and works of Langston Hughes. I watched your video this morning and was struck by what a perfect transitional activity this will make as we wrap up the unit and move onto our next distance learning endeavor. Stay well and thank you for inspiring both young and old with your words!
Warm regards,
Laurie
This was a nice video