{"id":39569,"date":"2024-04-28T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-28T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/?p=39569"},"modified":"2024-04-29T12:38:25","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T16:38:25","slug":"superstar-author-jason-reynolds-shares-decades-of-experience-at-the-dayton-metro-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/entertainment\/2024\/04\/28\/superstar-author-jason-reynolds-shares-decades-of-experience-at-the-dayton-metro-library\/","title":{"rendered":"Superstar author Jason Reynolds shares decades of experience at the Dayton Metro Library"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Best-selling author Jason Reynolds<\/a> was in town to share his decades of experience with readers of all ages in the Gem City on Thursday. The writer of celebrated titles such as \u201cLong Way Down\u201d and \u201cGhost\u201d was hosted by the Dayton Metro Library as part of the Executive Director’s Author Series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event was divided between an onstage interview facilitated by local poet Leroy Bean<\/a>, a question-and-answer session, as well as a book signing on the ground floor of the library. Reynolds was welcomed onstage by the library\u2019s social media ambassadors Shea and Mae of “The Adventurous Shea and Mae” YouTube channel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reynolds started by discussing his youth during a time when libraries and local schools discouraged his relationship with reading. Neither place, the author explained, made him feel welcome. But an unexpected source would prove the catalyst for a writing career that has since touched many lives across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRap music came along and upended me in a very interesting way. A whole generation, especially black and brown folks, had their lives changed because all of a sudden there was music that seemed to be speaking to them and for them. It was complicated but so were our lives. That music was kind of my salvation,\u201d said Reynolds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he had no interest in rapping, a young Reynolds became fascinated with words and rhyming. Through music he developed an appreciation for poetry that often led him to spend hours reading lyrics in the liner notes packaged with cassette tapes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Dayton Metro Library’s social media ambassadors Shae and Mae welcomed the author onstage. With help from the packed crowd, they gave Reynolds a warm reception to the Gem City.<\/strong> Photo Credit: Ismael David Mujahid<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just wanted to read the lyrics,\u201d said Reynolds. \u201cIt was like magic to me and I wanted to understand how to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reynolds credited those lyrics as being his \u201cfirst books.\u201d This interest soon extended to other genres and would eventually lead him to write poetry himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFast forward and my grandmother dies, I\u2019m experiencing my first death. Hearing your mother break for the first time changes you and I did the only thing I knew to do which was what the rappers were doing. I wrote a few lines down, my mom without my consent printed it on the funeral program, and I started to get feedback from family members saying how much they loved what I wrote,\u201d said Reynolds. \u201cI realized then that I had power now and so many young people what they are starving for is just a little bit of power. I knew in that moment I had power because I had language and that changed everything.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a career that has seen him write dozens of books, from young adult fiction to novels about superheroes, Reynolds explained that the books he writes are really for himself. They\u2019re the types of stories he wished he had growing up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, most of these books are me going back to who I was at those ages and saying \u2018this is what could have made this a little easier for you. This is what could have stopped you from being harmful to yourself and the people around you,\u2019\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cThese are the books that say \u2018it\u2019s ok to be whole, it\u2019s ok Jason.\u2019 If anybody else finds it entertaining or edifying in any kind of way that\u2019s a plus, but for me, I wish I had these books and these stories for me. That\u2019s why I\u2019m writing them for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The award-winning author added that one song he wished he could see in book form was Slick Rick<\/a>\u2019s \u201cChildren\u2019s Story.\u201d He admitted, however, that the Wu-Tang Clan<\/a>\u2019s \u201c36 Chambers\u201d would also be interesting to experience in book form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re talking about black men from Staten Island and Brooklyn who are rough around the edges but obsessed with kung-fu and comic books. They might slap you in the face or karate chop you and at the same time ask what you think about spiderman issue #1! Those guys represent such a huge part of our community that everybody pretends doesn\u2019t exist. If you really want to know who black men are, a lot of us are nerds. The only problem is we weren\u2019t allowed to tell you that,\u201d he said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Local poet Leroy Bean facilitated the onstage interview with Reynolds before opening the floor to audience questions. Photo Credit: <\/strong>Ismael David Mujahid<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Given his wealth of experience taking to and about the youth of America, it came as no surprise that many members of the audience wanted his take on the next generation. Reynolds advised adults to be humble and model the behavior they want children to show. Classrooms and libraries today have improved a lot and are becoming better spaces for the youth, he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe library feels like a community center, and it should. What better place to convene than amongst the information right? I think that this is the greatest fantasy land that we have, this is the incubator of imagination. The cabinet of our curiosities, why wouldn\u2019t we want to be here? But in order to do so we have to meet them where they are,\u201d Reynolds said.  \u201cSo many teachers are using contemporary work and using things sort of left-of-center. Hopefully we\u2019ll reap the benefits of that when our young people are older.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding how children can break generational curses, Reynolds had strong words about the need for the adults of today to do it for them. Children, he explained, should not be expected to have the things they were not given. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we do what we\u2019re supposed to do the curses won\u2019t be there,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In discussing his writing, Reynolds delved into the importance of developing real characters to make stories that were authentic and engaging. Characters, he explained, should have fear and joy just like in real life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce I have that character, that character will tell me the story. That character will tell me what we\u2019re about to experience together and then we go on that adventure. I don\u2019t plan, I don\u2019t outline. I figure if it\u2019s an adventure for me, it\u2019ll be an adventure for you. But it always starts with a person,\u201d said Reynolds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a 30-minute question and answer session, readers got a chance to meet the author face-to-face while having their books signed. The impressive line included teachers, schoolchildren, local poets, and many more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ismael David Mujahid, Executive Editor\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Featured Image: Jason Reynolds was in Dayton for the first time in his career. The author shared anecdotes from his eventful life, offered writing advice, and spoke about important social issues. <\/strong>Photo Credit: Ismael David Mujahid<\/em>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Best-selling author Jason Reynolds was in town to share his decades of experience with readers of all ages in the Gem City on Thursday. The writer of celebrated titles such as \u201cLong Way Down\u201d and \u201cGhost\u201d was hosted by the Dayton Metro Library as part of the Executive Director’s Author Series. The event was divided […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10416,"featured_media":39570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2104,5528,2974,2110,2144,3603],"tags":[3288,5428,3254,5767,154,276],"class_list":["post-39569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-events","category-literature","category-local","category-music-entertainment","category-society","tag-author","tag-dayton-metro-library","tag-entertainemnt","tag-ismael-david-mujahid","tag-literature","tag-sinclair-community-college"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":false,"source_text":false,"source_url":false},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5s3vR-aid","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/DSC_4797_105142-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10416"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39569"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39589,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39569\/revisions\/39589"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}