Jason Reynolds: The Power of Narrative | THE THREAD Documentary Series

Jason Reynolds, the New York Times #1 bestselling author and poet, is a wizard with words. In this episode of The Thread, he opens up about being the child of divorce and how, when he was adrift in life, a high school teacher shocked him into an awareness of the importance of self-sacrifice and moral courage. Now, Jason Reynolds uses storytelling to inspire young readers to discover those essential qualities of humanity within themselves. Reynolds' books have recently sparked national controversy as they face bans in numerous schools across the country.

Jason Reynolds was born in Washington, DC and raised in neighboring Oxon Hill, Maryland, Reynolds found inspiration in rap to begin writing poetry at nine years old. He focused on poetry for approximately the next two decades, only reading a novel cover to cover for the first time at age 17 and publishing several poetry collections before he published his own first novel, When I Was The Greatest, in 2014. He won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent for this first work of prose and seven more novels followed in the next four years, including Ghost (2016) and two more books in what became his New York Times best-selling Track series, Patina (2017) and Sunny (2018); As Brave As You (2016), winner of the 2016 Kirkus Prize, the 2017 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen, and the 2017 Schneider Family Book Award; and a Marvel Comics novel called Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2017). Reynolds returned to poetry with Long Way Down (2017), a novel in verse which was named a Newbery Honor book, a Printz Honor Book, and best young adult work by the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards. The recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and an NAACP Image Award, Reynolds is also the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Late Night with Seth Meyers, CBS Sunday Morning, and Good Morning America. He is on faculty at Lesley University, for the Writing for Young People MFA Program and lives in Washington, DC.

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Jason Reynolds, Author
Interviewed By: Matthew Henderson
Interview Date: September 18, 2023

Chapter Markers:
00:00 - Opening
00:34 - Growing up in Oxon Hill
00:58 - Home Life
07:34 - Mother Isabell Reynolds as Jason’s North Star
14:20 - School Life and Inspiring Teachers
19:20 - Music and Poetry
21:31 - Motivation for Writing
24:46 - Connecting with Young Readers
27:53 - The Banned “All American Boys” Book
32:35 - Importance of Storytelling

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