One cannot really tell early on in life what’s in store for that particular life. And Walter Dean Myers, newly appointed National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is surely a testament to that. We all harbor potential. We harbor an individual will. We all are born into a particular family, a particular environment, and a free for all for the choices we make once we hit the earth running. Walter Dean Myers could have been something else besides an author who is respected for his authenticity of voice, his commitment to young people’s truths, and will now be a trumpeter to the tune of ‘Reading is Not Optional…”, his theme. Past Ambassadors have included Jon Sciezska and Katherine Paterson. Not too shabby a crew, I’d say. The following gives you a flavor of Myer’s modus operandi, in his own words, of writing for today’s youth:
Myers’ 2009 title, “Amiri and Odette: A Love Story,” is a modern retelling of “Swan Lake.” “I had seen the ballet of ‘Swan Lake’ as a child. But it was as an adult, when I saw a production featuring Erik Bruhn, that I first noticed how significant a part the ever-present threat of violence played. This juxtaposition of great beauty and grace with a backdrop of pure evil stayed with me for years. As a writer, I absorb stories, allow them to churn within my own head and heart — often for years — until I find a way of telling them that fits both my time and temperament.”
“In listening to Peter Tchaikovsky’s score,” Myers continues, “I found the violence muted, but slowly, in my head; the sometimes jarring rhythms of modern jazz and hip-hop began to intervene. I asked myself if there were modern dangers to young people similar to the magic spells of folklore. The answer of course, was a resounding yes, and I began to craft a modern, urban retelling of the ‘Swan Lake’ballet.”
If you could pick an author, poet, singer, rapper, artist who speaks to you…who would it be? Someone who says what you won’t out loud? Someone who risks what you aren’t ready to yet? Someone who tells their truth that in turn speaks to you? Someone whose words remnd you to ”Lighten up. It gets better.” That’s the value of those who go before us, sometimes a path is laid down that you can use as you build your own internal compass. And, I also think of Vanessa Gregory, a young adult Sandwich author, poet, college student whose truth is getting others to share their personal truths in writing, seriously and funningly (new word!). Walter Dean Myers would probably enjoy meeting Vanessa.
As a wrap, to those of you who even make it to this teeny, tiny, itsy-bitsy blog with erratic posts, keep your ears open for those Ambassadors of Young People’s Literature. They arrive in many shapes, ages and attitudes. And, please, do not forget…READING IS NOT OPTIONAL.
