So, I was the first North American born in my family, which was a strange position to be in.
My parents arrived in this country in the early '60s and the rest of my family throughout the '60s and '70s. I float pretty easily from one age group to the other. Meg Medina: I am a writer who writes picture book, middle grade, and young adult fiction. I spoke with Meg Medina shortly after she was named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and I began by asking her what she thought we should know about her. Whatever the target age, Meg’s books are alive with vibrant characters and have a laser-like focus on authenticity and truth. For example, her award-winning YA novel “Yacqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass” looks at bullying, while “Burn Baby Burn” takes place in NYC in 1977 the summer serial killer Son of Sam terrorized the city, Her middle-grade novel the 2019 Newbery Medal Awardee “Merci Suárez Changes Gears,” is the first of three books in a trilogy about the Suárez family and the illness of a beloved grandparent while her recent award-winning picture book, “Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away,” examines change in the life of a young child. Her books examine how culture and identity intersect through the eyes of young people even as they explore problems familiar to any kid navigating home and school. Herself a Cuban-American, Meg’s protagonists are strong, if flawed, Latina girls. This diversity of perspective is something Meg has been advocating her entire writing life. Jo Reed: That was author and the Library of Congress’s 2023-24 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Meg Medina, the first Latina to serve as Ambassador in the program’s history.ĭuring her two-year term, Meg Medina looks to engage readers across the country to embrace the joy of reading and encourage connection among families, classrooms, libraries and communities by talking about books that both reflect the readers’ lived experiences and those that open them up to new perspectives. This alchemy of family story and culture and young people. Like there were all these experiences that were pointing me in that way, so when I finally sat down to write, that's what emerged. I really, really enjoy the company of young people. Meg Medina: I wouldn't have said, "Yes, I'm only going to write for young people," when I first started, but my whole life sort of pointed me that way, right? I had been teaching. Jo Reed: From the National Endowment for the Arts, this is Art Works, I’m Josephine Reed…. Music Credits: “NY” composed and performed by Kosta T, from the cd Soul Sand.
0 kommentar(er)
