Even though the 2014 National Book Festival is over, you can still enjoy all the author presentations. They were videotaped and will be available soon on the Library's website. I enjoyed listening to Jacqueline Woodson who shared writing tips, personal information, and excerpts from her newest book, Brown Girl Dreaming. When a young writer in the audience asked for a few tips, Woodson's reply was "BIC" which is short for "butt in chair." She also shared how, as a child, she told many lies. One day a teacher suggested she write them down "which turned the lies into fiction. They are legitimate, and you can get paid for them."
Photo by Marty Umans
Jacqueline Woodson has written more than 20 books; some of the most notable include Newbery Honor Medal winners Show Way, Feathers, and After Tupac and D Foster and the Coretta Scott King Award-winning Miracle’s Boys. Brown Girl Dreaming (Penguin), her newest title released this summer, recalls the story of her own childhood as a young African American girl growing up amid the Civil Rights Movement. Written in verse, each poem gives the reader a snapshot of a child’s effort to build a strong voice in the world.
