“Take your writing seriously.”
This was the advice from author Coe Booth to the students of the WriteOn creative writing program at George Jackson Academy during her visit on April 27th of this year. Reading an excerpt from her heart-rending middle-grade novel, Kinda Like Brothers, Ms. Booth engaged the 6th and 7th grade poets and fiction writers in a wide-ranging discussion about the need for diversity in young adult fiction, her experiences as a young writer growing up in the Bronx, foster care as witnessed during her time as a social worker, and above all, the potential for the students to take writing as far as they could imagine. It was an inspiring afternoon that left the students (and teachers!) buzzing and offered encouragement that will no doubt continue to resonate through the summer and beyond.
—Grady Granos, WriteOn Fellow, Spring 2017
