The Reading Culture

Elizabeth Acevedo is a beloved poet and author, celebrated for winning prestigious honors like the National Book Award, the Prinz Medal, and the Pura Belpré Award. She also held the title of Young People's Poet Laureate. And on a personal note, she is one of my all-time favorite authors. Elizabeth is renowned for her young adult novels, including “The Poet X,” “Clap When You Land,” and “With The Fire on High,” along with her recent adult novel, “Family Lore.” Her writing vividly explores her Afro-Latina heritage, delving into themes of identity, family, and the relentless pursuit of dreams.

In this episode, we discuss Elizabeth’s secret mentors (and mentees), and some of the spurns she has encountered within the literary community. She reminisces about Friday nights in her apartment building, reflects on the importance of names, and ruminates about what her future may hold. She even shares her original rap name!

In this episode, Ari Tison shares how art connects her to her ancestral heritage. She discusses her unheard call for help with poetry, healing at her own pace, spirituality, the poets who shaped her writing, growing up between multiple places and cultures, and much more.

A.S. King is a prolific, unique writer best known for "Dig," "Ask the Passengers," "Please Ignore Vera Dietz," and "The Collectors." She has received twice the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Edgar Award, and the Printz Honor. Her work often combines surrealism with raw emotional depth, offering a fresh perspective on the human experience.

In this episode, she critiques pointless teen shaming by adults, discusses why surrealism resonates with young readers, and shares her advocacy for LGBTQ+ youth through Gracie's House, a nonprofit named after her late daughter. 

She also reveals how her cheese tattoo led to an insight into humaneness.

Katherine Applegate is a prolific and celebrated author best known for the beloved “Animorphs” series, “Wishtree,”  “Odder,” and, of course, her Newbery Medal-winning “The One and Only Ivan.”  In this episode, she discusses the unique bond between kids and animals, including her early stint as a gerbil peddler! 😱 Katherine shares how a community rallied to fight the censorship of her book “Wishtree,” her part in that fight, and why she always chooses comedy over tragedy, even when the world seems bleak. Plus, Katherine reveals the real reason she's not roughing it out in the wild with Jane Goodall and the gorillas.