*Traci L. Jones

Our Middle School was lucky to be able to spend time with Denver author Traci L. Jones. All of Traci's books are available for checkout in our library. 

Traci talked about only seeing herself as a young African American girl in one book when she was growing up, and she touched on the #ownvoices movement. Author/Illustrator Vanessa Brantley Newton discusses being a young dyslexic African American girl growing up at the same time as Traci and only seeing herself in Ezra Jack Keats' Snowy Day in this blog post.

And you can learn more about #ownvoices and #WeNeedDiverseBooks here and here. 

Notes from Traci's presentation:

• • She writes books about misfits because everyone occasionally feels out of place. 

  • It's important to pick up a book with a cover character who looks different from you. It's important to learn about other people, places, and cultures. We're not focusing enough on our commonalities, and not feeling part of something larger is a common thing.

  • She deals with some heavy topics (depression, racism, addiction, poverty, etc.) because that's real life. Even though she was sort of forced to give Finding My Place a Disney ending, she thinks Disney endings are expected & predictable. She reminded us that life isn't particularly predictable and it doesn't always end well.

  • She said that for her, writing is almost like a Polaroid picture and things develop and become more clear as she writes a scene. 

In a small group after the presentation, we talked about these things:

• • It can be really hard to be "the only" all the time (the only dyslexic kid, the only African American kid, etc.). It gets "soul weary." You don't want to have to speak for everyone and represent an entire group or race. And even within your own group, there are ways to feel isolated. It's important to find your place within yourself and embrace that.

  • Remember that other people's issues are their issues, not yours--"It's not my circus and not my monkeys."

  • Taking a stand takes courage and is hard to do. Pick your battles and pick your weapons (like Traci's way of taking a stand is through her writing), but remember, sometimes, no matter what you say, it may not change things.

  • "You can't let people define you. . .you pick your own definition and live with that."

  • "Be steadfast in who you are. . .today I'm going to be a better me." One step takes you closer to being the best you, and if you make a mistake, forgive yourself and try to learn from your mistakes. "You're forever a work in progress."