*Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds didn't read a novel until he was 17, but he loved poetry and music so much that he decided he wanted to be the next Queen Latifah at the age of 9. He put himself through college selling his books out of his trunk, and now, a few years later, he's a renowned, award-winning author. 

Thanks to a partnership with Tattered Cover, Jason met with our 6th-8th grade students on Friday, February 24. Students laughed, learned, and enjoyed Jason's stories. Jason's main message to our students was this: "You telling your story is more important than anything else." 

Students said, "I feel like he really understood me," and, "Jason Reynolds is a genius." In a thank you letter, one student wrote, “You helped me not feel alone. . . .I have a problem reading and writing. You inspired me to be the best I can and try my best to write.”