Writing The Future: How Best-Selling Authors Are Looking to Inspire Students

Starting this month, students at Homer Senior High School will have the opportunity to hear from award-winning authors without even leaving the school. 

The Homer High School library is hosting four different author study livestreams, sponsored by the Homer Education Foundation. Hosted by best-selling author Kwami Alexander, the author study series focuses on helping students learn how to write. The authors will give students tips on how to use personal experiences and feelings to generate ideas and create meaningful works. Homer is one of many schools that will have the opportunity to log on and listen to these virtual events. While it is an online event, the live comment section allows students and teachers to ask questions directly to the authors, making it semi-interactive. 

In October, bestselling author Jason Reynolds will join Kwami Alexander. Some of the books Reynolds has written include Stamped, All American Boys, and multiple Miles Morales Spiderman books. Both authors have spoken out about their feelings towards reading when they were younger. They say that they want to do these events to be the authors they wished were there when they were kids. 

When students can see themselves in the people they look up to, they too believe that they can reach those heights. The Lee and Low Diversity Baseline Survey analyzes the diversity in the world of publishing. In 2015, 79% of the publishing industry was white, 78% were women, 88% were straight, and 92% were nondisabled. The 2023 edition of this survey showed little increase; 72.5% were white, 71.3% were women, 68.7% were straight, and 83.5% were nondisabled. The publishing industry must continue to become more inclusive, and the people who will make it so are the ones sitting in classrooms right now. The author series highlights authors of all different backgrounds, which is another reason why it is such an important resource for students. 

Homer Librarian Savanna Webb believes that “it’s one thing to read [an author’s] work, but it’s another thing to realize that they’re human, and have a sense of humor, and just seeing how they interact sparks the joy of reading and writing and makes it so much more memorable.” 

She hopes that students will gain knowledge on how to improve their writing, but that they will also be inspired to write. 

Many students feel the same way. Homer Senior Ellie Ensign says that she “hopes learning from accomplished authors will help her regain the creativity in writing she had as a child”. 

In December, Mo Willems, author of all of the Pigeon books, Knuffle Bunny, and the Elephant and Piggy books will be Kwami Alexander’s guest. While Willems is a children’s author, Webb believes that “anyone who inspires to be an illustrator or children's author, or loved him when they were a kid will get something out of it”. Inspiration can be just as valuable as knowledge, especially when it comes to an industry that relies so heavily on creativity. 

There will be four author series this year, and if students enjoy the series, it’s possible that this could be a yearly recurrence. Webb says “ if [the author series] is successful and people respond well to it, I would love to team up with [The Homer Education Foundation] if they would support us again. 

The first author study is on Tuesday October 29th, during periods 7 and 8 in the library. To attend, students can get a permission slip from Mrs. Webb.