In this episode we’re talking to Renée Watson, an award-winning Young Adult author whose narratives and characters I truly wished I had on my bookshelves growing up. Her protagonists are tough cookies: brown and full-bodied young Black girls, and yet resilient. Renée herself is a dynamic world-builder who put that expertise to work in real-life with the I, Too Arts collective, a project to activate the Langston Hughes’ house in East Harlem. We talk through what it means to build a world that doesn’t yet exist, who you need with you along the way, and how Black women are truly the center of the universe, and maybe there wouldn’t even be a world without our generosity and care. You’ll hear more in the conversation.
Renée Watson is a New York Times bestselling author, educator, and activist. Her young adult novel, Piecing Me Together (Bloomsbury, 2017) received a Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Honor. Her poetry and fiction often centers around the lived experiences of black girls and women, and explores themes of home, identity, and the intersections of race, class, and gender. Renée served as Founder and Executive Director of I, Too, Arts Collective, a nonprofit committed to nurturing underrepresented voices in the creative arts, from 2016-2019.
Renée grew up in Portland, Oregon and currently lives in New York City.
This episode was recorded on May 22, 2020.
Music by audionautix.com
