We’re excited to introduce you to a show we know you’ll love: Talk Easy. Hosted by Sam Fragoso, Talk Easy is a weekly series of intimate conversations with artists, activists, and politicians—where people sound like people.

For the past decade, Jason Reynolds has become an inspiring voice in the literary world. He’s a New York Times bestselling author and as of this month, a 2024 MacArthur fellow.

Reynolds sits with us today to share his latest YA novel Twenty-Four Seconds from Now…, why he was interested in writing a story about boyhood and masculinity, and an early passage from the book that captures the distinct rhythm of his writing. Then, we talk about the story structure of this new novel, how Queen Latifah’s Black Reign introduced him to poetry, and how his early memories of writing and a singular high school teacher saved his life.

On the back-half, Reynolds describes a meaningful post-college job at rag & bone, what he’s seen in the education system post-pandemic, his hope for the next generation, and his lifelong mission to embolden students to see the value in their own narratives.

For more, listen to Talk Easy wherever you get your podcasts or head to: https://lemonada.lnk.to/TalkEasywithSamFragosofd

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.