The Reading Culture

On Today's Show

• "When you're a kid, and if you love to read, you love stories, you aren't always aware of the fact that you're being erased from those stories, or you don't yet have the expectation that you should be in those books." - Zetta Elliott
  
  

Scholar and author Zetta Elliott knows the long-term damage of not having representative, relatable stories to read while growing up. Growing up Black in suburban Canada in the ’80s meant rarely seeing herself in the books she read. It wasn't until she was a young adult that she realized that erasure's impact on her own voice as a writer.

While she is best known for her Dragons in a Bag series, Zetta has had a prolific writing career and spent a great deal of time advocating for fairness and representation in children's literature. She tells us about how she found and reclaimed her voice and her struggles with publishing as a Black author.

Contents
Chapter 1 - Getting to Know Zetta Elliott (2:02)

Chapter 2 - Being Left Out of Literature (5:50)

Chapter 3 - Zetta Finds Her Voice (10:46)

Chapter 4 - Won't You Celebrate With Me? (14:49)

Chapter 5 - Self-Publishing (18:03)

Chapter 6 - The Future Depends on Now (23:15)

Chapter 7 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (27:10)

Today, Beanstack's featured librarian is Kelly McDaniel, assistant director for the Piedmont Regional Library System in northeast Georgia. We had her spill her secrets on how she gets kids excited about reading.

Links

• http://thereadingculturepod.com/
• https://www.zettaelliott.com/
• https://www.beanstack.com/
• https://thereadingculturepod.com/zetta-elliott 

On Today's Show

• "The fear is like the ramp on the roller coaster. It's that build-up of adrenaline intention that you're having in that moment when that roller coaster is cranking. It's not the same fear of you walking through a dark alley at night and you sense someone's behind you in real life. That's a different type of fear that I don't know that anybody really wants. This is controlled fear. This is me going into it saying, Okay, I know this part's gonna be scary, but this part's gonna be fun and I want all of it." - Lamar Giles
  
  

Lamar Giles says horror is a pressure valve. It has the ability to release pent-up anxiety and fear in a controlled, safe, and fun environment. That's why he'll watch Hellraiser at 4 a.m. to comfort himself when he can't sleep. While the genre isn't for everyone, he knows there are other young readers that will resonate with it the same way he did when he first read Stephen King at 11 years old.

Giles' career has been full of mystery and thriller stories, but with the 2022 release of The Getaway, he has finally fulfilled his lifelong dream of writing a true horror novel. He tells us more about how the genre has helped him in his life and why he thinks kids resonate with his writing.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Growing Up as Lamar Giles (2:18)

Chapter 2 - The Dinosaur in the Cereal Box (6:50)

Chapter 3 - The Draw to Horror (7:26)

Chapter 4 - It (8:32)

Chapter 5 - The Pressure Valve (12:56)

Chapter 6 - Connecting with Young Readers (16:25)

Chapter 7 - Writing Black Characters (17:21)

Chapter 8 - Publishing Horror (19:21)

Chapter 9 - The Getaway (21:09)

Chapter 10 - A Vehicle for Social Commentary (23:01)

Chapter 11 - Fear On Screen (24:12)

Chapter 12 - Scary Good Stories (26:20)

Chapter 13 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (26:55)

This episode's Beanstack featured librarian is Christopher Parker, a media specialist at Blue Ridge Elementary in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Today he shares with us more about his most successful library program, 'Book Buddies'. 

Links

• https://www.lamargiles.com/
• https://www.thereadingculturepod.com/
• https://www.beanstack.com/

On Today's Show

• "I think it's really important that readers see the people behind the book: the authors, the illustrators, the librarians, the teachers, the folks in publicity and marketing. Obviously, a young reader won't see all of that, it's just important to know that the people behind the book are people of color or look like you. That's just taking diversity and inclusion and equity to another level." - Varian Johnson
  
  

As a kid, Varian Johnson always felt connected to authors. Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume were among his early favorites. He would even write letters to Blume. But those connections were unmatched compared to Walter Dean Myers. In reading Walter Dean Myers, Varian Johnson saw himself reflected in both the characters on the pages and in the author himself.  

That relationship between the reader and author is something Varian values a great deal. Now, as an adult and author, Varian takes his role in that relationship seriously. He knows the responsibility it entails in the messages he shares and how he inspires his own readers. He joins to talk about that relationship and what it means for young readers to see themselves beyond the pages. 

Contents

Chapter 1 - Varian as a Young Reader (2:36)

Chapter 2 - If You Come Softly (8:57)

Chapter 3 - Connecting with the Reader (11:54)

Chapter 4 - Writing as a Black Author (15:03)

Chapter 5 - The Author's Role in Shaping Kids' Minds (17:26)

Chapter 6 - Varian's Favorite School Visits (19:59)

Chapter 7 - Addressing Toxic Masculinity in "Playing The Cards You're Dealt" (23:01)

Chapter 8 - "Drawing in Color" (27:51)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (29:08)

Today's Beanstack featured librarian is Leah Wyan, the youth fiction selector for Tulsa City County Library in Oklahoma. In this week's episode she tells us about a recent heartwarming experience from her library featuring beloved author Jason Reynolds.

Links

• https://varianjohnson.com/
• https://www.thereadingculturepod.com/
• https://www.beanstack.com/

On Today's Show

• "Maybe if they haven't been in that situation, they know someone who has, or they have friends who have really struggled with losing loved ones. That all helps build empathy." - Karina Yan Glaser
  
  

Karina Yan Glaser is always emotionally honest in her stories. Pulling largely from her own experiences, she lets her feelings seep onto the pages in a way that makes it impossible not to feel as a reader. But despite writing for children, she doesn't hide any of those hard emotions such as anger, sadness, and grief. She believes in the power of stories to help kids practice empathy and be prepared for the tough situations we all face in life.

Her takes on community, diversity, and hardship are what make her series The Vanderbeekers such a success. In this episode of The Reading Culture, she joins to share how her own reading journey has shaped who she is as a writer and how she approaches building empathy into her stories.

Karina has also developed a reading challenge in partnership with Beanstack for listeners and Beanstack partners. Her theme is books where New York City is a character. You can learn more about the challenge here.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Getting to Know Karina (2:33)

Chapter 2 - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (7:02)

Chapter 3 - Becoming a Writer (15:16)

Chapter 4 - Empathy in Stories (18:56)

Chapter 5 - The Culture of Reading in Schools (28:29)

Chapter 6 - A Question From a Reader (32:15)

Chapter 7 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (35:21)

This episode's Beanstack featured librarian is Megan Wilson, a librarian at Aggieland High School in College Station, Texas, which is part of the International Leadership of Texas charter schools network. Today, Megan shares with us a book she loves to recommend to her students.

Links

• http://thereadingculturepod.com/
• http://www.karinaglaser.com/
• https://www.beanstack.com/

On Today's Show

• "I feel like writers, especially who are wordsmiths, who can name things, tricky things in clear ways ... should be where we put our efforts. Really creating an offensive, an offense in this campaign to win the hearts back." - Meg Medina
  
  

Meg Medina's passion for telling stories goes back as far as she can remember. Crafting words into lessons and engaging experiences has always been her calling, but it took her a few careers to fully dive in. Now, she's a Newbery Award-winning children's author, best known for her Merci Suárez trilogy. 

In this episode of The Reading Culture, she joins to share her thoughts on the craft of storytelling. Meg talks about the power of storytelling to pass on the knowledge of tradition and to share experiences. She also talks about the increase in book bans and challenges and why she believes leaning into the gift of storytelling will help authors and the industry create the ultimate offense.

Meg has also developed a reading challenge called "Girls in Motion," in partnership with Beanstack, for listeners and Beanstack partners. For the challenge, Meg curated a diverse list of stories featuring athletic girls facing various life challenges. You can hear her talk more about it in the episode and see the details and full list of books here. 

Contents

Chapter 1 - Meg's Beginnings as a Writer (2:00)

Chapter 2 - Telling Her Own Story (8:35)

Chapter 3 - “Letters of E.B White” (11:14)

Chapter 4 - Reading to Be Human (16:12)

Chapter 5 - On Visiting Schools (20:27)

Chapter 6 - Storytelling to Fight Book Bans (21:55)

Chapter 7 - Saying Goodbye to Merci Suárez (27:55)

Chapter 8 - Girls in Motion (32:48)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (35:01)

Today's featured librarian is Meredith Derrick, the Library Coordinator for Klein Independent School District outside of Houston, Texas. In this episode she tell's us more about her most successful library program to date.

Links

• http://thereadingculturepod.com/
• https://www.thereadingculturepod.com/meg-medina 
• http://www.megmedina.com/
• https://www.beanstack.com/
  
  

In our new podcast, The Reading Culture, host Jordan Lloyd Bookey will bring you along as we connect with diverse authors about their own journeys as readers and storytellers, as well as what experiences along the way motivated them to read more. Authors will share their perspectives on the cultural climate in children’s and young adult literature. And get excited for each guest's unique, themed reading challenge for students and readers of all ages. Coming this fall.