Celebrating the Late Walter Dean Myers
Authors Avi, Jason Reynolds, Emily Raboteau, Jacqueline Woodson, Wah-Ming Chang, and Brian Selznick; and performers Justin Hicks, Eisa Davis, Jomama Jones, and Helga Davismany, shared personal reflections and original pieces inspired by Myers’s life and work. Though the presenters formed a diverse group, they were united in their admiration of Myers’s writing and lifelong commitment to fostering literacy and equality.
As Christopher Myers explained, it was important to him that his father be memorialized in the manner he lived: with joy, vitality, and surrounded by the fortifying force of creativity…Throughout his career, [Walter] mentored young individuals who were just discovering their own voices, urging them to become better writers through persistence, and to continue to dream, because part of the work is the work of dreaming.’ (PW)
