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Jason Reynolds: Your Hero Writes to You!

In Jason Reynolds’ new video, part of his “Write. Right. Rite.” series for the Library, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature asks you to imagine getting a letter from your very own hero, and what that letter might say. Picture it: a note to you from Beyonce, Lebron James, maybe Stephen King.

Okay, that last one is mine. I wrote to King when I was a teen. This was the early ’80s. Loved his books. Wanted to grow up and be just like him. Lo and behold, he actually wrote me back. Just a postcard, typed, telling me a couple things about how he wrote and wishing me luck.

Four decades later, it’s still framed on my desk. It’s right next to a framed letter from Alice Walker. The author of “The Color Purple” wrote a couple of nice lines about one of my books. I died.

Reynolds’ personal icon is the poet and playwright Langston Hughes. He knows how magical these letters can be. To kick-start your imagination, he asks you to imagine getting one of those.

Here he is:

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Fun, no? Want more? We have all of Jayson’s videos for you to watch, anytime.

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