The Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries present “Raise Your Voice with Jason Reynolds" -- October 22.

Tuesday, October 22, 7 p.m.

Presented by the Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries

With its guest appearing in a special virtual program hosted by Illinois Libraries Present and the Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries, the October 22 presentation Raise Your Voice with Jason Reynolds will offer a uniquely personal hour with the number-one New York Times bestselling author, as well as the recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, a Carnegie Medal, an NAACP Image Award, and multiple Coretta Scott King honors.

Born in Washington D.C. in 1983 and raised in neighboring Oxon Hill, Maryland, Reynolds employed the rap lyrics of Queen Latifah as inspiration to begin writing poetry at age nine. He continued to focus on poetry for close to two decades, and released several poetry collections before the publication of his first novel When I Was the Greatest in 2014. For this debuting work of prose, Reynolds won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptow Award for New Talent, and seven more novels followed in the next four years. Reynolds' 2016 novel As Brave as You, meanwhile, won the 2016 Kirkus Prize, the 2017 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen, and the 2017 Schneider Family Book Award, with the Washington Post writing, “Reynolds deftly blends humor and heart through lively dialogue and spot-on sibling dynamics.” In 2017, Reynolds also wrote the tale of a young, African-American web-slinger in Miles Morales: Spider-Man, its hero a now-iconic figure in light of the Oscar-winning animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its Oscar-nominated sequel Across the Spider-Verse.

An advocate, mentor, and 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Reynolds' beloved and award-winning titles also include Stamped (with Ibram X. Kendi), Stuntboy, the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu), The Boy in the Black Suit, Look Both Ways, Ain't Burned All the Bright, and Long Way Down. He has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Late Night with Seth Meyers, CBS Sunday Morning, and other TV programs, and the short documentary Dear, Dreamer is a lyrical portrait of Reynolds’ life and work as a rising literary star, as well as a testament to shared experiences and the power of seeing yourself in books. In his podcast My Mother Made Me, he and his mother Isabell explore their shared history and what they’re teaching each other. Reynolds lives in Washington, DC, where he is on faculty at Lesley University for the Writing for Young People MFA Program.

This virtual event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

Raise Your Voice with Jason Reynolds will begin on October 22 at 7 p.m., participation in the virtual event is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.org, and calling (309)755-3393 and visiting SilvisLibrary.org.

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