“Revision is a philosophy; it’s a way of life. There is always time to revise, there’s always time to change, there’s always time to tell a new story— to make a new chapter. But one has to sit down every day and put that work in. I pray at the altar of imagination every day.”
-Jason Reynolds, episode 390 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
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… (7:45), why he was interested in writing a story about boyhood and masculinity (12:05), and an early passage from the book (15:52) that captures the distinct rhythm of his writing (17:59). Then, we talk about the story structure of this new novel (19:00), how Queen Latifah’s Black Reign introduced him to poetry (21:45), and how his early memories of writing (27:45) and a singular high school teacher (35:17) saved his life.
On the back-half, Reynolds describes a meaningful post-college job at rag & bone (46:02), what he’s seen in the education system post-pandemic (59:30), his hope for the next generation (1:02:30), and his lifelong mission to embolden students to see the value in their own narratives (1:14:23).
Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.
Show-notes:
- Order Jason’s new YA novel Twenty-Four Seconds from Now…
- Find all of his books on his website.
- Listen to his Radiotopia podcast My Mother Made Me.
- Learn more about Jason’s work as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
- Read his profile in The New Yorker.
- Follow Jason on Instagram and Twitter.
- For more episodes, hear our talks with Zadie Smith, Hua Hsu, and Margaret Atwood.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Illustrations by Krishna Shenoi.
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