I feel like I am walking in some amazing footsteps of writers who have come before me, like S.E. Hinton, Walter Dean Myers, Christopher Paul Curtis, Richard Peck and Kate DiCamillo, who I love.
Interpretation
The author expresses admiration for the influential writers that have paved the way for her own work.
In this quote, Jacqueline Woodson reflects on her journey as a writer and acknowledges the impact of legendary authors who have inspired her. She finds joy and purpose in following the paths forged by these remarkable individuals, highlighting the importance of literary heritage and the connection among writers across generations. This admiration not only celebrates their contributions but also instills a sense of responsibility as she continues the legacy of storytelling.
In practice
During a writing workshop, I would quote Woodson to motivate aspiring writers about their journey.
'Brown Girl Dreaming' was a book I had a lot of doubts about - mainly, would this story be meaningful to anyone besides me? My editor, Nancy Paulsen, kept assuring me, but there were moments when I was in a really sad place with the story for so many reasons. It wasn't an easy book to write - emotionally, physically, or creatively.
In the midst of observing the world and coming to consciousness, I was becoming a writer, and what I wanted to put on the page were the stories of people who looked like me.
Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and kind of like it's becoming nice again around you. And you realize it, and realize how happy you are in it, and you just gotta laugh.
I don't want anyone to walk through the world feeling invisible ever again.
The strength of my mother is something I didn't pay attention to for so long. Here she was, this single mom, who was part of the Great Migration, who was part of a Jim Crow south, who said, 'I'm getting my kids out of here. I'm creating opportunities for these young people by any means necessary.'
I would have written 'Brown Girl Dreaming' if no one had ever wanted to buy it, if it went nowhere but inside a desk drawer that my own children pulled out one day to find a tool for survival, a symbol of how strong we are and how much we've come through.
The child's conquests of independence are the basic steps in what is called his 'natural development'.
Woe to that nation whose literature is disturbed by the intervention of power. Because that is not just a violation against "freedom of print," it is the closing down of the heart of the nation, a slashing to pieces of its memory.
In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.
We’ve educated children to think that spontaneity is inappropriate. Children are willing to expose themselves to experiences. We aren’t. Grownups always say they protect their children, but they’re really protecting themselves. Besides, you can’t protect children. They know everything.
Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future.
Money buys the most experienced teachers, less-crowded classrooms, high-quality teaching materials, and after-school programs.
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