One important thing I take away daily is that for all the talk about what youth are not doing - especially young people of color - I know there are m…

- Renee Watson

Students can't leave their lives at the door when they come to school. They bring with them whatever is going on at home and in their communities. Po…

- Renee Watson

Post-publication I have been surprised at the limited resources publishers have to promote books. I certainly knew that being a new author, I would h…

- Renee Watson

In my writing I hope to have a balance between the good and bad, the hard and soft.

- Renee Watson

I teach young people how the arts can be used to stand up against injustice.

- Renee Watson

For me, the lives of children and teens are interesting - they are always changing. There's just so much to sort through. All of this makes for good …

- Renee Watson

Once I became an adult and started to pursue writing as a professional career, I realized my main characters were always young people. My stories nat…

- Renee Watson

Picture books are more difficult for me because it is telling a huge story in the least amount of words.

- Renee Watson

I have always known that I wanted to work with youth through the arts and I believe the arts can help young people cope with hardship.

- Renee Watson