Getting to Know Jacqueline Woodson

An interview that examines the different types of issues Woodson touches on in her writing. Topics include: race relations, incarceration, foster care, etc.

What Drove Jacqueline Woodson To Write

As a child, Woodson had a knack for telling outlandish stories and, by her own account, telling "outright lies." A turning point in her life came in the fifth grade, and it changed her forever:

"That year, I wrote a story and my teacher said 'This is really good.' Before that I had written a poem about Martin Luther King that was, I guess, so good no one believed I wrote it. After lots of brouhaha, it was believed finally that I had indeed penned the poem which went on to win me a Scrabble game and local acclaim. So by the time the story rolled around and the words 'This is really good' came out of the otherwise down-turned lips of my fifth grade teacher, I was well on my way to understanding that a lie on the page was a whole different animal — one that won you prizes and got surly teachers to smile. A lie on the page meant lots of independent time to create your stories and the freedom to sit hunched over the pages of your notebook without people thinking you were strange."

Years later, she is still telling stories...but now, EVERYONE is saying, "This is really good."


Post based on Woodson's biography from her website: www.jacquelinewoodson.com

A look at the Author, Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson is an American Author who writes books for children and adolescents. Her work usually centers around strong African American themes.

"I wanted to write about communities that were familiar to me and people that were familiar to me. I wanted to write about communities of color. I wanted to write about girls. I wanted to write about friendship and all of these things that I felt like were missing in a lot of books that I read as a child." - J. Woodson

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