From NPR (thanks to Christine for the link!)
Walter Dean Myers grew up in Harlem, the son of a janitor. He became an author, writing young adult fiction that's especially popular with teenage readers. But as he tells his son, Christopher, there was one person Myers always wanted his writing to impress: his dad.
"He bought you a typewriter at one point," Christopher says. "Why do you think he knew that that was important to you?"
"Well, I was working at 14," Walter says. "I saved my money up, and I went to buy a typewriter. And at that point, Mom was having a drinking problem. And she spent it up. And so he went out and bought me a typewriter, a Royal."
Soon after, Walter Dean Myers started typing. And he stuck with it — today, his bibliography includes nearly 100 books. He collaborates on some of them with Christopher, working together as writer and illustrator. Their connection is one he never had with his own father.
"He never said anything good about my writing," Walter says. "And that really, that really hurt, that really bothered me a lot."
Read the rest of the story here.
Walter Dean Myers grew up in Harlem, the son of a janitor. He became an author, writing young adult fiction that's especially popular with teenage readers. But as he tells his son, Christopher, there was one person Myers always wanted his writing to impress: his dad.
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| Christopher and Walter Dean Myers |
"He bought you a typewriter at one point," Christopher says. "Why do you think he knew that that was important to you?"
"Well, I was working at 14," Walter says. "I saved my money up, and I went to buy a typewriter. And at that point, Mom was having a drinking problem. And she spent it up. And so he went out and bought me a typewriter, a Royal."
Soon after, Walter Dean Myers started typing. And he stuck with it — today, his bibliography includes nearly 100 books. He collaborates on some of them with Christopher, working together as writer and illustrator. Their connection is one he never had with his own father.
"He never said anything good about my writing," Walter says. "And that really, that really hurt, that really bothered me a lot."
Read the rest of the story here.
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