Over the weekend, I went to the Brooklyn Book Festival for the first time ever. Whenever going to a festival or a convention, I always set myself up with an itinerary of events and panels I want to check out. Then the reality of the event sets in and I never do everything I plan to do.
I didn’t stay the entire day, but I did see the Jacqueline Woodson “Best of Brooklyn” panel and walk around to all of the vendors to see what they’ve got going on. I did a lot of walking around and even talked to a few vendors. I think my favorite part about this whole journey was the sharing my passion for books with other like-minded people. Even a recluse like me needs to get out.
Jacqueline Woodson is an amazing bad ass writer of diverse fiction. I only got the chance to go to one panel and it was the Best of Brooklyn: A Conversation with Jacqueline Woodson. If you’re not a fan of YA and you’d like to read her work, check out Another Brooklyn. It released this year and most definitely on my #tbr.
The conversation mostly was about the intricate layers of a city and how that helps shape the person you become. Another Brooklyn is supposed to be about the city you don’t see. It’s like the inception of metaphors. The city within a city. You can land in any part of Brooklyn and find yourself immersed in a different world, but the reality may change for the people who actually live it.
I wanted to ask Jacqueline Woodson if she was somehow influenced by the political movements stirring up over the past few years (ex: #weneeddiversebooks or even #blacklivesmatter). Unfortunately, I learned I’m a huge fangirl nerd that can’t call up the courage to ask someone I admire a question.
My favorite thing she said was about how she’s a slow reader. She said slow readers are people who are more analytical; taking into consideration the way the writer wrote. It’s research and will help with becoming a better writer. I don’t know if I’m a better writer, but I do know now that I can read at my leisure without feeling like a dope for going too slow.
Anyway, that’s all for now. See you next year, #bkbf
Simone and Her Books 