in English, then packed my bags and moved to Brooklyn because somebody told me they were giving away dream-come-true vouchers. I graduated from the University of Maryland (where I spent about 65% of my time writing and reciting poetry all over campus…yeah, that was me) with a B.A. The stories are kinda like my slam dunks. I practice everyday and do the best I can to be better at this writing thing, while hopefully bringing some cool stories to the world. And when I say I’m a writer, I mean it in the same way a professional ball player calls himself an athlete. Yeah, it’s cool…until Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to be…somewhere they never should’ve been-where the people aren’t so friendly, and even less forgiving. It’s cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s got a syndrome, and gets these ticks and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. But, hey, a guy’s gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, it’s all small potatoes it’s not like anyone’s getting hurt.Īnd then there’s Needles. Now there’s a dude looking for trouble-and, somehow, it’s always Ali around to pick up the pieces. Ali’s got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing. This gritty, triumphant debut captures the heart and the hardship of life for an urban teen.Ī lot of the stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I don’t really mess with. In Bed Stuy, New York, a small misunderstanding can escalate into having a price on your head-even if you’re totally clean. And thank you to Project Lit for encouraging me to expand my reading selections this summer! If you haven’t heard of Project Lit, please check them out here: Another great selection by Jason Reynolds! I would recommend any of his books to students at the middle school.
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