Author Encourages Young Writers to Develop Their Own Voice
Award-winning young adult and fantasy author Jordan Ifueko joined grades 5-8 in the auditorium on Tuesday, Sept. 23. She answered questions from a student panel about writing, creativity and the importance of representation in literature.
Ifueko’s work has been featured by People Magazine and NPR, among others. Her first novel, "Raybearer," is a New York Times Bestseller.
Ifueko, who grew up in California with family ties to Nigeria, described books and literature as a place where she always felt at home while she otherwise struggled with a sense of place. Homeschooled at a young age, books became her window to the world and a source of inspiration for her imagination. From an early age, she wrote stories whenever and wherever she could. Writing and creativity, she said, gave her a sense of agency and belonging.
Ifueko, who grew up in California with family ties to Nigeria, described books and literature as a place where she always felt at home while she otherwise struggled with a sense of place. Homeschooled at a young age, books became her window to the world and a source of inspiration for her imagination. From an early age, she wrote stories whenever and wherever she could. Writing and creativity, she said, gave her a sense of agency and belonging.
Ifueko spoke about the importance of representation in literature. She emphasized the need for characters from different racial and cultural backgrounds, and for young readers to be able to connect with protagonists who look like them.
When asked for her best advice for young writers, Ifueko’s first response was to keep reading. All great writers are great readers, she said, and reading helps spark inspiration and ideas as well as expose young writers to different styles and voices. She acknowledged that a young writer’s work may not be strong at first, but that producing a lot of imperfect writing is part of the process of finding one’s own voice and creating original and thoughtful work. She also spoke on finding an agent and getting published, describing the process that most writers go through of sending query letters to agents, hoping for representation. Her path to being published was somewhat different; after submitting a number of short stories and having them printed in publications, Ifueko was able to find an agent and publish her first novel. Both routes to becoming a published writer involve hard work and persistence and an ability to stand behind one’s work.
After her panel presentation, Ifueko met with eighth graders for a writing workshop at IDEA Space, where she helped them develop characters and use their own voices to tell their stories.
After her panel presentation, Ifueko met with eighth graders for a writing workshop at IDEA Space, where she helped them develop characters and use their own voices to tell their stories.
Ifueko is the second author to visit this year through Barstow’s partnership with Rainy Day Books.
