This interview with Renée Watson was originally broadcast in June 2019It seems fitting to re-release this chat with author, activist, and teacher Renée Watson in the wake of George Floyd's murder and Black Lives Matter protests across the world. We spoke to Renée while she was touring Australia for the release of Watch Us Rise (which she co-wrote with Ellen Hagan). In this chat, we discuss:How young people engage with politics and artThe experience of co-writing a novel with a friend (and getting immediate feedback on writing)Poetry and getting young people invested in it as an art formCancel culture: when to give people grace and when to cut them outThe experience of representing diverse characters on book coversMaking art as resistance to oppressionBooks mentioned:Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen HaganWhat Momma Left Me by Renée WatsonThe Poet X by Elizabeth AcevedoBrown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline WoodsonOne Last Word by Nikki GrimesHold Your Own by Kate TempestFollow Renée: http://www.reneewatson.net/Chat to us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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