ALAN Workshop-Rita Williams Garcia
ALAN Workshop-
Rita Williams Garcia
Williams-Garcia also believes that writing is work. She writes at least 1,000 words a day, and she writes "in trust", believing that the writing will take her where it needs to go.
Her first book Blue Tights was written for the legions of girls who don't see themselves on our shelves. They are hungry for themselves in the writing that they're reading. Williams-Garcia sees her writing as a process of making the self clear.
When she writes, she's mindful of the the question "Why do we connect to literature? How do we explain it when the reasons aren't obvious?"
After a school visit for her second book Like Sisters on the Homefront, a student told her that reading was "like a wonderful drug."
Williams-Garcia goes on to discuss daydreaming. What do our day dreams tell us? Much like our daydreams, writing can lead to critical thinking/reading. Young adults do have the ability to think and read critically. They can do it. They are able to make the leaps , and that's what growing up (and reading) is supposed to be about.
She is currently working on a book about friendship and female genital mutilation. "We need to talk about these things. Our kids need to talk about these things," because you never know your reach or how far your influence might go.
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Last Updated April 11, 2011
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