On Writers Day, a Shared Dedication to Truth in Art

Jacqueline Woodson, the author of the acclaimed memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, joined poet Joseph Ross and videographer Adya Beasley '05 at National Cathedral School on Thursday as special guests for the school's annual Writers Day celebration.

The three met with students throughout the morning, answering questions and offering insights about their creative process. In the process, their shared affinity for the power of words and dedication to truth in their art shone more brightly than their diversity of art forms.

All NCS students and faculty read Woodson's memoir last summer, and her audience was ready with plenty of questions about it, ranging from issues of religious identity and whether motherhood had affected her writing output to the cover illustration. Woodson noted that the lower-case title was actually her publisher's decision. "But I liked it," she said, adding that it reminded her of other authors who wrote entirely in lower case.

Woodson also read from a selection of her 27 other books, including picture books such as Show Way and young-adult novels such as After Tupac and D Foster and If You Come Softly. And she discussed the difficulty she faced in deciding that one of her novels demanded that a main character meet a violent end.

Beasley traced how she went on from the Close to become a videojournalist, producing long-form news reports that have won seven New York Emmys. Now at the Wall Street Journal, she described herself as primarily a storyteller, noting that her goal is to "tell a story, and tell it well" through words and imagery.

Beasley showed a few clips as examples, including one story about a man who grew up amid violence in Newark, N.J. and became a basketball star at Iona College and another about the men who vie to play the role of George Washington in the annual reenactment of the crossing of the Delaware River. (The latter took two years to produce and was entered in several film festivals.)

Ross's poetry serves witness to suffering — he joked that sometimes he is asked, "Where are the fun poems?" — through language that is beautiful, haunting, and unafraid. He has published two books of poetry, with a third due out next year, and he urged students to have faith in their muse, even when confronted with rejection slips from publishers. "Being a writer for the world" demands no less, said Ross, who lives and teaches in the Washington area.

Writers Day traditionally concludes with the distribution of Half-in-Earnest, the school's literary magazine, and the announcement of student literary award winners. Those activities took place Friday morning at an Upper School assembly.

Julia Messick '16 and Sophia Robinson '16, this year's HIE editors-in-chief, had the honor of unveiling this year's edition. Robinson noted that the cover design, featuring tarot cards, was inspired by the senior class's theme of MAG16. She also pointed out that the cover included a hidden message for those willing to look a little deeper.

The Upper School English faculty announced this year's award winners, many of whom read from her work:

Hyde Prize: Lauryn Barnes '17 and Bota Saudabayeva '18.

Hyde Prize Finalists: Danielle Horne '16, Suzan Michalski '18, Sophia Robinson '16, Prasanna Patel '19, and Jaquelin Weymouth '19. 

Writer's Prizes: Ellie Frank '16, Ally Lorico '17, Mallory Moore '18, Katherine Leahy '19.

Photos from the assembly are in the Media Gallery.