Jacqueline Woodson
National Book Award and four-time Newbery Honor Winner, and bestselling author of Brown Girl Dreaming
Nic Stone
New York Times-bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out
“Seeing what people are willing to put themselves through for the sake of equality is amazing. ”
Photo Credit: Nigel Livingstone
Nic Stone burst onto the YA scene with her powerful debut novel, Dear Martin. A hard-hitting, and honest look at American race relations, the book was widely embraced by readers of all ages. Her second novel, Odd One Out explores sexuality, friendship, and first love. Through engaging presentations, she examines how fiction and literacy can effect social change.
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About Nic Stone
Nic Stone is the bestselling author of young adult novels that explore race, sexuality, and romance with powerful honesty and captivating storytelling. Her debut novel, the New York Times-bestselling Dear Martin, is inspired by a series of true events involving the shooting deaths of unarmed African American teenagers. Her second book, Odd One Out, is an honest and touching depiction of first love that explores gender and teenage friendship with tenderness and compassion.
In her lectures and workshops aimed at teenagers, educators and aspiring writers, Stone explores how literature can impact social change and disrupt the status quo. Through critical thinking and discussion, she challenges audiences to “write the tough stuff” to embrace their inner power.
A native of Atlanta, Georgia and a Spelman College graduate, Stone worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel before returning to the United States to write full time. She now lives in Atlanta with her family. Her forthcoming third young adult novel, Jackpot (October 15, 2019), is a life-affirming story about the humanity in people, no matter how little or how much is in their bank account.
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Speaking Topics
Wri-sistence: Fiction as a Vehicle for Social Awareness and Change
Using both popular examples from the literary canon (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird) and her own work, Nic highlights the ways fiction has been used to challenge the status quo. Audience members are inspired to tap their own wells of creativity for the sake of resistance.
Get LIT
What is “literacy,” why do we need it, and how do we truly obtain it? Exploring the history of English literacy, and expanding on the simplified definition (“The ability to read and write.”) Nic explains how true literacy is about effective communication, and has the power to change an individual's life, while also creating a more equitable society.
Writing the Tough Stuff: A *Crash* Course
Utilizing the acronym RHINOS—and a series of fun facts about them—Nic will explain how Reason, Humility, Investigative Savvy, Nuance, Optimism, and Self-Care (aka, cat videos) make up the building blocks of writing the "Tough Stuff."
You Are Infinitely POWERful
Drawing on the innate teen characteristics of Personal agency, Openness, Wonder, Elasticity, and Rebellion, Nic calls teens to embrace the power inside them and use it to wreak havoc on the ugliness of the world.
Writing Workshops
• Story Basics – an examination of the building blocks of narrative: character development, setting, plot, point, and form
• Finding Your Voice – a lesson that combines a free-writing/stream-of-consciousness exercise with instruction in punctuation basics to teach the importance of syntax and cadence in establishing narrative voice
• Beginnings and Endings – an interactive lesson (with relevant exercises) on first lines and grabbing the reader in the first five pages, and concluding the narrative satisfactorily
• Pace Yourself! – a lesson in narrative pacing that will include subtopics such as backstory placement, chapter breaks, and moving through time
• Dialogue 101 – a lesson in writing convincing conversations
• Say Hello To My Little Friends – a lesson in developing sympathetic, true-to-life characters
• Rodent Writing 101 – using the mnemonic “Even Rats Avoid Icky Cauliflower,” a lesson that stresses the importance of Exploration, Research, Authenticity, Imperfection and Collaboration in the story-making processCategories: Bestselling Author Speakers, Black History Month Speakers, Children's Author Speakers, Civil Rights + Social Justice Speakers, College + University Speakers, Current + Social Issues Speakers, Diversity + Inclusion Speakers, First-Year Experience Speakers, LGBTQ + Gender Issues Speakers, Library + Community Reads Speakers, Young Adult Author Speakers -
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Praise for Nic Stone
Praise for Jackpot
Hard-to-put-down, enjoyable read.
— BooklistPraise for Odd One Out
Fans of Nic and new readers will find themselves engrossed.
— Teen VogueDeclaring yourself–how you would like to be represented and whom you want to love and connect with–is treated with real tenderness.
— The New York TimesFor fans of authors who dig complex relationships, like Shannon M. Parker, Ashley Woodfolk and Misa Sugiura.
— Paste MagazineEssential reading.
— Booklist, Starred ReviewAn important and necessary love story.
— SLJStone challenges stereotypical notions of what it means to be straight, bisexual, or gay, showing how sexual identities and desires can be as complicated as the individual human brain.
— PWPraise for Dear Martin
Absolutely incredible, honest, gut-wrenching. A must read!
— Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U GivePainfully timely and deeply moving.
— Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times-bestselling authorRaw and gripping.
— Jason Reynolds, bestselling coauthor of All American BoysTeens, librarians and teachers alike will find this book a godsend. . . . Vivid and powerful.
— Booklist, StarredA visceral portrait of a young man reckoning with the ugly, persistent violence of social injustice.
— Publishers Weekly -
Books by Nic Stone
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Media About Nic Stone
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and Availability
- 212 572-2013
- Nic Stone travels from Atlanta, GA
Featured Title
Jackpot
“By turns romantic, funny, and surprising, the story explores how class, status, and money—or lack thereof—have the ability to limit or expand life opportunities, the choices we make, and our universal need for love and connection.” —The Horn Book
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