Walter Dean Myers

 I had the pleasure of going to Goucher College for an evening with Walter Dean Myers on Thursday, March 24. Maggie Meacham, author and lecturer in the Goucher Teachers Institute writes. As one of the first writers to address urban and minority teens – and the challenges they face – Walter Dean Myers is a pioneer of young adult literature. With more than 80 titles to his credit, including Monster; Scorpions; fallen Angels; and a memoir of his own youth, Bad Boy, his books have won him both a devoted readership and dozens of book awards.
Myers was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, in 1937. At age 3, he was adopted by foster parents Florence and Herbert Dean and was raised by them in Harlem. Florence had taught herself to read, and she trained Walter by letting him read the True Romance magazine stories she liked. He preferred reading comic books, and when a teacher discovered him with one in class at P.S. 125, "she grabbed my comic book and tore it up," Myers recalled. "I was really upset, but then she brought a pile of books from her own library. That was the best thing that ever happened to me."
Myers was a bright student, but during his teen years, he became disillusioned by poverty and the lack of opportunities and resources for African Americans. In 1954, he dropped out of Stuyvesant High School, and on his 17th birthday,he enlisted in the Army. He served three years and returned to New York City, where he took a series of low-paying jobs. Myers wrote short stories throughout this time, and in the 1960s, he began submitting his work to magazines.
Here are just a few highlights of what he said about himself. He's written 100 books one of which Phyllicia Rhashad wants to buy and make a movie. He grew up with a speech impairment whereby he lived in his head. All of his brothers and sisters had speech impairments. They had no social skills. He was teased as a child and he loved to fight, set fires and throw books in the fourth grade. His 4th grade teacher's name was Mrs. Parker.
In the 5th grade under the influence of Mrs. Conway, Walter began writing poetry. 1st year of high school he would not be black anymore, he would be smart. That changed because his mother was an alcoholic and his father was a manic depressive. He dropped out of school at 15 and joined a gang at 16. at age 17, he joined the army. When he returned home he started writing for the Enquire. "After all everyone has to work somewhere."
What he began to realize was that because of the era he grew up in, he started to question his life, what it means to be devalued. After reading books written by James Baldwin he realized that there may be other young people who had a story to tell so he began to write for them. In his remaining time he told us that there are 90,000 children in prison with no support system and he had to give them a voice. He would tell their story.
I am very happy that I got to spend time with Walter Dean Myers, I thought he was delightful with a great sense of humor and very kind.