Books Save Lives, a Keynote Address by Joan Kaywell @LSUCHSE #LSUYAL2015 (My Suite Mate)

Dr. Joan Kaywell, USF

My first night in the dormitory (before an invasion of tsetse flies - also known as cheerleaders with gigantic bows in their hair - arrived), I was locked out of my bathroom. I had to get assistance, and when I did, I learned I was sharing my suite with Dr. Joan Kaywell, Professor at the University of South Florida, champion for Young Adult Literature, coordinator of the Ted Hipple collection (with over 4,000 autographed books), and pioneer for the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents at NCTE (ALAN). I knew of Dr. Kaywell - voted for her to be NCTE president - but didn't make the connection that she was the woman I was sharing a shower with. I just saw her as another participant in Baton Rouge who'd be my neighbor for the week.

Of course, I knew Joan Kaywell was delivering a keynote, too. Over the last few days I grew fond of her intellect, perspective, humor, wit, and friendliness, but her importance to the world of literacy didn't hit home until I heard her speak yesterday. She brought in the morning and, truth be known, offered the inspiration I will use for my sabbatical next semester and within the work I want to accomplish over the next twenty years.

What an honor (and luck) to be partnered with Joan Kaywell at the LSU YAL conference and to learn more about her over dinners and glasses of wine. She attended my Literacy4Hope sports breakout, too, and gave me a huge ego boost when I finished. She called me a superstar and I said, "Aw, shucks. I bet you say that to all the guys you have to share a toilet with."

Seriously, Dr. Kaywell's keynote was incredibly special, not only because it was brilliant and exceptionally thought out, but because it was personal - a testimony of contained emotion and control. It was also timely.

English educators need to bring empathy, hope, kindness, and support into their classrooms. "I could of been a serial killer," she told the audience, "but instead I'm a professor."

Books Save Lives

And books saved her life and helped her to work at unlocking the "Fort Knox" that was protecting her heart. She's writes about YA novels so that authors of the future will continue to write the books that can change the lives of others.

It was a beautiful keynote.

Dr. Bickmore stated in the introduction, "Joan Kaywell has done more than anyone else for creating a bridge that unites YA with the classics." In reference to Laurie Halse Anderson, Kaywell asked the audience to "Listen" to the needs of students, especially those who have experienced trauma and have endured immense physical and emotional pain in their lives.  She asked, "Are there ways we can help teenagers who are in emotional pain? Do we encourage our students to read about others and to read to understand their own feelings? Do we ask them to tell their stories? What healthy escapes are we encouraging for those we teach who are in pain?"

The key phrase she repeated throughout her presentation that resonated most with me was,

Love is a powerful motivator.

The quick fixes for young people are alcohol and drugs, rampant sex, gangs and violence, eating disorders, and suicide. The more sustainable way to heal, however, is through love and the care of mentors who help young people through their reading experiences. Inspired by the story of Helen Keller and a world without words, she reminded us that strange actions can be viewed as barbaric and animalistic. Such labels, though, can be damaging when given to youth who are most at risk in our nation. Perhaps, Kaywell discussed, such behaviors are simply the act of individuals who have much to share and more to communicate, but who are stuck without a language to express what they know. Books, she argued, offer young people the language they need to connect to their worlds. They need to read the stories of other teenagers like them.

Dr. Kaywell well offered a beautiful, if not complex, conversation to begin another wonderful day at the conference.