Thursday, November 9
4 – 6 pm
Registration required.
HCLS East Columbia Branch
410.313.7700

Dear Nic,

During the pandemic when the world seemed especially grim, I attended a virtual conference where you served as a guest speaker. You stood out to me with your bold avocado earrings and the backstory of how you started writing for teens. Your appearance lifted me up during a time when all I wanted was to return to work in person with my teen library customers.

Fast forward to May 2023, my friend Amanda and I proposed that we host you at HCLS and learned you were indeed coming to my branch, East Columbia, on November 9.

Most people will have read Dear Martin, one of your most powerful works. In this novel, we learn about the life of college-bound Justyce McCallister and his letters to the late Martin Luther King, Jr., written as reflections on being young, black, and escaping the ongoing violence toward unarmed black boys and men. In Dear Martin’s follow-up Dear Justyce, we read about Quan, his circumstances far different than his friend Justyce who helps him while he is incarcerated in a juvenile detention center. Quan sees up close the shortcomings and racial disparities in our flawed criminal justice system. 

Two more of my favorite titles are Clean Getaway and Odd One Out. In Clean Getaway, we see the connection between G’ma (a grandmother) and her grandson “Scoob,” as they go on a road trip exposing family secrets and a lesson in the beauty of intergenerational family ties. While in Odd One Out, we follow Jupe, a gay teen girl and her best guy friend Coop (who may be in love with her). In comes Rae, the new girl in town who may or may not be straight. The love triangle takes Jupe on a journey of self-discovery, exploring gender and sexual identity, and the strength of friendships.

Nic, you write about characters facing hard truths about our society and inspire young people to keep pressing forward, even when it seems impossible to do so. 

My hope is your visit will continue to inspire our young people, those turning your pages and seeing themselves and making the world better.

Sincerely,
Carmen

Bauder Book Talks by Howard County Library System is made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Lillian Bauder, a community leader and Columbia resident. Howard County Library System will present an annual endowed author event, known as Bauder Book Talks, for under-served students in grades 6-8 attending public middle schools in Columbia with high percentages of African American and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students. Authors and titles selected are high-interest and high-quality on topics of social issues, equity, and related matters. Student participants have the opportunity to hear from and engage the author and receive a copy of the author’s book. The event honors the memory of Don Bauder, late husband of Dr. Lillian Bauder and a champion of civil rights and social justice causes. 

This year, meet famed young adult author Nic Stone as she shares the inspiration behind her critically-acclaimed novel Dear Martin and other featured works.