Lesley Younge is a writer, middle school educator, and the author of four books for young people. Nearer My Freedom is an award winning verse novel remix of Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography. A-Train Allen, her first picture book, is an ode to kids like her son who love cities and trains. Two books on the nonviolent life of Reverend James M. Lawson are forthcoming. Lesley is a fellow of VCCA, the Hurston/Wright Foundation, and Anaphora Literary Arts. Also a poet, Lesley recently won first place in the Eastern Shore Writer’s Association Crossroads contest. Her work has appeared in Poetry, Little Patuxent Review, Callaloo, Bay to Shore, Full Bleed, and others. Lesley lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her family. Visit teacherlesley.com where she blogs and shares resources.
The Journey: My Path to Publishing
My path to publishing was unusual. While I have always enjoyed writing, I did not identify as “a writer” until after the deals were made. In March 2023, I published two books within a week of each other – different genres, different publishers, and completely different backstories!
Nearer My Freedom began in 2018 as a project with my mentor, Monica Edinger. Monica hired me for my first teaching job twenty years ago. She was already a published author and children’s book reviewer when she approached me about expanding a classroom project on found verse into a YA nonfiction book. I was mostly along for the ride and moral support. Her agent, Stephen Barbara at Inkwell, shopped our proposal around, and Lerner/Zest picked it up. A week after our “yes”, Monica had a severe stroke, and of course, the book was put on pause. Once she was on a clear path of recovery, we decided to finish the book (nonfiction sells on a sample). That process looked very different than we imagined because of Monica’s aphasia and other disabilities, but we did it. While Monica was recovering, I had begun taking a lot of writing classes and workshops so that I would be skilled enough to do the heavy lifting. I developed a picture book idea I loved and decided to enter it in a contest with Sleeping Bear Press. Well, I won, and the prize was a contract to publish A-Train Allen.
After deciding I wanted to continue writing and publishing books, I signed with Stephen and Inkwell. In the next 18 months, we will add two more books to the shelf. They are both about my childhood pastor, Reverend James M. Lawson Jr. and his life of nonviolence, which included nurturing the talents of leaders like John Lewis, Diane Nash, and Bernard Lafayette. The keys to my success have been supporting other people, exercising patience, taking risks, and believing in my ideas.
The Inspiration: Who/What Inspired Me
I’ve been teaching for twenty years so my students inspire me. The first blog I ever started was called Homework for Teachers, and it’s where I put all my bad poetry. I figured it was only fair because I was always asking children to do hard things. Where was I taking risks? What did I have at stake? That still fuels me. Now I can push them because I am pushing myself. I know how it feels to try, to fail, to get rejected, to ultimately triumph. Being a writer has definitely made me a more believable English teacher. And the street cred goes pretty far with the kids.
My father is also an inspiration. While getting my master of education at Bank Street, I wrote and illustrated a picture book for a final class project. Every so often he would ask me when I was going to do something with it. It isn’t really publishable, but the fact that he thought it was planted a seed. When more viable ideas came along, I pictured how pleased he would be. I’m a daddy’s girl so that’s always been motivating.
There are several women I call (in my head) my literary aunties. They include Carole Boston Weatherford, Lesa Cline-Ransome, Jewell Parker Rhodes, and Marilyn Nelson. I’ve been lucky to meet my heroes, and they live up to my perception! When I look at their long careers and the authenticity and creativity with which they pursue this work, I see what I want for myself. They honor children, stories, and words equally. I admire them so much.
The Process: How I Work
I am neurodivergent so my mind is like an octopus with tentacles reaching in many different directions. I am a multi-genre writer and usually working on several things at once. Right now, I am marketing two nonfiction books, submitting picture book manuscripts, finishing a poetry collection, and starting a YA historical fiction novel. Bullet journaling and checklists are a lifesaver. If there is a deadline, I compartmentalize and focus on that. I don’t have a particular schedule. I write in between teaching middle school full time and mothering my eleven year old. A little bit of work most days adds up after a while, but I also have to make choices and sacrifices. It’s important to follow my energy. I have “input” days and “output” days. Nearly every story I tell begins with deep research. I love to uncover hidden or more nuanced stories. Input days are for reading, researching, visiting museums, walking, and meditating. Output days are for writing. I love dotted or blank notebooks for brainstorming and outlining. I use Google docs for drafting, but am starting to experiment with Scrivner. During school breaks I have a lot of free time and can work more intensely. I have a home office, and I’ll light candles, put on some music, and find the flow. I also enjoy writing residencies and retreats where I can hyperfocus and get even more work done. In the past few years I have been to Highlights and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. I was recently accepted to Storyknife, so this summer I will spend two weeks at an all women’s residency in Homer, Alaska.
Under the Radar:
J.E. Thomas, author of Control Freaks and The AI Incident. I write educator guides for her books, and she’s such a thoughtful middle grade writer. There are always many layers to unpack and the topics are super relevant to kids today.
Connect with Lesley: