StoryCorps Griot: Walter Dean and Christopher Myers
From: StoryCorps
Series: StoryCorps
Length: 01:46
Author Walter Dean Myers grew up in Harlem, the son of a janitor. Myers began writing as a teenager, but always failed to impress his father with his writing.
Here, Myers talks about his father with his own son, Christopher.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
Author Walter Dean Myers grew up in Harlem, the son of a janitor. Myers began writing as a teenager, but always failed to impress his father with his writing.
Here, Myers talks about his father with his own son, Christopher.
Broadcast History
NPR Morning Edition 6/17/11
Transcript
Christopher Myers: He bought you a typewriter at one point. Why do you think he knew that that was important to you?
Walter Dean Myers: Well, I was working at 14. I saved my money up, and I went to buy a typewriter. And at that point, Mom was having a drinking problem‚ and she spent it up. And so he went out and bought me a typewriter, a Royal.
But he never said anything good about my writing. And that really, that really hurt you know, I mean, that, that really bothered me a lot.
And my father told ghost stories at times, so I even would take his ghost stories and publish them. And I would show them to him and he would never comment on them. So when I did that, then I said, "He hates me," you know, he hates me.
CM: Did you ever ask him about it? Did you ever say, well . . .
WDM: No, no. When he was dying, I brought him a book that I 'd just finished. And uh, he picked it up and he...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Time now for StoryCorps, recording conversations between family and friends.
Walter Dean Myers grew up in Harlem, the son of a janitor.
Today, he's the author of nearly 100 books that are very popular with teenagers...
But as he told his son Christopher... there was ONE person Myers ALWAYS wanted his writing to
impress -- his dad.
That's Walter Dean Myers remembering his father, Herbert Dean, at StoryCorps in New York.
Today, Walter and his son Christopher work on books TOGETHER -- as writer and illustrator.
Additional Credits
NPR, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Principal Financial Group
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