Quartez Harris on Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer

In this post, we feature author Quartez Harris. You can hear him speak about his debut picture book, Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer, illustrated by Gordon C. James. You can also try his “invitation to imagine” activity and find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

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Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer

• Written by Quartez Harris and illustrated by Gordon C. James
• Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Release date: January 7, 2025

Before James Baldwin was a celebrated novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and activist, he was a boy who fell in love with stories. Words opened up new worlds for young Jimmy, who read and wrote at every opportunity. He ultimately realized his dreams of becoming an author and giving voice to his community, and in doing so he showed the world the fullness of Black American life. This picture-book biography of an American icon is a poetic introduction to James Baldwin and celebration of the power of language. Additional biographical information and personal notes from the author and illustrator round out this stunning celebration of Baldwin’s life and work.

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Explore Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer

Listen to Quartez Harris talking with TeachingBooks about creating Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.

• Listen to author Quartez Harris pronounce his name.
• Listen to illustrator Gordon C. James pronounce his name.
• Sample an audiobook of Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer on Overdrive.com.
• Explore TeachingBooks’ collection of activities and resources for Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer.

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Invitation to Imagine

Imagination Activity with Quartez Harris

Imagine you are a squirrel looking out of a tall tree. Write a story or poem that captures the images of life and activity seen through the eyes of a squirrel.

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Finish This Sentence . . . with Quartez Harris

“I knew I would be a writer when…”

I knew I would be a writer when I took a poetry class in High School. That’s when I discovered that I can play with words and draw pictures with them too.

“You may not know that I can…”

You may not know that I like to draw cartoons. Maybe I’ll illustrate a book someday. You never know.

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Thank you!

To wrap up this Virtual Book Tour, we thank Quartez Harris for signing a book for all of us.

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More Connections to Quartez Harris and Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer

• Discover books like Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer on TeachingBooks.
• Little, Brown’s page about Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer, written by Quartez Harris and illustrated by Gordon C. James.
• Buy Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer, written by Quartez Harris and illustrated by Gordon C. James.

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Explore all of the titles featured in the TeachingBooks Virtual Book Tour: one link with author interviews, lesson plans, activities, and more!

All text and images are courtesy of Quartez Harris, Gordon C. James, and Little, Brown and may not be used without expressed written consent.