Renée Watson grew up in Portland, then became a bestselling children's author

Renée Watson grew up in Northeast Portland and attended Vernon Elementary. When she was in the second grade, in Ms. Tupper’s class, she wrote a 21-page story.    “I brought it to school, and Ms. Tupper was like, ‘wow, I think you're gonna be a writer one day’.” she said.    Watson is now a New York Times bestselling author and winner of the prestigious 2026 Newbery Medal for her children’s book, “All the Blues in the Sky.” That medal is the nation’s top prize for children’s literature.   She mostly writes for young readers, but she doesn’t hold back for her audience. She’s written books that range from themes of grief, identity, race, to friendship, art and hope.  Watson says sometimes the world we live in is not the world we want, but she can right those wrongs when she’s writing.    “I can change the ending, and ask us to be better,” she said. “I feel very powerful as a writer, to push us to dream and to be better.” In this week’s episode of The Evergreen: how the remarkable writer Renee Watson inspires young Black readers to step into their power.    Watch OPB’s Oregon Art Beat documentary on Renée Watson here.   For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage. Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too. You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.   Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps: Hush  Timber Wars Season 2: Salmon Wars Politics Now Think Out Loud And many more! Check out our full show list here.