SHARON FLAKE
The Center for Family Life: May 10 - May 14, 2004
YMCA of Jamaica, NY: May 11, 2004
SCAN LaGuardia: May 12, 2004
The Door (part of University Settlement Center) May 13, 2004

photo credit: Nathan Lawton

During Ms. Flake's author residency in New York, she met with over 300 elementary children, pre-teens, teens, parents, coordinators, and teachers in East Harlem, lower Manhattan, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Jamaica, Queens.

With each group Ms. Flake visited, she read excerpts from her books The Skin I'm In, Money Hungry, Begging for Change, and, Who Am I without Him?: A Short Story Collection about Girls and Boys in their Lives. She also answered questions and invited the participants to share their own thoughts and experiences with her. All participants received a copy of at least one of Ms. Flake's books and had the opportunity to get them signed. She showed personal interest by writing an individual note in each book with a comment specific to that person.

photo credit: Nathan Lawton

From May 10 through May 14, Ms. Flake spent a few hours each day at the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where she met with more than 200 readers, ages 11 to 18. The readers, many from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Central and South America, as well as from Mainland China, connected to Ms. Flake's work, which mostly centers on African-American teenage girls who live in the inner-city.

Questions addressed to Ms. Flake from this group were "Who inspired you?" "Where do you get your ideas from?" and, "How much money do you make?"

If a group did not ask how much money she makes, she told them. Ms. Flake's reason for divulging her modest income is to emphasize to the students that they should always pursue their passion; money should not be the sole reason for following a certain career path. Her plain-spoken answers made everyone feel comfortable about having a dialogue on issues affecting teens in today's world.

photo: NBF Archive

Conversations centered on dating, who should pay for the movies, and what it means to be popular.

Ms. Flake met about 50 students and teachers at an alternative high school affiliated with the Jamaica YMCA in Queens on May 11. About half of the students had read one of Ms. Flake's books before her arrival. Ms. Flake didn't mind that the students shouted respectful comments, such as "That is so true," or "I understand where she's coming from," as she read from her books. Ms. Flake said that the students' comments meant that they were listening and focused.

Ms. Flake told the group that she didn't intend to be a writer and went to college to be a doctor, but changed her major to English. And while in college, she received an internship at a magazine, but didn't go because of fear; she believed that she couldn't write.

photo credit: NBF Archive

On May 12, Ms. Flake visited SCAN LaGuardia in East Harlem to meet with 15 preteen and teenage girls along with their parents and mentors. All of the teenage participants were familiar with Ms. Flake's work, and were eager to ask questions based on the books, such as, "Is Maleeka in The Skin I'm In based on someone you know?" "Do you get ideas for your book from teenagers?" and "Why in Money Hungry did you make Mai's dad Korean?"

It was during the book signing that the parents and mentors conversed with Ms. Flake. There were small discussions about Ms. Flake's writing life and how she got into publishing. One of the most profound statements made by Ms. Flake was that she got up at 3:00 a.m. to write before she got her daughter ready for school and herself ready for work.

At the Door (part of University Settlement Center) in lower Manhattan on Thursday, May 12, 10 high school students participated in Ms. Flake's writing workshop. Each student was given a different photo of a person and had 30 minutes to write about the person. One participant complained that she couldn't think, but after some coaching from Ms. Flake, she began to write. After the exercise, each student read his or her work and received praises and constructive criticism from Ms. Flake and from their peers.