Youth Novels
As young people from the Edgewood Commons community in Northeast D.C., where most residents are Black and generational poverty is persistent, Beacon House writers wanted to tell fictional stories inspired by their own lived experiences. Through weekly after-school writing workshops led by Shout Mouse teaching artists, cohorts of youth authors write imaginative, collaborative novels that center the experiences of Black youth. We’re so proud of the ways their books have influenced conversations around race, resilience, and youth perspectives across the city and the country. Through Author Talks, book donations, and books sales, the voices of Beacon House authors have reached readers and leaders across the country. Proceeds from Beacon House titles support new authors and fund future programming for the Beacon House community.
Featured Book
Black Boys Dreaming
By Chase, Kevin, Khalil, and Josiah of Beacon House
Over the course of a historic year characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, and widespread social reckoning, four Black middle school boys from Beacon House in Washington, DC came together virtually, to dream. Pushing up against the hardship of current events, these new authors decided to create a collection of imaginative stories that share messages they believe the world needs to hear today about resilience, self-expression, and staying true to your dreams.
In this collection, you will meet Kobe, a teenage basketball player grappling with the death of his role model; Zim, a sword-wielding orphan on a quest to save his grandmother’s life; Ava, a cyborg girl who just wants to be normal; and Brandon, a boy struggling to choose between his passion and his family. This motley crew of heroes all learn to decipher their changing worlds, carrying with them necessary guidance for readers on how they can process their own. Artfully illustrated, and written in both poetry and prose, this book has something for every type of reader. Ages 9+.
Beacon House Authors
Author Voice
“When we first started writing this book, we were doing it for fun and had no idea how big it would get. But if you use your voice, eventually it will get out, so it’s important to speak out. Your voice matters.”
Beacon House Author Talks
Beacon House authors speak at schools, conferences, festivals, and more about their books. You can request an Author Talk for your class, group, or organization below.
Reader Voice
“These books are more than just great reading – they’re powerful tools for inspiration, self-reflection, and the development of empathy.”
Story Behind The Story
The dedication of The Day Tajon Got Shot reads, “This book is for all those who are going through loss and pain, who have protested, and who are sick and tired of what’s going on.” In the book, authors Jeanet, Jonae, J’Yona, Makiya, Najae, Reiyana, Rose, Serenity, T’Asia, and Temil write a brave and necessary collaborative story about the police shooting of an unarmed Black boy named Tajon. This story about prejudice, race, violence, and community was deeply urgent and relevant when the project began in March 2015 -- and remains so today.
Ten young Black girls from Beacon House’s after-school program began writing this story during the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, and were inspired by Trayvon Martin, who had been shot three years before. These authors, like Black youth around the country, imagined a kid just like them -- wearing a hoodie, drinking sweet tea, holding a bag of Skittles -- suddenly dead just because someone assumed he was up to no good.
The authors were young — in middle school — when national attention began focusing on ongoing police violence. In the summer of 2014, Eric Garner was choked to death by police in Staten Island, New York. A few weeks later in Ferguson, Missouri, Michael Brown was shot and killed. More massive protests broke out -- in Ferguson and then in solidarity across the country. The National Guard was deployed. There were tanks in the streets.
The conflict continued. 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed while holding a toy gun on a Cleveland playground. Then it was announced that there would be no indictment in the murder of Michael Brown. Or in the murder of Eric Garner. The hashtag #ICantBreathe went viral and #BlackLivesMatter was the rallying cry. Protesters blocked traffic, shut down bridges, staged die-ins, walked out.
These were the headlines leading up to the start of workshops for The Day Tajon Got Shot. The writers asked themselves, “What can we write about that’s powerful, important, and engages with the real issues that young people are facing today?” The idea for a novel about a 16-year-old Black boy who is shot by a police officer -- as well as all the people who had to bear the repercussions of that act -- was born.
Since The Day Tajon Got Shot was published, educators, politicians, readers, booksellers, and leaders across the country have recognized and honored this powerful book. Authors have spoken in classrooms, at bookstores, on panels at national conferences, and more, across the Greater Washington region sharing their story. Tajon won the grand prize for both the INDIES Awards and the ‘In The Margins’ Book Awards. The book has been included on many “Best of” lists, including recommended reading lists by School Library Journal, Feminist Books for Kids, and The Children’s Book Review. The D.C. City Council passed a Ceremonial Resolution recognizing the 10 Beacon House authors in 2019.
We couldn’t be prouder of the courageous young people who wrote this story. We hope their work and voices will continue to be heard as part of essential conversations about how we can all be better to one another and seek empathy, understanding, and justice in the face of tragedy.
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