Julian Javier Szyszka

Professor Hampton

ENGW 105 – 49

04 May 2021

Resource Guide: Youth Authorship

Introduction:

When asked to propose a goal, my mind jumped at millions of things I would like to
accomplish. However, when narrowing it down I realized a goal that I could explore right now in
my life is to become a published writer. Whether it is writing a book, publishing a theory or
philosophy, or writing an article about relevant social issues; it is one of my goal to have a
published work. This has been done before and I have had parts of this goal achieved by writing
works that have used scholarly backgrounds and large research guides in the past. I am interested
in doing this because I believe that my research and my thoughts could be valuable for scholars
and activists and I could bring new perspectives in the areas I would be interested in.
I have consumed many different published works for presentations, papers, and debates
in the past. I have enjoyed using different works to debate, consume, and obtain knowledge
from. However, I would love to experience the perspective of publishing a work and having
others use it for the same purposes that I have. I believe also understanding the other side of a
published work will change my perspective as a reader and a debater. Once I understand the
process and even write another thought or topic, I believe I gain a unique connection with the
author as well.

Key Terms:

Publication: Content that is available to the public. Publications are usually printed on paper,
and online ones are delivered through the internet. -- Understanding what a publication is
important as the term encompasses different compositions of writing. Understanding that a
publication does not just mean the writing of a book but other works such as articles, research
papers, and other forms of sharing knowledge. Once I understood this, it inspired me to see the
wide variety of works that appeal to me and that I could be part of.
Editing: Editing is the process of rewriting, deleting, rearranging, and adding necessary sections
to make writing more interesting. – Howard’s ENGW 105-49 Honors Course helped me
understanding the power of editing. It also allowed me to differentiate the process of cleaning
language and proof reading for errors from true editing. Editing is the art of strategically
communicating to the audience as opposed to keeping the same message but ensuring that it is
cleanly written.
Proof: A proof is a pre-sample of a published work. A proof is way for authors to review their
publications and make any last-minute formatting decisions and changing. – This is important as
I have essentially used my last few papers as proofs. Although these were works that I have
turned in already, I was able to edit them to fit a new image or even convey an entirely different
message. Although my thesis stayed the same, the communication strategy changed, and a proof
is a way to finalize strategic language decisions.
Galley: The final sample copy of an authored book after design and layout stages are finalized.
This is the final copy seen before approved for printing. – This is important knowledge for
someone to have as an aspiring writer because it gives insight to the process. Understanding the
terminology can establish credibility when interviewing for a potential role or even meeting with
publishers and other people in the industry.
Journalese: The style of journalism that is commonly used for newspapers and other reporting
publications. – This is an important form of knowledge in understanding the different writing
styles fit to cater different types of writing and consumption of different publications and
articles. I would also explore branching out to a more reporting type of writing and journalism so
this would be important knowledge to knowing this process.
Mic: Formally known as PolicyMic, Mic is a platform targeted towards millennials. This would
be a good place for me to target some earlier reporting type pieces and be published to an
audience that is like myself. Targeting works towards millennials will allow me to publish things
about relevant social issues and caters to audiences that consumes content like myself.
Just Mercy: This book is not about youth authorship specifically, however, is part of the reason
that writing intrigues me. Bryan Stevenson, famous lawyer, activist, and author shows me the
integration of my passions and how writing can fit into that picture. The book highlights
Stevenson’s journey fighting injustice in Alabama in the deep south fighting death row
convictions. The famous story highlights the life of Walter McMillan who was wrongfully
convicted for a murder which Stevenson had to fight to keep McMillan alive. This story showed
me the power of writing and telling one’s story and is very relevant to my future dreams.
The Hilltop: Howard University’s publication on campus gives students the unique opportunity
to take on the role of reporters in a real publication that is read by students and others around the
DMV area. This would be a great way for me to attach myself to the university’s name while
publishing content in areas including politics, news, and sports.
Youth Writers Society: This platform and group allows authors from the ages of 13+ to share
works between each other. This includes reports, poems, books, stories, and all forms of writing.
This creates a safe environment for youth works that may not be as polished as other published
and professional works to be seen and reviewed by peers. This could be a good launching
platform especially for rough drafts and conceptual pieces.

Interview Transcript: Julian Szyszka x Michael Taylor

Julian: What was the inspiration behind becoming a young black published youth author?
Michael: Experience in high school, saw a need in society for a book and for published content. I
saw something that mainstream media needed.
Julian: Without any formal training, what inspired you and describe your writing process?
Michael: In my preparatory school, English classes were more advanced. The classes did not
prepare specifically for writing a book. The process started in quarantine, around the time of the
George Floyd incident. There was a large need for the content of the book and was confident in
the words that were published on the paper.
Julian: Describe the process from taking the words from documents to published works that
people can hold?
Michael: I seeked mentorship and used connections in the industry. However, publication signs
away percentages of sales and sell intellectual property. This meant keeping the book
independent and seemed to the better choice for the first publication.
Julian: What is the actual content of the book?
Michael: Hair discrimination and how hair discrimination ties into systemic racism in America.
Hair discrimination especially among the black community ties into a lot of things that go
overlooked. People who are not POC… The beginning of the book describes how at Taylor’s
PWI school that was formally a military prep school founded in the deep south and the racial
undertones. Black students were not admitted until the 50s and the racial undertones were heavy.
One of the most prominent undertones were the strict hair rules towards black boys. No twists,
braids, or any other styles. As an underclassman there was no fight, but as time went on, he
became more involved with the school. The only reason the protective styles were outlawed was
just due to racism. The school legislation overlooked this, and the protective styles on black
boys’ white people often associate the styles with poverty, violence, and what they see in
movies.
Julian: What did you do throughout the years to see change:
Michael: (continuing story) This led to an impromptu meeting with the president of the school,
and I talked to the president and gave a presentation about the protective hair styles. He
understood it was necessary and how they pushed for the hair rules to be changed after this
impactful conversation. Four months later, the hair rules got changed. It rubbed people the wrong
way and even put a target on my back, then the book transitions to the history of hair styles.
Then the book goes into interviews with hair industry professionals like Sherita Cherry: award
winning hair stylist and expert. They then go into their views on the hair care industry and
discuss their time in the industry. Then I interviewed my classmates and their experiences. No
matter what, they had a similar message but different stories with unique perspectives. This
allowed them to express their experience in high school and beyond.
Julian: Does the book tap into your personal experience?
Michael: I wanted to keep the book geared towards others so minimal content on personal
experience. Then it goes into the statistics of black women’s hair and the unique impact that has
on them especially from those outside the black community. Going to a PWI made the need for
white people to be informed on protective hairstyles and the different hairstyles in the black
community. Breakdown the negative connotations around the protective hairstyles and
breakdown the history of the protective hairstyles. The book then talks about cultural
appropriation.
Julian: What is the largest takeaway from your experience?
Michael: Really fulfilling but very difficult. Cannot imagine doing it outside of quarantine. The
benefit of being in quarantine and writing every day and hours and hours of work. 3-4 months of
writing every day. Writing a first book outside of quarantine would entail throwing away a lot of
life. Very fulfilling and very happy with the results. Many positive reviews from people I knew,
and I did not know. People changed their perspectives and wish they could have found this
knowledge. Glad to know I could change someone’s life for the better or make them smarter and
increase understanding. It was hard, but the reward was just as fulfilling. I do not even see
myself as an author, I just see myself as a guy although people associate me with writing books. I
wonder if other authors experience the same. People’s perspective of you changes once you write
a book.
Julian: What advice would you give to another youth author today?
Michael: Write about something you are passionate about. If you are not passionate, you will not
enjoy the book and it will not be completed. If you do not have anything passionate to write
about, then do not write the book and it will not communicate what you want it to. Grind. It will
be worth it and it opens a lot of doors especially saying you wrote a book. Especially if what you
wrote about matters. If you really want to do it, then do it. Knock it out. If you do not want to do
it, stay away. You will not get the benefits you think you will.
Julian: Thank you for your time and for sitting down with me today.