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AFT Book Club: A Conversation with Jason Reynolds
webinar
October 4, 2026 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT

AFT Book Club: A Conversation with Jason Reynolds

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AFT Book Club: A Conversation with Jason Reynolds

Date

October 4, 2026 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT

Location

Online

Cost

Free

Credit

Attributes

Good for Parents
Subject Professional Learning
Grade Level Grade 12, Professional Development, Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel, Specialized Instructional Support Personnel

About This Webinar

Stories have the power to connect generations, strengthen communities and help us better understand ourselves—and one another.

Join AFT President Randi Weingarten for a special AFT Book Club conversation with bestselling author Jason Reynolds and StoryCorps founder and president Dave Isay as they reunite for their third annual discussion on the enduring power of storytelling.

This year's conversation celebrates StoryCorps' newest book—featuring a foreword by Jason Reynolds—which highlights the diverse voices and everyday stories that make up America. Together, Weingarten, Reynolds and Isay will explore

  • Why preserving family and community stories matters; 
  • How listening builds empathy and belonging; and 
  • What educators can do to help students discover the power of their own voices.

The discussion will also spotlight The Great Thanksgiving Listen, StoryCorps' nationwide initiative that invites middle school, high school and higher education students to interview a family member, mentor or someone they admire, preserving those conversations as part of the StoryCorps Archive at the Library of Congress. Since its launch, hundreds of thousands of participants have helped create a living oral history of our nation, while developing listening, interviewing and communication skills. 

Drawing on Reynolds' continued call for young people to embrace curiosity, imagination and authentic storytelling, and Isay's lifelong mission to preserve the voices of everyday Americans, this conversation will explore how stories help students understand history, strengthen civic learning and recognize that every voice has value.

As part of AFT, the Albert Shanker Institute and Share My Lesson's America250 initiative, educators will leave with practical ideas for bringing storytelling into classrooms across subjects while helping students make meaningful connections between their own lives, their families and the broader American story.

Bonus! Everyone who registers will be entered for a chance to receive a copy of the new StoryCorps book, releasing this November and featuring a foreword by Jason Reynolds.

Join us for an inspiring evening celebrating listening, learning and the stories that connect us across generations.

Learn more about the AFT Book Club. Register for all sessions here.

Missed an AFT Book Club with a favorite author? Access all webinars for free: https://gateway.on24.com/wcc/eh/931978/aft-book-club-series

Speakers

Jason Reynolds black and white headshotJason Reynolds, Author

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of many award-winning books, including Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely), Long Way Down, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (with Ibram X. Kendi), Stuntboy, in the Meantime (illustrated by Raúl the Third), and Ain’t Burned All the Bright (with artwork by Jason Griffin). The recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, an NAACP Image Award, and multiple Coretta Scott King honors, Reynolds is also the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Late Night with Seth Meyers, CBS Sunday Morning, Good Morning America, and various media outlets. He is on faculty at Lesley University, for the Writing for Young People MFA Program and lives in Washington, DC. 

Dave Isay Dave Isay, Founder & President, StoryCorps

Dave Isay (I-SAY) is the Founder and President of StoryCorps, a New York Times bestselling author, the recipient of numerous Peabody Awards, and a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow. His life's work taps into the heart and soul of the human experience. In 2003, Dave founded StoryCorps, an independent nonprofit organization based in Brooklyn, New York, that has brought nearly 700,000 Americans together—two at a time—to record intimate conversations about their lives, create human connection, pass wisdom from one generation to the next, and leave a legacy for the future. Each conversation is preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress—the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered. Millions of listeners hear StoryCorps’ weekly broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition and select stories are also shared through StoryCorps’ podcast, animated shorts, digital platforms, and books. In 2015, Dave was recognized with the $1 million TED prize, awarded annually to one exceptional individual with a creative, bold vision to spark global change. Dave is currently leading StoryCorps’ work to help decrease political divisions in the United States through its latest effort, One Small Step, which was expanded nationally in July 2024. 

Profile picture for user Randi Weingarten
President, AFT

RANDI WEINGARTEN is president of the 1.8 million-member AFT, AFL-CIO, which represents teachers; paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; higher education faculty and staff; nurses and other healthcare professionals; local, state and federal government employees; and early childhood educators. The AFT champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for students, their families and communities. The AFT and its members advance these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through members’ work.

Professional Credit

Share My Lesson webinars are available for one-hour of PD credit. A certificate of completion will be available for download at the end of your session that you can submit for your school's or district's approval.

In addition, Share My Lesson has arrangements in place as follows:

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