The Children's Book Podcast · Matthew C. Winner

Writers are Listeners with Nikki Grimes

·33 min·3 clips

Nikki Grimes reveals that young people's brave actions, from banned book clubs to peaceful protests, are what give her hope today.

Quiet matters here. Matthew Winner brings Nikki Grimes into a warm conversation about A Cup of Quiet and the writer's habit of paying attention. Grimes says stories often start with what a writer hears: friends talking, strangers passing by, some stray worry that refuses to leave. The exchange has a funny edge, because both host and guest know how dangerous it can be to have a writer nearby with open ears. Then the story turns heavier. Grimes remembers two young mothers worrying that their seven-year-old daughters were talking about dieting and pinching their waists. That overheard moment sent her to Halfway to Perfect, part of the Diamond Daniel books, because the problem had reached children earlier than she expected. The episode keeps asking what a book can do once it reaches adults who work with children. Grimes sees story as a softer way in, something teachers, librarians, and parents can hold when a direct talk feels too hard. Matthew listens for that practical kindness. Near the end, he imagines coming back from fall break to a library full of children and asks what message to carry. The answer lands on children trusting their own stories and maybe seeing themselves as writers too. Warm, useful, and quietly serious.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Children's Book Podcast