Recently, street lit author, K'wan, conducted a workshop for educators and youth organizers entitled, Traditional Fiction vs. Urban: Our World vs. Theirs. The workshop was part of the "It's All About M.E.E (Media, Expression, and Education) Festival, an initiative of The Hip-Hop Association and Urban Word NYC.

St. Martin's Press, K'wan's publisher, created a short video of the workshop.

The purpose of K'wan's workshop was to explore and understand urban fiction and how it relates to today's social issues. While I have mixed feelings on the genre, one of my concerns, especially since so many of our young people our devouring the books, is whether or not they can extract the message that some of the books contain underneath all the sex, drugs, and violence. K'wan thinks so, but he believes that this shouldn't happen in their teenage bubble. Adults, including educators and parents, can step up and encourage discussion and critical thought.During the workshop, he decided to put the lesson plan that he prepared aside, and spent a majority of the time telling his own story. He's been to jail, been shot at, sold drugs, and was on the brink of losing it, when he began writing. "Writing changed my life," he said. As a person who believes in the power of writing, I was pleased to hear him say that.

K'wan admitted that because street lit is becoming such a hot genre for major publishers, some of the street lit authors are just doing it for a love of money, not a love of community or storytelling. As a result, he believes this is why some of the books lack any sort of moral center.

What I really appreciate about K'wan is the fact that he's reaching out to the community. And beyond just pushing books. He's actually talking with educators and community organizers to discuss ways to encourage and nurture our young people. That's big. That's what we need. I walked away from the workshop with a tremendous amount of respect for him.

So I spent that weekend reading Hood Rat, his newest book. It follows the lives of four young women who are confused, promiscuous, and selfish. They engage in self-destructive behavior. There's a lot of sexin', cursin', shootin', and druggin'. But I can say that K'wan doesn't just present their reality for the sake of doing it, he also provides a context for their lives and tries to make you understand, why they are the way they are. And there are a few lessons packaged in the book as K'wan raises issues and consequences revolving around drugs, violence, self-esteem, incarceration and teen pregnancy. While all street books aren't created equal, I've come to the understanding that some street lit can be used as stepping stones for critical discussion and exploration of other literature. And adults including teachers, youth organizers and parents, should take up the charge to help facilitate these discussions.

Watch K'wan here.

MTW extras:

Tracy Brown, the author of White Lines, also believes her books can be used as cautionary tales.