Copyright © 2026 VPM, all rights reserved.
PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
VPM News Morning Edition
NEXT UP: 9:00 AM

Thanks to our sponsors – Become a Sponsor

Kids will always be resilient. Jason Reynolds writes stories to reflect that

Kids will always be resilient. Jason Reynolds writes stories to reflect that
James J. Reddington

Part 3 of TED Radio Hour episode “Are the kids alright? Part 1

Author Jason Reynolds says despite all the distractions today, kids are—and will always be—alright. It’s the adults who need to find ways to listen and engage with them.

About Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds is a best-selling author and a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He became a MacArthur fellow in 2024.

Reynolds writes novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audiences, including Ghost, All American Boys, Long Way Down, For Everyone and Miles Morales: Spider-Man. He has received numerous awards for his work, including a Printz Honor, a Newbery Honor, a Walter Dean Myers Awards, an Edgar Award, and a Carnegie Medal. In 2024, he was named a MacArthur Fellow.

This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by Matthew Cloutier, Rachel Faukner White and Fiona Geiran and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHourand email us at [email protected].

Related NPR Links

Wild Care: Jason Reynolds loves being a “crybaby”

All Things Considered: Jason Reynolds talks about the realities of caregiving for his aging mom

Weekend Edition: Author Jason Reynolds on his latest young adult novel and winning a MacArthur grant

Copyright 2025 NPR

Tags

Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.

Zomorodi is a co-founder of Stable Genius Productions and is the co-host and co-creator of ZigZag, the business podcast about being human. She also created, hosted, and was managing editor of the podcast Note to Self in partnership with WNYC Studios, which was named Best Tech Podcast of 2017 by The Academy of Podcasters.

Prior to her time at WNYC, Zomorodi reported and produced around the world for BBC News and Thomson Reuters, including a few years in Berlin.

She was named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business for 2018 and has received numerous awards for her work, including The Gracie for Best Radio Host in 2014 and 2018. Her book "Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Creative Self" (2017, St. Martin's Press) and her TED Talk are guides to surviving information overload and the "Attention Economy."

Zomorodi received a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in English and fine arts. She is half-Persian and half-Swiss but was born in New York City, where she lives with her family.

Related Stories