In each episode of our podcast “Life in Seven Songs (opens in new tab),” we ask some of the world’s most fascinating people: What songs tell the story of your life?

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and 2024 MacArthur Fellow who writes books for young people – but he didn’t finish reading a book until he was 17. Instead, Jason found his literary voice in the rap lyrics printed in cassette tape liner notes, especially a Queen Latifah album that showed him how to “bend and manipulate language.”

“I didn’t read much at all as a kid because I didn’t feel connected or drawn to any of the stories,” says Reynolds. “ I turned to the music. You know, Latifah and all the rappers of my time, I would read those lyrics and that’s where I found myself.”

What song shaped your life? We’d like to know. Record a short voice memo telling us about one song that matters deeply to you—and why. We may feature your voice in an upcoming episode of the podcast. Email us at: [email protected]

In this episode of Life in Seven Songs, Reynolds traces his journey from a kid disconnected from his assigned reading in school to becoming one of the most influential voices in young adult literature. He opens up about his fraught relationship with his father, spinning Bob Marley records by hand on a broken turntable, and why he doesn’t want to be a parent despite having “dedicated [his] life to kids.”

Here’s his playlist (opens in new tab), and you can find the transcript of this episode here (opens in new tab).