A Day with Christopher Meyers

February 2024

Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist, author and illustrator of children’s books, and playwright Christopher Meyers visited ISB and met with our Lower Schoolers in their morning assembly. He shared about his book, My Pen, which tells the truth about how pretty much everything starts with a pen and how a kid with a pen can make the wildest imaginings come to life. Christopher also talked about the two main components of a good story: a character, and a problem. Our students then came up with a bunch of ideas for interesting narratives including “a bunny in desperate need of ballet flats!” Christopher left our Lower Schoolers feeling empowered and confident that, pen in hand, they could write their own books, and — apropos of nothing! — he pointed out to them that “in the beginning of every book is the address of a publisher where you can send your work!”

Later in the day, Christopher met with our 8th Graders to talk about his interdisciplinary, multimedia artwork. He spoke about how he uses quilting, stained glass, and sculpture to tell stories that would otherwise go unheard while collaborating with artists and craftspeople from all across the globe. Christopher also talked about his work in publishing and how, for his imprint at Random House, he seeks out joyful stories with strong, diverse characters, always keeping in mind if a writer is telling a story that “I’d like my child and other kids I know to hear.”