Summon the Tiger: Minh Lê Blurs the Boundaries

The Reading Culture

"That barrier between what is “real” and what is not, when that's more fluid, I think it's that's where the fun of fiction comes in. Especially when you're writing for kids.” - Minh Lê

Life is full of barriers. Barriers between reality and the imagination, the spiritual and physical world, and perhaps most crucially, the ones we create for ourselves. When a barrier is a boundary, it can be a good thing. But in many cases, the barriers we create are holding us back. Minh Lê’s life was defined by many of these self-imposed barriers until well into his adult life. But slowly, through nudges from friends and family and a lot of self-reflection, Minh began to learn that the only thing in between him and his dream of being a picture book author, was himself.

Minh is a children's book author best known for "Drawn Together," winner of the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, as well as the Eisner-nominated "Lift" and "The Blur." He also authored the Green Lantern graphic novel series and contributed to numerous short story anthologies. Minh has a full-time day job and is also very active in the kidlit community, especially his work with We Need Diverse Books. He is intentional with his time and dedication and has made a deep impact on children’s literature.

In this episode, Minh discusses how he overcame his insecurities to achieve his dream of becoming a picture book author. He also recounts the transformative experience of writing the biography of the beloved Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, and shares an absolutely breathtaking story about their encounter. Minh shares his philosophy on why we should all blur the lines between the real and the imaginary.

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Minh expands on his stories about meditation on the podcast with his reading challenge, "Meditative Picture Books." With this curated list, Minh invites young readers and their grown-ups to embrace the present moment fully. Download the list at thereadingculturepod.com/minh-le

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This episode's Beanstack Featured Librarian is Erin Baker, media specialist at Durham Middle School in Georgia. She tells us her secret sauce for getting the whole school on board with reading initiatives and why it involves some unlikely allies.

Contents

Chapter 1 - The Vietnamese Mini Van (2:17)

Chapter 2 - As Few Words as Possible (6:38)

Chapter 3 - You Haven’t Even Tried (10:44)

Chapter 4 - Dreamtigers (12:19)

Chapter 5 - Lucid Dreaming (19:34)

Chapter 6 - Even Fewer Words (a silent retreat) (22:28)

Chapter 7 - Meditative Picture Books (35:19)

Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (37:15)

Chapter 9 (Bonus) - Baby Minh and Baby Dan (39:17)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• The Reading Culture Newsletter Signup
• Minh Le
• Minh Lê (@bottomshelfbks) • Instagram photos and videos
• Dreamtigers by Jorge Luis Borges | Goodreads
• Thich Nhat Hanh | Plum Village
• Durham Middle School
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
• Jordan Lloyd Bookey
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey