Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round: Connecting History and Activism for Young Readers

Author Kathlyn J. Kirkwood discusses how her life experiences and literacy initiatives combined to inspire her to write a middle-grade memoir in verse, "Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ’Round: My Story of the Making of Martin Luther King Day" (Versify/Harper Collins). Her deeply moving story focuses on how the civil rights movement touched her life as a young teen, and helped her become an "everyday activist" and foot soldier for racial/social justice. Kathlyn narrates how she was drawn to activism from attending protests as a teenager, and later to fighting for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday to become a national holiday as an adult. Moving beyond Kathlyn's personal experience, the book details the sustained time, passion, and energy it takes to turn an idea into a law.

 Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ’Round shows how history informs the present, and how librarians and teachers can move beyond dry "names and dates" and help kids see the past as a vibrant story that reverberates in our own time. The book is a natural complement to the literacy initiative Kathlyn founded with her husband, Alan Kirkwood, called Team Kirkwood Literacy Lab. They continue to develop innovative programs focused on disadvantaged school districts in the Nashville and Memphis area.

Kathlyn's writing and workshops offer a blueprint for "birthing activists" and inspiring kids to start down their own paths to civic, social, and environmental advocacy.