JJSE STUDENTS PUBLISH BOOK WITH KHALED HOSSEINI
June 6, 2011

Last Thursday evening at the Brava Theater in the Mission, over 50 JJSE students celebrated the publication of their new book Beyond Stolen Flames, Forbidden Fruit, and Telephone Booths, which is a collection of personal narratives about myth. The book is a a project of 826 Valencia, a local organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their writing skills, and to helping teachers get their students excited about the writing.

Joining the students was Khaled Hosseini, bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, who wrote the forward to Beyond. 826 Valencia described the scene at the Brava Theater:

Hosseini read from his foreword, sharing stories from his childhood and setting up the students’ work perfectly as he articulated the role of myth and how the stories we learn from our families and histories still matter in a technologically advanced world. Students applauded their partner author wildly, and then the student editorial board came to the stage, calling Hosseini “a modern-day hero who followed his dreams and showed us that we can do the same.”

Also on hand was JJSE English teacher Olive Mitra, who coordinated the project. 826 Valencia thanked Mr. Mitra for “motivating the students, helping to keep them on task during the grueling process, and inspiring and motivating them to be not only creative communicators but kind, thoughtful leaders in their school community and beyond.” The organization also honored him with their “Teacher of the Month” award.

Back in February, Mr. Mitra’s students spent time in conversation with Khaled Hosseini to get inspiration for their project. 826 Valencia described that session:

Hosseini shared his reflections on the process, the challenges, and the joys of writing in his own life. He provided encouraging and candid responses to all of the questions students posed, recounting a childhood spent in Afghanistan and filled with storytelling, his earliest memories of writing short stories, the challenges of immigrating to the United States as a teenager, and his devotion to writing even while practicing medicine.

From the moment he began answering questions, students were on the edges of their seats, connecting with this author who understood the toil of writing draft after draft, as they have been doing, and balancing a love of writing with all the pressures students face today. Mr. Mitra’s young authors sparked great anecdotes and pearls of wisdom from Hosseini with fantastic questions such as: “How do you handle writer’s block?” “Is it difficult to edit your own writing?” and “How have your parents responded to your career as a writer?”

Here is some video from the conversation:

We are very thankful for the many 826 Valencia volunteer tutors who supported the writing process, and we are incredibly proud of the young JJSE authors who took this opportunity so seriously and crafted a fabulous book.