Greyt Big Talk w/ Justin Reynolds
Greyt Big Talk is a multi-disciplinary creative lecture & podcast series for inspiring the next generation of artists and entrepreneurs.
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Justin Reynolds
Author, screenwriter and co-founder of CLE Reads
Justin A. Reynolds is an author, screenwriter and creator who always wanted to be a writer. His debut young adult novel, Opposite of Always (2019), was an Indies Introduce Top Ten Debut, a School Library Journal Best Book of 2019 and a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best book. It has been translated into 19 languages, adapted into a popular Webtoon and is in development as a film with Paramount Players. His second YA novel, Early Departures, was a Kirkus Reviews Best of 2020 and a Junior Library Guild Selection.
He also writes for Marvel: his graphic novel debut, Miles Morales: Shock Waves, was an ABA Indie Bestseller, followed by Miles Morales: Stranger Tides and stories in Around the Spider-Verse (2025). With former NBA All-Star Caron Butler he writes the middle-grade Shot Clock series, which continued with Clutch Time. His short story "Our Dill" appears in the #1 New York Times bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy, he edited and contributed to the 2023 collection House Party, and his newer books include Running in Flip-Flops From the End of the World (2024).
Justin is a co-founder of the CLE Reads Book Festival, a Cleveland festival for middle-grade and young adult writers, and spoke at Greyt Big Talk in December 2022 at the Cleveland Public Library's Hough Branch.
Playlist
Location
Cleveland Public Library Hough Branch
6530 Lexington Ave., Cleveland, OH, 44103
Cleveland Public Library's Hough Branch serves the Hough and Midtown neighborhoods from a new campus that opened in 2022, designed by Moody Nolan, a majority Black-owned Ohio architecture firm. The design draws on the Sankofa bird, an African symbol that looks back while moving forward, to honor the neighborhood's history and its hopes. Inside, a flexible plan includes a large room with a garage door that opens for big events and a light-filled conference room. The branch traces back to 1907, when the first Hough library opened. In December 2022 it hosted Greyt Big Talk with Justin A. Reynolds, author of Opposite of Always and co-founder of Cleveland's CLE Reads Book Festival.
About this event
GREYT BIG TALK is a multi-disciplinary creative lecture & podcast series for inspiring the next generation of artists and entrepreneurs. Live Audience Podcast Recordings Feature: • local culinary artisan breakfast and coffee, • live music performances • original art by local designers • startup pitches for anything our community is making • a short talk from a successful creative person • all filmed to share with our community online. Become a Member to sign up now for free, or wait for FOMO Registration to open Monday, December 12th at 9 am
(interested in a feature, artisan maker space, company recruiting tabletop space, or other placement within the program? email us at omg@thatsgreyt.com) Since our founding in January of 2015, we’ve hosted nearly 10,000 attendees in pop-up locations all over the city of Cleveland.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
justin a. reynolds always wanted to be a writer. Opposite of Always, his debut YA novel, was an Indies Introduce Top Ten Debut, a School Library Journal Best Book of 2019, a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of 2019, and has been translated into 19 languages. It is currently being developed for film by Paramount Players and was recently adapted into a popular Webtoon with 1.2 million reads and counting. His second YA novel, Early Departures, was a Kirkus Reviews Best of 2020, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and hailed by Booklist as a "virtuoso performance". His Marvel graphic novel debut featuring Brooklyn’s Spider-Man, Miles Morales: Shock Waves, was an ABA Indie Bestseller. justin's first short story Our Dill was published in the #1 New York Times Bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy. In the fall of 2022, justin teamed up with former NBA All-Star and current Miami Heat assistant coach Caron Butler to release Shot Clock, the first title in a highly-anticipated middle-grade series. justin is also the editor and contributor of the forthcoming Penguin Random House title House Party, a novel of diverse, interconnected stories, co-written with 9 bestselling authors, including National Book Award finalist Christina Hammonds Reed and Newbery Award Winner Jerry Craft. justin is also the co-founder of the CLE Reads Book Festival, a Cleveland Book Festival for middle-grade and young adult writers.