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Reading Inspires is Reading Is Fundamental’s new podcast celebrating the power of books and the joy of reading. Each episode invites educators, librarians, families, authors, illustrators, and all who champion children’s literacy to explore one big question: What does reading inspire for you? Through engaging conversations and storytelling, Reading Inspires bridges the gap between research and real-world practice—showing what literacy looks and feels like in classrooms, libraries, and homes. Grounded in evidence yet open-ended in approach, this is a space for curiosity and connection. Whether you’re an educator seeking fresh ideas, a parent hoping to spark a love of reading, or simply a lifelong bookworm, you’ll find inspiration, practical insights, and stories that remind us all why reading matters—and how it changes lives.
Welcome to Reading Inspires by Reading Is Fundamental.
I'm your host, Dr. Erin Bailey.
This podcast celebrates the power of books and the joy of reading.
In each episode, we talk with educators, librarians, families, authors, and literacy champions to explore one big question: What does reading inspire for you?
Through stories, research, and real-world experiences from classrooms, libraries, and homes, we explore what literacy looks like and why it matters.
Whether you're nurturing young readers, shaping learning spaces, or simply love a good book, we're glad you're here.
Be sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.
Let's get inspired.
Erin Bailey: Welcome.
Today I am chatting with author Jenna Elise Johnson, who is the author of this book right here, Every Body Move.
Um, and we were introduced through Barefoot Books Publishers, which is a great friend of Reading is Fundamental.
So welcome, Jenna.
Thanks for joining.
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yeah, thank you for having me.
I'm so excited to be here
Erin Bailey: You wear many hats in your role.
I had mentioned that you're an author.
You're also an educator, a bookseller, an advocate.
Can you share a little bit about your background and what led you to become a children's author really specifically focused on disability representation?
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yes, yes.
So I went to school, went to college to become an elementary school teacher, and so that was like my first real job.
Um, and as an elementary school teacher, my favorite part of the day was the story time.
That just… I loved it.
It was like my students too.
And also as an elementary school student, uh, my favorite part of the day was always story time.
I just, I loved coming to the rug.
I loved being immersed in the story.
I just felt like every other part of the day, whatever worries I had just like melted away and I just, I felt like it was a treat.
And of course you're still learning.
There's still education that is happening whenever you're reading a story.
Um, but it just feels like such an escape and such like a wonderful time to be in that story.
And so, um, when I was in high school actually, like I had the idea in my mind, just like a, in the back of my head I was like, "I just really like picture books. I mean, someday, someday I will write a single picture book."
Like that's just a someday dream.
But it just sat in the back of my mind and, um, and I kept thinking about it as I was teaching, but it was still just a someday dream.
And you know, I grew up with a disability.
I grew up with, uh, cerebral palsy and, um, I also have epilepsy and just like a couple other things happening.
Um, and I grew up never actually seeing picture books featuring kids with disabilities as the main character.
And so as I was teaching, um, I never really saw those books either.
And then, I went on medical leave from teaching.
I wasn't able to be in the classroom full time anymore.
And so when I had that break from teaching I was like, "Oh, maybe that someday dream is today."
And so I, I joined SCBWI.
I took a class.
I am very like, if there's a class for something, that is great.
I love the structure.
Teach me how to do something and then like I will go from there.
and so I, I found the community in SCBWI and 12 by 12, and I just started writing.
And, um, what I really love about disability representation is, is letting kids see themselves on the page.
I… As, as a person with a disability I, I wanted to, uh, figure out like who I am as an author and I was like, "That's, that's the story I wanna write." That's where I wanted to start.
And, um, I'm also a bookseller, and I love that all my jobs just fit in really well together.
Like teacher, bookseller, author, they all revolve around books, which is…
And children's books specifically.
Um, so they just go hand in hand.
I don't feel overwhelmed in any one capacity and I feel like for my brain, just like switching from task to task, from job to job just works really well.
Erin Bailey: Yeah.
I love that idea of, of a someday dream.
It's something that you can always hold with you, and then you have- you just find that moment, right?
And it's like, uh, why not a now-day dream, dream, you know?
Um, it's so beautiful.
So, uh, I mean, we're meeting, it's July, it's Disability Pride Month.
Of course, you shared that you are very focused on disability representation in children's litters- literature, and Disability Pride Month is all about identity, visibility, and celebration.
So can you share a little bit about what is Disability Pride Month, and what is disability joy?
Like, why is it important to focus on the pride and the joy rather than the challenges?
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yes.
I think that's an excellent question because I think when a lot of people in the non-disabled community first think of disability, their first thought immediately just goes to like, oh, disability is tragedy.
Disability is something to be pitied.
Disability is sad.
And like, oh, disability is othered.
It's something that would never happen to me or, or it's just like something that happens to like old people, which I mean, honestly, most people will become disabled in their lifetime, um, just with age.
but disability is not inherently sad.
Um, and that's something… That's, that's disability pride to me.
Disability is human.
That is the main thing that I, I really think about with disability pride.
Disability is human.
It is normal.
It is not othered.
It is not different.
It is not something to be pitied.
the other, the other aspect that's at the other end of disability is, um, while a lot of people think of tragedy, a lot of people also think of disabled people, especially disabled children, as just like, oh, they're so sweet.
They smile all the time.
They're so happy.
They could never do anything wrong.
And it's like, no, no, no, like this child is still a child.
Like, they are a child with hopes and dreams and full ranges of emotions.
And, um, so I, I… when I think of disability pride, I think of just disability is… You can say disability.
You can say disabled.
It's not a dirty word.
You don't need to say like handicapable or like just remove like any other sort of word, you know?
and to me, like disability joy and disability pride is just showing the whole person, showing the range of joy.
Like yes, let's celebrate the whole person, the disability, but let's also show some of the struggle too.
It's not just, just all joy, all like everything is rainbows and butterflies, but it's also not just like everything is so hard all the time and life is terrible.
It's, it's just human.
It's just showing that like, hey, this exists too.
This is normal.
It's not something to be afraid of.
It's just normal.
Let's normalize it by having books about it and letting it be part of your everyday.
Erin Bailey: Yeah.
I- it's really just looking at everyone's full humanity, right?
Like, just seeing as people, people as humans regardless of w- like, what their abilities or disabilities.
I, I appreciate so much the way you just said that everyone becomes disabled at some point, or everyone faces a disability at some point.
It l- you know, whether it happens to them through their old age or, you know, y- they have an accident or they're, you know, they're wearing a ca- Like, I've broken both of my wrists, so at one point I had two ca- two casts on, you know?
So it's like, something that can be a little bit of a universal experience t- to some degree too.
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Exactly.
The disability community is actually the largest minority community.
E- people just don't tend to think of it in that way, but it is, and it just encompasses every type of person.
Like, it doesn't, it, the disability community does not discriminate based on age, based on gender, based on, like, ethnicity.
It's, it comprises every single type of person
Erin Bailey: Such a good point.
Like, disability impacts everyone.
And I think another thing is, like, family and caregivers too.
So I've shared this on this podcast before.
I- my journey started out in special education.
I studied special education as an undergrad student, and while I was in undergrad, I also worked, um, part-time as a respite care provider, um, for families that had children and young adults with disabilities.
So I would go into their, homes and help them out.
And I think for me, doing that work, another part of disability pride for me is the joy that it brings to the caretakers.
I know when I was doing that work, I felt an immense sense of purpose in my life, and it wasn't always easy.
Like, it … Like, to your point, like, not everyone was always smiling.
There were some very challenging moments, but I am a full believer that you can find a sense of purpose and joy in even those, like, very challenging moments
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yes, absolutely.
I think caregivers work so hard, and often without reward too.
Like, I think they're often overlooked, but there is such a sense of purpose in that, in that work as well, so I think that's
Erin Bailey: Yeah, and I think that's where, like, your idea of disability community comes in.
It's like people who have disabilities as well as their caretakers, that's who builds this community
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yes, absolutely
Erin Bailey: Um, so your book, I'll hold it up again, Everybody Moves.
This one is specifically about mobility, mobility tools, movement, and access.
Um, and it's also, there's a song that goes with it.
It's very joyf- joyful in nature.
Um, for you, why was it important to create a story that centers children with disabilities in, like, very active, playful, um, ways that showed all their possibilities?
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yeah, this story was born out of, like, a very personal, place, I guess, for me.
Like, I grew up… Like I said, I grew up with, uh, cerebral palsy, and that diagnosis, I feel like, is a very Almost umbrella term
or just umbrella diagnosis because a person with CP just ranges so much, um, in their own mobility, and, and how much it affects them.
And for me, um, now, like it's, it's so mild I don't actually use any mobility aids anymore.
But as a child, I did.
I, I used leg braces, I used a walker at one point.
I wore, like, hand splints and arm brace.
Just all these different tools to try and gain as much, uh, independence and being able to walk and move as much as possible.
And, um, as a child, I was not thrilled with those mobility aids.
I was not thrilled with going to physical therapy or occupational therapy.
Um, I was not very smiley.
Um, I was known for my scream when we walked into physical therapy.
So I, I had a lot of anger as a child, and I just really hated my mobility aids and wanted to hide them away from the world.
And then as I got older, my perspective shifted.
And, um, I, I view mobility tools now as, as freedom.
And, and I think a lot of people in the non-disabled community will look at a wheelchair specifically, um, and think like, "Oh, a wheelchair,
like that's so sad." Or, like, there's a term I hear a lot in the non-disabled community like, "Oh, that person is wheelchair-bound.
Like, that's so sad." But that phrase is so, like, limiting A wheelchair is not like, um, a prison, right?
You're not bound to it.
It's, it's freedom.
It allows someone, um, to move so much easier where, like, a lot of people who, who use wheelchairs, are called ambulatory wheelchair users.
They don't, they're not necessarily always in their wheelchair, um, or they are able to walk a little bit.
But when they use their wheelchair, they are conserving their energy and they're able to do a lot more when they're using their wheelchair.
So it's very freeing.
And so when I wrote Everybody Move, I wanted to show, show like how, how freeing these tools are and how, like, happy, um, kids are, and how they're able to move, um, maybe in different ways than non-disabled kids are but just how powerful these tools are.
And just like Ananya, um, the illustrator of the book, how, um, she, how she decorated them in the book, how she made each tool just very
fun and bright and, like, decorative, that was something I really wanted for the book, and I think she just did such an excellent job.
'Cause k- kids today, like some of their, like their leg braces, you can get them in all sorts of patterns.
Like, that's so beautiful, and you can show off your personality in all sorts of different ways.
So I just, I really wanted to reframe the narrative.
Like no, this is not sad.
It is not sad to see a child walking around with a leg brace.
Like, they are moving in their own way, and I love that it's a song too.
Like, and for the, for kids that don't know what, uh, what mobility tools are, like this book is a great way to introduce mobility tools to them, and they can learn about it, and it's not like an uncomfortable situation now if they see a kid in public.
They don't have to like quietly look at them and stare or point.
You know, they can be like, "Oh, I know what that is," and maybe have a conversation or make a friend and not have like an awkward encounter
Erin Bailey: Yeah, I, I appreciate that too.
It's like a way to engage children in conversations and prepare them for things they might see out in their community, but also, like, to, to your point, to decrease the stigma of things.
Like, if you're out with your child, I'm thinking of, of families right now, like, and they point to someone with a wheelchair and ask, like, "What is that?"
You should feel comfortable to have a conversation, uh, with them.
It shouldn't be a like, "Oh, shh, don't talk about that." Um, you know, and I, I feel like h- meeting people like you gives pe- you know,
gives people more comfort to be able to have those conversations and not have it be something that you're, like, supposed to ignore.
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Right?
Yeah, d- it's not, it's not shameful.
It's not a secret.
Like, it shouldn't be.
And, um, my, my boss at the bookstore, um, she has a little niece that's in, I think, preschool, maybe kindergarten, like young, young elementary school, and she told me that, um, in her class, like they got a new student who uses a wheelchair,
and she's like, her little niece said something like, started saying something about the wheelchair, like asking, asking some sort of question that was like very like, what you would think was inappropriate or just like, "What's that?"
Or just very like, just saying something.
Like, kids just say whatever's in their head.
And so she was like, "Ooh, do I have a book for you." And so she bought copies of Everybody Move for the, for the classroom and for the family, and I was like, "That's perfect.
That's exactly like, what this book is for."
Erin Bailey: Yeah.
I will be sharing this one, um, with my community for sure.
so another thing that you said that resonated a lot with me was, like, when you were growing up, you did-- you saw characters with disabilities in books, but they weren't the main character.
And so I think our conversation has shifted from, like, just pure representation to, like, representation that is authentic and goes beyond just, like, simply being present.
So from your experiences, uh, you, you work in a bookstore, so you've seen a lot of books.
What are common mistakes that people make, um, when h- with how disability is portrayed in children's literature?
And l- what, what does a meaningful representation look like for children?
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yes.
I think a common mistake I see is just having the token disabled kid in the background, and, and the publisher or the author, whoever, thinking like, "Oh, look, I did
it. I have, I have disabled rep in my book." And it's like, well, I guess there's a kid in a wheelchair on this page, but, like, what ser- what purpose are they serving?
Like, and often, I will say the child… It's, it's almost always a wheelchair.
And, um, and it's often a child in a wheelchair in a, um, in a hospital wheelchair, and not in a, a wheelchair that an actual wheelchair user would use.
Um, and by hospital wheelchair, I mean it's like it's too big for them, um, and it has those big clunky armrests and big handles and, like, big footrests, and that's just, that's not comfortable.
Like, hospital wheelchairs are fine in the hospital.
Like, it provides you transportation.
But that's not something you would comfortably use out in the real world.
yeah.
Like, on… There's two spreads in this book, like, dedicated to, to different types of wheelchairs, um, 'cause there's all sorts of different wheelchairs.
and, um, another, um, mistake I see often is, um- Euphemisms, um, for the word disabled.
Like, books are just really afraid to… people in general are afraid to say the word disabled or disability, and so they're just like, they'll use words like handy capable or, like, um, there's so many of them.
But just, just talking around the disability instead of just facing it head-on.
Like, it's just like we'll whisper disabled.
And it's like I- I can't speak for the entire disability community because I am one person, but to the majority of people that I have spoken with, we, we generally prefer just, like, just say disabled.
Like, we're not afraid of the word.
You don't need to be afraid of it.
Um, and then the other mistake I often see is, um, not challenging ableism within a book, and that's more for like, you know, middle grade, um, and YA.
Of course, you can have ableism in, in your book, like, especially if it's from a, a first-person point of view 'cause, we all… Like, I have in m- even if you're disabled, it doesn't mean you don't have ableism.
? You're just gonna have thoughts.
But, um, in a book where it's, you're having your own thoughts that are like, let's say you're having, as a disabled character, you're having a bad day where you're just, like, really not enjoying,
um, having your disability, and you're just thinking these bad thoughts about yoursa- yourself, or there's another character that is, like, perhaps making fun of a disabled character, and that's…
'Cause that, that happens in real life, right?
Um, and that's part of the plot line of your story, and that happens.
That's fine to have that as part of your plot line, but it needs to be challenged, and it needs to, like, have something saying, like, why this is wrong, um, why this is not okay.
And sometimes I see it in books, and it's, it's never challenged.
It's never really addressed that this was a problem, and that's not okay.
Like, it needs to be brought up.
Um, the reader needs to come away with something of, like, why this was an issue.
Otherwise, it's just adding to the narrative of, ableism, and we don't… That's exactly what we don't want.
Erin Bailey: Yeah.
I think especially for older grades, I can see it as like rather, you know, let's go back to the scenario that you just shared where a child was making fun of another child for their disability.
Like, rather than just reprimanding that child or that child gets in trouble or gets a consequence, like really looking at the whole system kind of, of like what
created ableism to make the playing field so hierarchical that that character felt that it was okay to tease or make fun of the other character for having a disability
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yes.
Like really dive deep into that and go, like, go into it.
Like, that's, that's why we have books.
Like, that's, that's why it can exist, right?
Erin Bailey: Yeah.
I was, I've shared this on another episode, but I worked at a, a middle school that was, like, very, um, it was arts and project-based and very social justice
oriented, and I can see this being a topic that, like, the middle schoolers would love to discuss and debate and, you know, engage with through lit- literature.
So I'm glad that there are authors out there who make that possible
Jenna Elyse Johnson: That school sounds amazing
Erin Bailey: Yeah, it was.
It, it's still there.
I just no longer work there and it's still incredible.
so you also have an upcoming book, um, I Spark Light, uh, excuse me, I Spark Like Lightning . Tried to say light
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yeah.
Erin Bailey: Spark Like Lightning, um, which gives the readers an inside look at living with epilepsy through a child's perspective.
Why was it important for you to write from your own lived experiences, and what do you hope that children both with and without disabilities take away from this story?
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yeah, so that book actually recently just came out in April.
And, um, that book I think is so important.
It's part of a series from, from Free Spirit Publishing where, um, it's called the Disability Books for Kids series, and each book is written by an author with lived experience of the disability.
And so I think it's so important that each book, like, like my book, I have epilepsy, so I writ- I wrote it, and, I think that because I have epilepsy and I wrote it, that- Kids with epilepsy will see, will see themselves reflected on the page.
And it takes kids, like, through, through the, a day in the life of a girl, of a young girl, um, with epilepsy, like, of an eight-year-old girl.
And it just explains in very child-friendly language, like, this is what a seizure is.
This is what it feels like before I have a seizure, and this is what it feels like after I have a seizure.
And I hope that kids with epilepsy take away, like, this is, this is me.
Like, even if, even if this isn't exactly what their seizures look like, because seizures look so different across, across different people.
But I hope that they take away that, they don't have to be afraid to tell people that they have seizures.
They don't have to feel shameful about it, because I feel like epilepsy is so stigmatized.
I mean, I was afraid to tell people for so long that I had epilepsy.
and I hope that they, they can share, share it at school, share it with their friends, and be like, "This is, this book is about me. This is so cool."
And then I hope that people that don't have epilepsy, um, that don't have a disability, can take away, um, that epilepsy is not scary.
It's actually more common than people realize, especially in children.
A lot of children have epilepsy.
A lot of children actually outgrow epilepsy once they hit puberty, which is very interesting.
and I hope that, um, they just learn it's normal, and that they can learn… I think once they have the information, kids are sponges.
Kids love to learn things.
And I think once they have information about something, it becomes normal.
The, the f- the scariness, the frightening of it just goes away once they have information.
And they can take away, um, possibly even learning seizure first aid.
Um, it's actually very simple.
It's not that hard.
And, um, there's also some information in the book about service dogs, which is just super fun, and I feel like a great inlet into the book.
Um, but I think the important part is that it is authentically written, and so you just know that, um, there's no, like, ulterior motive to the book, right?
It's just, like, very, like, "Hey, this is, this is written for a purpose. This is written by someone who knows what they're talking about." And I
think whenever you see a book, um, with disability rep, and it's written by someone with the disability, it's just, you can automatically trust it.
And I think that's, that's super important.
Erin Bailey: I think that goes back to what we were saying about authentic representation as well, like having someone with the lived experience.
And it, it's, it's good for everyone, right?
Like, it's good for children without disabilities because they can, in that book, live life.
You know, they can adopt that perspective through living, um, through that character's perspective and building empathy.
And then for children, like with epilepsy, they can either see themselves like, "Yes, this is my experience," or I feel like even if the way the book's written is different than their own lived experience, that's good too, right?
Because that just sh- goes back to the authenticity of like not everybody's lived experience with epilepsy is going to be exactly the same
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Right.
Yeah.
I mean, there's, there's over, like, 30 different kinds of seizures.
So I feel like everyone with epilepsy will have a different experience.
Um, and, like, I actually, I don't know that many people in, in real life that have epilepsy.
I know a lot of people online that have epilepsy.
And so I love when I get to meet people that have epilepsy or if, like, I'm doing a book signing, um, and they'll come, "Wait, this book's about epilepsy?
I have epilepsy." I'm like, "That's so cool." And then, like, just get to talk about it, and it's, it's very fun.
And, so I hope kids, like, get to see that and have that same thought, "This is so cool. This is so fun," right?
Yeah.
Erin Bailey: I think so too.
Um, so for families, educators, and librarians listening to us today, again, it's Disability Pride Month, um, what advice would you give them for building their bookshelves in
their classrooms and at home that move beyond just token representation as you described to, like, truly embrace disability joy, um, as part of their, year-round collection?
Not, you know, not just this month, but every month
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yeah, I think, um, when they're building their collection, I think first look at who's writing the book.
Like, look for, for authentic representation as much as possible.
If, if the author… Like, first I would say if the author has a disability.
That's my number one recommendation.
then there are some authors I know, like, their child has a disability and, um, I think those can be really good too.
I think you just- I would just really check, like, who the publisher is on that.
Um, and just… I think you can tell from reading the book, like, if it's, if it's good or if it's not.
authentic is the biggest way to go.
If, if the author… If you can't tell, um, from the author's bio, um, or from their website if they have any connection to the disability at all, then I would question the book.
And I would, like, just ask yourself, wh- like, what is the purpose behind this book?
Why do you think the author wrote this book?
What is the message behind this book?
And, um, those are just good questions to keep in mind.
And, um, when it comes to disability rep and disability joy in picture books, I think there's really two types of books.
There's, um, what, like, what I call, I guess, disability books, which is what I Spark Like Lightning is.
So it really, like, introduces a child to the disability and, and how someone experiences it, and, like, the basics of it, um, which I think serves a very important purpose.
And then there's, um, incidental rep, um, incidental disability rep, where, um, a child, uh, with a disability is the main character of a
story, but the story itself, uh, does not necessarily, um, talk about their disability or is not necessarily about their disability in any way.
The child is just, is the main character and is doing whatever adventure they're doing.
But it's still important that their disability is authentically and correctly represented.
Uh, one example I can think of right off the top of my hand is, um, A Little Like Magic by Sarah… I'm gonna mess up her last name.
Sarah Kirbiyl?
I'm so sorry if I said that wrong.
Um, but her p- her picture book takes place in the winter, and the child is going to an ice festival, like an ice carving festival, and the main character is a wheelchair user.
And, um, so is, so is Sarah.
And, um, she's the author-illustrator, so she did the whole book.
And the way the main character is, is represented throughout the whole book is very accurate, and, like, going into an accessible van and, like, all… The whole thing is extremely accurate.
But it's never, like, really talked about.
Like, there's no why, why is this chair- child in a wheelchair?
Like, what does it mean to be in a wheelchair?
It's just, nope, this child is just really focused on the ice carvings and the magic of, like, the ice festival.
And so I think both types of representation should be in your classroom or, like, school collection.
And then, um, I think it's important to remember that disability is a part of diversity.
Um, so when you're doing, like, your diversity collection, I think it's often forgotten.
I think we often talk about diversity of skin tone and, like, diversity of gender and diversity of, like, family makeup.
Um, but when you're doing… If you start, like, the school year with, um, a diversity lesson or a diversity like books, um, disability is important to put in there too
Erin Bailey: Yeah, and I think you made the, a great point earlier.
Like, disability impacts every other… Like, different structures of families have disab- people with disabilities within their structure.
Like, different races and ethnicities have disabilities.
Like, it, it's diversity and it fits among other diverse identity and affinity groups, right?
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yes
Erin Bailey: But yeah, that was a very helpful distinction, by the way.
So like, we have ca- we want both categories.
We have category one that is more infor- even if it's a narrative style book, it's more information about the disability so that you're learning about the disability through the book.
And then two, where, like, the disability is accurately represented, although it may not be a major, you know, plot line in the book.
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Yes.
Erin Bailey: that right?
Jenna Elyse Johnson: You did, yeah.
And, like, my goal as an author is, is to write both types of books.
so we'll see.
Like, I hope to, like, continue to write forever and get, like, book deals forever.
And so I do write both, and I hope to continue.
Like, I have a chapter book series that comes out later, and, um, it's more like the second type of book, um, because it's a chapter book series, but that has epilepsy rep
Erin Bailey: Amazing.
Well, I- you'll have to let me know when that comes out.
Um, and I will be sure to link all of your books below as well as, um, the other book that you mentioned, Little Like Magic.
I'm sure our listeners would like to check that out too.
And I always end by asking this question, what does reading inspire for you?
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Ooh, yeah.
Reading, reading inspires, I think, just possibility to me.
When you open a book, there's, there's just so much.
You open into another world.
Or, I mean, if it's fiction, yeah, you just travel into another world.
If it's nonfiction, you're just, you're learning so much.
Or even if it's fiction, one of my favorite quotes is, um, reading fiction is learning through imagination, and, uh, reading nonfiction is, is reading through, or is learning through…
I'm butchering this quote, but it's like learning through imagination and then learning through information.
which I really love because, I think when I was in elementary school, someone had told me, like, "Oh, yeah, well, fiction is fake." And it's like, well, I mean, nonfiction is true, right?
But fiction is still learning through imagination.
It's not like, it's not fake.
It's imagination.
And so reading for me, is a break from, from whatever trouble's happening in our world today, and it's just a possibility of, of so much.
And so I, I feel like I'm always reading two or three books at once, and part of that is, um, inspired by working at the bookstore where we- we're always tr- tracking what we're reading, and I'm competitive with my coworkers.
Um, I am losing, by the way.
They read so much more than I do.
But they, they inspire me to keep reading.
but reading, reading is possibility to me.
It inspires possibility.
Erin Bailey: Reading is possibility, and I am definitely going to use that.
Fiction is not fake, it's learning through imagination.
That's beautiful.
Thank you, Jenna.
It was so wonderful to have you
Jenna Elyse Johnson: Thank you for having me.
This has been so fun
Erin Bailey: If this conversation resonated with you, please pass it on to somebody that you love and would love to share this with, and happy Disability Pride Month, everyone.
Thank you.