How to get boys to read: Light a spark

I’m writing from the 51st Annual Literacy Conference.

The event is hosted by the Arkansas Literacy Association. I came last year too, but this year’s conference was extra special.

This year I got to be on a panel alongside Arkansas authors Trenton Lee Stewart, Roland Smith, Darcy Pattison and Maria Hoskins. The panel was hosted by the always lively Craig O’Neill. For introductions, Craig read each author’s bio “pro-wrestling” style, moving his way through a laundry list that included multiple New York Times bestsellers, award winners and too many foreign translations to count.

Once the panel was over, I hurried off to give a breakout session. My talk was supposed to be about how to “hook male readers.” The theme of the entire conference was “Constructing lifelong readers and writers,” but somehow, I got stuck with the boys.

In case you aren’t aware, boys — males in general — are falling further and further behind the opposite sex when it comes to reading. I know this from my time spent in the classroom and my experience as a novelist. I can’t tell you how many industry conversations I’ve had about “appealing to the female readership.” Why?

Because women read more than men, especially when it comes to fiction.

So, there I stood in a room packed full of mostly female teachers, each one wanting to know how to get their boy students to read. I took the politician’s approach and turned the question around, asking them when they first noticed the drop-off. At what age did boys stop reading? Fourth grade.

Fourth grade! That’s 9 or 10 years old, folks!

For the next hour, I sat back and listened as these teachers talked. I was moved by their stories, all the different techniques they’d employed, trying to get young men to read. Sadly, they weren’t having much luck, which was the reason I was there.

With cellphones and tablets and eventually trucks and girls to compete with, fostering a love of literature in young men is no short order. The teachers knew this. I knew it too. But what I wanted to make sure they knew was why reading was important.

Like it or not, the days of just dropping a book in a student’s lap and telling them to “Read!” are gone. These days, kids need to know why.

And that’s exactly what I asked the teachers: “Why should kids read?”

The answers I got included everything from mental health and

empathy to building a better sleep routine. Each response was unique and beautiful and well thought out, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. It wasn’t what had hooked me all those years ago.

What hooked me was a feeling. A spark. A vibe that filled whatever classroom Johnny Wink walked into. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you’ve seen me mention my favorite teacher of all time, my college creative writing instructor, my heart friend — Johnny Wink. That man was what did it for me. He was my “why” when it came to reading and writing. He still is.

When I try to pin Johnny down with words, though, I can’t quite explain him. I just saw his raw energy, his zaniness, his curiosity, how the dude had all 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets committed to memory, and I knew I wanted a piece of that.

I wanted to be like that.

So, that’s what I told the teachers. I challenged them to create that same spark, that same energy in their classrooms. Answer the “why” question every day with their actions and energy. Be so on fire for books that they quote their favorite passages from memory.

When students brush up against such a teacher, they feel it. They know they’re in the midst of something special.

Which is why I concluded my talk by reciting Sonnet 64, a favorite of my former professor’s late wife, Dr. Susan Wink, 14 lines that moved her to tears every time she heard it.

The teachers were clapping when I finished, not crying, and my bald head was tingling. I don’t know if anybody else felt the spark, but I sure did.

Eli Cranor is the nationally bestselling, Edgar-Award-winning author of “Don’t Know Tough” and “Ozark Dogs. ”He can be reached using the“Contact” page at elicranor.com and found on X (formerly Twitter) @elicranor.