A warm welcome to Cai Rodrigues-Sherley, 826DC’s new School Residency Coordinator! Cai will lead our Young Authors’ Book Project (YABP), in addition to running other in-school writing residencies throughout the school year.
A poet and teaching artist from Boston, Massachusetts, Cai fell in love with the written word early on and never looked back. He’s a talented and thoughtful person, truly committed to this work and to all of the young writers we serve. 826DC is delighted to have Cai on our team. We can’t wait for you to meet him!
Check out this Q&A to learn a little more about Cai:
Name: Cai Rodrigues-Sherley
Title: School Residency Coordinator
Pronouns: He/him, They/them
Hometown: Boston, MA
What drew you to 826DC?
This organization’s mission of bringing the power of writing and self-expression to local youth resonated with me, both as someone who benefited from creative writing programs when I was younger and as a teaching artist. I’m also hoping that the magic storefront will give me a chance to work on my sleight of hand.
If you could be friends with any character from a book, who would it be and why?
Definitely Lilith from Octavia Butler’s “Adulthood Rites.” She survives an alien abduction and an apocalypse, so if I was surrounded by extra terrestrial life forms I would want her by my side.
What was your favorite subject in high school? Why?
My favorite subject in school was World History. My teacher let me write songs about topics like the evolution of man and the fall of the Roman Empire (Constantinople fell in 1453!) for extra credit, and some of them were pretty good if I do say so myself!
What inspired you to get involved with this kind of work, and why do you think it’s so important?
I was inspired to get involved with this work out of a desire to pay it forward for all the educators, artists, and programs that advocated for me as a writer and a human being at a young age. Everyone deserves to have a place where they feel empowered to be their full authentic selves, and what better place than the blank page?