In the following interview with Williams, Myers discusses the origins of Here in Harlem.

Walter Dean Myers has written plenty of books. His latest one takes a poetic look at his life and memories of Harlem.

Classroom Extra: What inspired you to use this unique method of writing about Harlem?

Walter Dean Myers: I read Spoon River Anthology, by Edgar Lee Masters. He takes a mythical town of Spoon River and writes poems about the people buried there. I read it again as an adult but didn't like it as much. It was interesting at first, but as an adult, I realized that he didn't really like the people of Spoon River. When I thought about Harlem, I loved the people.

CE: How did you choose the people to write about?

WDM: These were people that I encountered, and sometimes they were stories that I remembered as...