Wythe writer honored

Javon Harper can tell a story.

The 17-year-old grew up in some of Richmond's roughest neighborhoods, and he's not shy about sharing the details.

With writing as smooth as his subjects are coarse, the recent graduate of George Wythe High School has proved himself the best young writer in the state. He has a framed certificate and a ribbon to prove it. The rest of the Wythe community saw the evidence on the "Harper Wall," a display on a second-floor hallway that includes a copy of the story, a picture of Harper, and his name and "state champion" in large block letters.

The honor came from the Virginia High School League, which last month judged his work, "Lenny's Life Story," as the short story of the year. His words beat out 39 other stories for the award.

He accepted the honor with a smile, then shrugged it off.

"I was just trying to get the assignment done," he said.

"I don't think you understand what you've won, do you?" Wythe's principal, Willie Bell, asked a few minutes later while they and Harper's English teacher, Heather Brodie, were reviewing the display on the wall. "No one else in the state can say this. You're the best."

Harper let loose of a smile for a moment.

That flash of enthusiasm brought a smile to Brodie's face. She said Harper was clear all year that he didn't like English class.

"He didn't like it, but he's an A student," she said.

He wrote "Lenny's Life Story" in about 30 minutes.

"He's a natural," Brodie said.

The story isn't easy on the mind - the lead character, Lenny, is shot dead on the street. Harper didn't get the idea for the story out of the blue. The South Richmond neighborhoods he has called home have seen their share of Lennys.

"It's based on things I've seen," he said.

Harper is not in immediate pursuit of literary glory.

A few hours after graduation on Wednesday, he joined other Army recruits for the first part of the trip to boot camp. He's planning to pursue a career in military patient administration.

"I looked around in this economy and knew I couldn't find a job anywhere else," he said. So he signed on to join the reserves, though he said he's going to see if he can convert his enlistment to a full-time gig.

He won't forget about writing, though.

"I like to write," he said. "I just write what I see."

Contact Zachary Reid at (804) 775-8179 or .