The title of her blog says it all: LIVING THE DREAM. A dream born many years ago, when she was just a child. A dream nourished by a supportive mother. A dream guided through instruction at Syracuse University. Polished at the School of Visual Arts. But Shadra Strickland’s dream didn’t end there.

Soon after graduation, she was offered an opportunity to illustrate her first book, an emergent reader called BIG OR LITTLE, written by Fonda Bell Miller. It was published by Lee & Low Books in 2002.

Her second book, BIRD, written by Zetta Elliott, published with Lee & Low Books in 2008. Following the success of BIRD, the dream began to collect awards.

In 2009, Shadra became the recipient of the American Library Association’s John Steptoe Award for New Talent, given by the Coretta Scott King Task Force, and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award.

Shadra was a contributor to the book Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change, published by BloomsbuyUSA in 2009, which has also received major accolades, including an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Literary Work for Children. With Our Children Can Soar, she paid tribute to Ruby Bridges, who became the first African American child to attend an all-white school in the South. Her illustrations are full of emotion and successfully capture the quiet strength of Ruby Bridges, using soft colors and delicate line work.

Please note: I interviewed Shadra about a year ago, and I just realized that most of my questions here are repeat (same photo and everything). My apologies, but don’t go away. New things are a-poppin’ in the land of the dream. Check it out:

Please talk about your most recent book.

My next book is called A PLACE WHERE HURRICANES HAPPEN. It’s the story of Hurricane Katrina told through the voices of four neighborhood friends.  “Hurricanes” was challenging for me for a couple of reasons. First, it featured four main characters, and second it was the story of Hurricane Katrina. I had never been to New Orleans before working on the book. I tried to be very careful not to make the images journalistic.

What is the primary medium used in your work?

Right now I primarily use watercolor and gouache. I studied illustration at Syracuse University where I experimented with a few different mediums, mainly oil and acrylic, but I didn’t learn how to “play” until years later in graduate school at SVA.

The next few spreads are from her upcoming book A PLACE WHERE HURRICANES HAPPEN:

Why did you choose to illustrate for children?

Storytelling comes naturally to me. When I was young my family (grandma, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) would sit around my grandmother’s kitchen table and tell stories for hours on end.

Making picture books just made the most sense—I get to read great stories and create world for the characters in which to exist. I also need my work to function in some way. The idea of people learning from my work and living with the images for years and years amazes and excited me.

Are there any particular illustrators or fine artist who have inspired you, past or present?

I am a fan of many many artists. If I could visit anyone’s studio, I think I’d like to watch William Kentridge work on a film, Jerry Pinkney draw, Tom Feelings do anything, Pat Cummings paint, Jon Muth compose, and Walton Ford paint.

From Bird, written by Zetta Elliot, Lee and Low Books October 2008

With BIRD, you’ve collected many accolades, including the Coretta Scott King /  Johnsteptoe New Talent Award, and the Ezra Jack Keats (New illustrator award). What was the biggest change, unexpected result, or interesting observation you’ve noted since receiving the awards?

For me winning the John Steptoe and Ezra Jack Keats Awards for BIRD was surreal. The most interesting and unexpected result was the amount of work that came flooding in. I also underestimated the amount of celebratory cupcakes I could consume.

As an illustrator who happens to be African American, do you ever feel any special pressures, or unique challenges?

I try to pick projects that I connect to emotionally and that align with the way I see the world or wish the world could be. For BIRD I loved how Zetta portrayed her male characters. They were supportive and loving to each other so I just added to that in the imagery. I also try to be careful not to villanize people, even if they are making bad choices for themselves and the people around them.

I love painting different shades of African-American people. My family is made up of many different shades of black and I feel that’s important and true to life in painting pictures.

So, I guess, no, I don’t really feel any “special” pressure. I just try and make the work as sincere as I can and as strong as I can. The rest will fall in place.

From Our Children Can Soar, BloomsburyUSA April 2009

Please talk about your process of illustrating a book.

I start with an 8.5 x 11 “Cheap Pad”. As I read, I fill up the sketchbook with many many possibilities for the story. As I thumbnail, I scan each image, blow them up, and drop them into a mechanical. Once I am happy with the look of the rough dummy, I make a pdf and e-mail it to my editor and art director with any notes I may have embedded in the file. This is the most I do with a computer in making the books. Once the dummy is okayed, I print out the sketches to size and refine the drawing.

Unfortunately, my finishing process is never cut and dry. Each story is different and requires something different from me. For example, BIRD’s world was ballpoint pen and charcoal against some airier skies. HURRICANES paired the brightness and energy of New Orleans against an impending storm. In OUR CHILDREN CAN SOAR I needed to go back in time and make things look aged and bare.

I try and go straight to finish if I have a strong vision for a piece. Because I experiment a lot; sometimes…most times I have to do a piece many times before it’s right. For Bird’s rooftop scene I had to paint it eight times before I got what I wanted out of it.

If you could wave a magic wand and completely change professions, what would you be doing today?

I’d be Beyonce.

(Don, waving magic wand…zing!)

For our aspiring children’s book illustrators, talk about your path to publication.

My road, like my work process, was long and crooked. I stumbled many times, but I never gave up.

I finished my first emergent reader book with Lee and Low right after college. I was teaching with Atlanta Public Schools then. After the first project I worked on some smaller e-books and some projects with local authors. After three years of teaching art I applied to SVA. While in grad school I befriended three other illustrators and we showed our work to as many art directors and editors who would see us.

During that time I also worked at an after school program in Chinatown and interned as a design assistant with Penguin for a semester. After graduation all of my friends landed book deals, but I still kept getting close but no cookie. My graduate advisor, Pat Cummings, recommended me to Chris Myers and I became his assistant for a year. She also introduced me to an old student of hers who was leaving Bloomsbury and that connection turned into a four year freelance design position at the company. That first year after grad school I illustrated a book with a Korean publishing house, Tantani Media. I kept making work and sending it out to people who liked my work via e-mails and postcards and one night at the Society of Illustrators’ Original Art Show I ran into my very first editor at Lee and Low, Jen Frantz. She asked me in for a meeting and the rest is….history.

If you could do it all again, what would you do different?

I can honestly say that every experience I’ve had has contributed to the work I do now. I wouldn’t change a thing (except win the lottery).

From The Dancing Shoeshine Boy, written by Hae-Da Lee, Yeowon Media June 2008

What do you find most challenging about the book creation process?

The biggest challenge for me is balancing truth and fantasy. For a book like HURRICANES, I needed to stay true to the look and feel of New Orleans, but I also had to make art out of it. Learning how and when to take artistic license is a challenge.

What was your favorite book as a child?

I had a bunch of educational books and books with play along records that I’d read and listen to over and over again. My favorite “high art” picture book was THE SNOWY DAY. I can still remember the smell of the paper.

How do you find balance in your busy schedule?

I’m still learning how to balance everything. I recently moved back home to Atlanta for a few months after leaving my job at Bloomsbury and that has given me great peace of mind with more time to work. I go through cycles of getting everything done and not sleeping and getting very little done and not sleeping. Eventually I will clone myself so one of me can get some shut eye.

Do you visit schools? Is there any particular message you like to leave with children when you speak?

I love visiting schools. I try to give kids as much positive energy as I can about life. My main message for kids is that it’s okay to make mistakes. If you believe in yourself and what you want to do in life you can do it in spite of the small missteps along the way.

What would be your dream manuscript?

This may sound like a cop out, but my dreams are already coming true. I am a part of some truly phenomenal projects (that I hope I can live up to). My wish for the future is that I continue bringing outstanding stories to life alongside some of my own.

Who are your cheerleaders, those who encourage you?

My mom is my biggest cheerleader. She works in education so she gets to have bragging rights in her school. In addition to her are my friends, librarians, kids, and people who love art and books!

What’s on the horizon, what can your fans expect?

Ha! Fans. There are so many books in the works, which is amazing, but wow, I need to start taking my vitamins! My next book is with Candlewick, called WHITE WATER. It’s a story of segregation in 1950s Alabama.

********* Just For Fun **********

Favorite M&M color: blue

Favorite TV show: The big bang theory (when I get to watch it)

Favorite food: spinach

Favorite sport: football

Favorite ice cream flavor: rocky road

Favorite American Idol winner: *crickets*

Favorite Pop culture personality: Sheldon Cooper

Favorite Day of the week: the day after a great night’s sleep

Favorite social network: “the book”

Favorite genre of book: magical realism

***********GIVE AWAY***********

Here’s the thing: I have an ARC of Shadra’s newest book, A PLACE WHERE HURRICANES HAPPEN. I’d planned to keep it all to myself, but then realized it wouldn’t do Shadra much good buried here in my studio. So, I’d like to give it away. If you’re a librarian or teacher who’d like a sneak peek of Shadra’s newest work, and wouldn’t mind posting some nice comments (Twitter, Facebook, blog) after you receive it, then post a comment in today’s highlight. I’ll close my eyes and draw a name, then send you the copy.

Yasmin Shiraz is nothing if not busy. Lucky for young readers, she’s found time in her career to make addressing their needs a priority. The author of the Blueprint for my Girls books, Shiraz is a motivator whose goal is to emower and enlighten teens. I talk to the author about her YA debut, Retaliation.

BBS: The first thing I noticed, is you wear a lot of different hats outside of being a writer including: CEO of Still Eye Rise Pictures, CEO of The Signals Agency Activist and Speaker. How did you find the time or space to listen to the voices of your latest novel in the midst of all that you do?

YZ: The story that inspired Retaliation came as a result of a workshop that I had done with teen girls in Southeast DC. When I asked young women in the room, “What do you like, what do you love, what do you hate?” a teen girl responded, I hate the girls who jumped me. I couldn’t get her voice out of my head. So, the books that I write and movies that I produce speak to me so much that I will hear the inspiration whether I “want to” or not.

BBS: How has heading a niche marketing firm helped you as a writer? How has it challenged you?

YZ: Running The Signals Agency helped me to know how to market myself. It allows me to know how to brand “Yasmin Shiraz.” So as I made the transition from hip hop magazine publisher, to author, to speaker to filmmaker, I’ve been able to maintain my Yasmin Shiraz brand the entire time. My brand is always about empowering young people. So I market myself accordingly.

BBS: Prior to Retaliation, you wrote two Blueprint for My Girls books – self-help books for multi-cultural teens, what inspired the move to YA fiction?

YZ: The conversations that I would have with teens during my Blueprint for My Girls workshops inspired Retaliation. I stay engaged and connected with teens across the country. I am always listening to their voices. So when I hear something that resonates with me, I know that the world needs to hear it. Non-fiction can be intimidating to some and so I wanted to write a fiction book that my teen fans would literally LOVE to read.

BBS: Sometimes YA novelists take a hit from parents for the gritty, all-too real portrayals of teen life that adults would like to ignore. Do you believe it was a benefit to come at YA fiction from the non-fiction side? Do you believe some gatekeepers see you as a more credible voice because of your non-fiction work?

YZ: Being a non-fiction author first showed the world who I was and so I never have to hide and I liked that but I never really think about the gatekeepers because it can be so unproductive. I wrote Retaliation because I believed in it and I felt it would resonate with a young adult audience. As far as credibility goes, I am who I am. I go out and work with young people, I write the books, I shoot the films- if that makes me credible to somebody good, but if not who cares? At the end of the day, my work stands for itself no matter who agrees or thinks I’m credible—I would like to say I think I’m “incredible” (LOL.)

BBS: Retaliation is a story about the aftermath of a brutal girl-on-girl attack – why this topic? What doesn’t the general public know about girl fights that Retaliation may shed light on?

YZ: My novel Retaliation aims to shed light on how no one really wins when retaliation against others is the focus. I don’t think the general public realizes how violent girls and young women have become. The number of women incarcerated continues to grow annually at an alarming rate.

BBS: You have an obvious passion for young adults, how do you approach writing for them differently than your adult fiction? If there is a different approach. If there isn’t, which do you enjoy more and why?

YZ: When I write for young adults, I’m really trying to give a voice to their experiences. I lean a lot to my conversations with young people, my workshops, emails and letters. I pull my stories from real inspiration from the youth that I deal with. When I’m writing adult fiction, I am more inspired by my life experiences. I live a pretty exciting life and so my adult fiction will always reflect fictionalized characters that are inspired by what I’ve really seen and done and the interesting people that I’ve met along the way. I don’t have a preference between young adult or adult, I just want to write books that are important and have the power to influence a person’s life.

BBS: What’s next for you, where writing for young adults is concerned?

YZ: I’ve already completed a new book, so right now I’m finalizing launch dates for it. I’m also promoting my first film, Can She Be Saved? which deals with fights among teen girls.

BBS: Choose a side in this debate and give us your closing argument on the point: Should brown books fight to be mainstreamed or should people of color “be happy” with just making sure other people of color know about their books?

YZ: Brown books should fight to be mainstreamed because people who are not people of color need to read and understand our stories. When a white person reads Retaliation and tells me that they didn’t know that this kind of aggression or violence existed among young girls, it affirms that Retaliation had a higher purpose. All people should read books from different genres to expand their awareness of the world.

The Buzz on Retaliation

YALSA 2009 Top 10 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers

“Shiraz has penned this story in graphic detail, while posing questions as to values, responsibility to self and a host of societal ills plaguing the nation and families.” – Rawsistaz Reviewers

Even with more than a dozen books to her credit, Bernette Ford finds it tough to think of herself as an author. She’s an editor, a mentor, a wife, a mother. But an author? She doesn’t easily claim that title as her own.

But that’s just how many children and parents around the world know her best. They see her name on books they purchase, check out in libraries, read over and over until they can recite her words by heart. To them, Ford is the creator of beloved titles such as First Snow (Holiday House, 2005), No More Diapers for Ducky! (Boxer Books, 2006) and Ballet Kitty (Boxer Books, 2007). To them, Ford is an author whose books speak to them in a special way.

Ford, a pioneering editor, has often paved the way. Her Just For You! series launched  the careers of many children’s book creators of color. She’s building a new legacy as an author. Through her stories, she’s helping children embrace early transitions, explore their trials and successes and celebrate their desire to dance and dream.

We are proud to celebrate Bernette Ford on day 7 of our campaign:

Please tell us how your childhood influenced your dreams for the future.

During much of my very early childhood, my mother was quite ill with lupus so I spent a lot of time lost in books in order to deal with my fears and loneliness and sadness. I was the child of an interracial couple (my mother was black; my father white) and although I was surrounded by a loving family, I was extremely shy and I found it hard to make friends. But I did find many friends in the pages of my books. Later, as school and home responsibilities ate up more and more of my reading time, I thought that my ideal life would be working at a job where I could read whenever I wanted to. 

What inspired you to pursue a publishing career?

By the time I went to college I thought that I wanted to be a writer.

My English teachers encouraged me, and my first cousin (playwright, actor, and director, Douglas Turner Ward), who founded the Negro Ensemble Company in the middle 60s, did too. He tacked a review of a play of his that I had written in high school on the bulletin board at the St. Marks Theater in the East Village for everyone to see. He took an interest in my writing, and his pride gave me some confidence.  

Working in publishing seemed a way to get a foot in the door. I had absolutely no idea what book publishing was all about, but I was lucky to land a job as an “editorial assistant in training” in the Random House “minorities recruitment program.”  Working in the children’s division, I soon found out that I did not have my own stories I was burning to tell, but that I loved helping authors and artists make their stories the best they could be.   

What led you to focus on books for the very young?

I worked as an editorial assistant to four or five senior or executive editors, who each specialized in different age groups and genres. At that time, senior editors spent a lot of time training and mentoring the assistants, in addition to giving us projects of our own to edit, under their tutelage, when they felt we were ready. I found that I enjoyed the books for the very young best, and I eventually moved up in the department as the replacement for a picture book editor who left to have a baby.  

How did your writing voice bloom?

 I’m not sure it has yet!

You’ve held many trailblazing leadership positions including Editorial Director of Cartwheel Books — the preschool imprint you founded – and Vice President/Associate Publisher of Grosset & Dunlap/The Putnam Publishing Group – the first African American to be named vice president of a major children’s book publisher. What was the racial landscape of the children’s book industry like when you entered the field? What gains have you made you proud? What do you hope the future brings?

I stayed in mass-market publishing because I believed that all children should have books they could own; books of quality their parents could afford, not just library books or the beautiful jacketed trade books you might find in independent bookshops. I had taught myself how to read before kindergarten by reading Little Golden Books from the supermarket, and books my mother got for us at rummage sales and library sales.

At the time I started in the publishing business in 1972, you could count one hand the number of African Americans in children’s book publishing. There was very little place for black children’s books in that world, but consciousness was starting to be raised. I worked really hard, I was good at what I did, and my talent was recognized and nurtured. (I suspect the powers that be often forgot my race because I was so light-skinned.) I was promoted wherever I went, and I was recruited to each new company that I went to.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the late illustrator Tom Feelings, who was responsible for spearheading a workshop in Harlem for people of color in publishing—artists and authors, as well as editors and designers. Several of our members became well-known authors or illustrators, and I formed friendships there that continue today. I met my husband, illustrator George Ford, at the Black Creators for Children (which was what we eventually named ourselves). George had been a past president of the Council on Interracial Books for Children, which had started a contest to bring authors and illustrators of color to the attention of the editors and art directors in the “all white world of children’s books.”  Things began to change. Just as my years in college were the “revolutionary years,” so too I feel I was privileged to witness a sea change in publishing.  By the time I went to Scholastic, many companies had recruited “diversity managers” to work in their Human Resources departments, and Scholastic formed a Diversity Committee, on which I served for many years. While some gains were made in attracting young people of color to the business, the truth is, publishing is notoriously a low-paying industry, making it unattractive to candidates who aspire to well-paying jobs. And its ranks are mostly filled by people who got there because of the still exclusive, old-boys’ network. I am probably more proud of the young editors and designers I mentored who have gone on to have careers in publishing.

Your first two books, Bright Eyes, Brown Skin (co-authored with Cheryl Willis Hudson) and The Hunter Who Was King and Other African Tales were illustrated by your husband, award-winning illustrator George Ford. What was it like collaborating with him? Any plans to do more books together?

I became good friends with Cheryl Hudson (founder of Just Us Books with her husband Wade) through the Black Creators for Children workshop. Years later, when the Hudson’s were starting up their company, Cheryl asked me to approach George to illustrate a poem she had written for her young daughter. I thought the poem was too short to be a picture book, so she challenged me to expand upon it, and that is how we ended up collaborating on the text. It was fun working side-by-side with George on that book. But he’s a really sensitive artist and I am a stubborn and sometimes opinionated editor; I made the mistake of treating him like a husband instead of the illustrator. We survived, but I can’t say it was the best thing for our relationship! Bright Eyes, Brown Skin and The Hunter Who Was King are two of our favorite books. But as much as I sometimes wish that we could frequently collaborate the way Andrea Davis and Brian Pinkney do, I don’t think that’s possible for us. On the other hand, as an in-house editor and publisher, I have published George Ford titles and when he has an editor other than me, that works just fine. I think our most successful collaboration is our daughter Olivia!

Your next two books, Hurry Up! and Don’t Hit Me!, were titles in the wonderful Just For You! series of beginning readers for African-American children you created and packaged for Scholastic Teaching Resources. They debuted nearly a decade after your first books. What brought you back to writing? How did you hone your voice?

All of the books I’ve ever written, so far, have come about because there was a need. Within weeks of leaving Scholastic, Teaching Resources approached me about packaging a series of African-American easy readers similar to the Hello Reader! series I had started for Cartwheel Books. We did many black books on the Hello Reader list, but the educational division needed more. The Just For You! books were exactly the kind of books I wanted to be working on as a packager! And while it seems to be a difficult concept for booksellers to grasp, these books are just as much for white children as they are for black children! That series was my first big contract, and those 24 books are my proudest accomplishment, so I really appreciate your calling them “wonderful!”

I wrote Hurry Up! to illustrate to potential authors just how easy a Level 1 easy-to-read book had to be. Don’t Hit Me was written as an example of an “edgier” story; the publisher felt we had many “sweet” books on the list but nothing with a little edge. Don’t Hit Me is really popular with classroom children when I do school visits. The idea of a book about kids “acting out” (hitting even!) is novel. They sit perfectly still while I read, and they always ask to hear it again.

I did a lot of in-house writing “on assignment” when I was a young editor, and that was usually because a fast-turn-around was needed for some book in a series or some artist whose work we loved but did not have a manuscript for.

Your charming picture books like First Snow and No More Diapers for Ducky! have won starred reviews. Publisher’s Weekly said of the latter: “[D]estined to find a permanent place in a child’s library.” Great praise. How did those books come to life? What did that recognition mean to you?

My good friend and a fellow packager, David Bennett of England, sent me a piece of sample artwork of a bunny in the snow by French illustrator Sebastien Braun, and he asked me if I could come up with a story for Sebastien. Now that I was no longer a full-time publisher, I had more time, and I liked the sample art; I said I would try. The First Snow poem came to me almost as if it had been inside me all the time—in one day.  It was the same with No More Diapers for Ducky. David sent me the Sam Williams’ sample artwork of a duck in a diaper and a pig on a potty. He hadn’t asked for a text, but again, I liked the art and the text just came to me. David liked it and published it, and it eventually did so well that we had to do more! By then I was working freelance a few hours a week for David’s new publishing company, Boxer Books, as the consulting editor for the USA, so the UK editor edited the books I wrote. 

Following up on the success of No More Diapers for Ducky!, you released more great titles like No More Bottles for Bunny!, No More Pacifier for Piggy! and No More Blanket for Lambkin! What inspired those books? What feedback do you get from parents? Children? How does that make you feel?

Parents and children really like the “No More” books, and that is very satisfying to me. Just a month ago, a friend sent me a tape of her two-year-old grandson, who loves the book, reciting Ducky by heart. It was so cute, and just hysterical. Nothing could make me happier! What makes those books work, I think, is that the animal children accomplish their little milestones all on their own. When we were trying to find a nursery school for our own two-year-old daughter, the director who told us not to worry about toilet training totally won us over. She said it never fails: The ones in diapers want to use the potty and wear “big kid underpants,” just like their friends who are already potty trained do! And she was right.   

My daughter is a big fan of your Ballet Kitty series. Could you please talk about how that project came to be?

Please send me a picture of your daughter reading her book! I hate to sound like a broken record, but Sam Williams’ drawing of the pink kitten in a tutu inspired Ballet Kitty, along with my memories of my own daughter’s passion for pink when she was little. Please don’t tell your daughter, but quite frankly, the Kitty books were my brazen attempt to write something that would sell so well I could retire. They’ve done nicely, but I won’t be retiring any time soon! It may be that crass commercialism is not the best inspiration, after all; I can’t seem to write another story for Kitty, although the publisher would like another one.

What’s most rewarding about your writing life? What’s most challenging?

Most rewarding is thinking that something I’ve written might have some lasting positive impact on a child. (I felt the same way about many of the books I published when I worked in corporate publishing.) You should see me grinning when I discover a child on the subway who is reading one of my books! The most challenging is the fear that I won’t find anything new or meaningful to say!

I read that you have a hard time thinking of yourself as an author. Has that changed?

Nope! I’ll always feel like an editor at heart, but I would really love to be doing more writing.

Please tell us about Color-Bridge Books, your independent children’s book packaging and consulting company. You gave many authors and illustrators of color their start through your Just For You! series. Why do multicultural stories matter?

Children need to see themselves reflected in books—at home, at school, in the library. If all children see in their books is pictures of white kids, they will begin to feel that white kids are the only ones who are important in the world, period! This goes for white children and black children! How many times do we need to hear about Dr. Kenneth Clark’s experiment with black dolls and white dolls to learn this? Children of color in this country need validation of the importance of their existence to help them develop feelings of self worth and to aspire to great accomplishments!

I have been operating Color-Bridge Books since 2003, after working in corporate publishing for 30 years. I wake up every day feeling overjoyed that I report to no one but myself, and overwhelmed by fears that the most recent assignment just might be the last!  I have done packaging, book production, teaching and mentoring, freelance editing and consulting, and I’ve worked on some projects I wished that I could have turned down. But the mortgage has to be paid, and there is no other work I would rather be doing. The last 18 months the economy has had a huge impact on my business. But I’m hopeful that things will start to turn around soon, and that publishers will soon realize they need help from outside experts.

For people of color hoping to turn their writing dream into a career, what’s your advice? How do you become an author with staying power?

I wish I knew the answer to the latter question. For the former, I would advise people to write, write, write! If you are working at some other job, find time in the early mornings or late at night to write. There aren’t many children’s book authors who can support themselves on what they earn by writing; certainly not in the early stages of their careers. Another thing is to read the best of what is being published in your genre, and keep reading! Read something good every day; write something good every day. Last, stop worrying about the mechanics of getting published and work on your craft!

What tips can you offer people who would like to write for young children — babies, preschoolers, beginning readers? How can someone with interest in that area get a start?

There are no tips; you just have to write! You have to find the voice that works for the age group you want to write for. I have this theory that all writers are psychologically “stuck” at some stage of their childhood; usually, the one they feel most comfortable writing for and about. I can’t remember much of anything from my teenage years, but I do remember lots about my very young years, and the baby years of my own child. I did write a piece for the Children’s Book Council years ago on what I look for in writing for the very young; I think you can still find it on their website.

Some authors of color express frustration about the publishing industry locking them into a box of what they should write. You’ve written books that feature African-American characters and those that feature animals dealing with issues like potty training and pastimes like dance. How can others who want to write without limits find their way?

As an editor I can say with confidence that if an author writes a wonderful, unforgettable story, some editor out there will love it and want to publish it, whether it’s about a human child or a bunny-child! Most authors never even meet the editors they are writing for. So if it suits you to “reveal” your race in your cover letter, so be it. And if it has nothing to do with the story you are submitting, you can decide if you need to mention it. Many of the authors and illustrators of color that I worked with on the Just For You! series have created animal stories for me for other books that I have packaged. We all have to work, and no publisher has ever asked me about the race of an author of one of my animal books. On the other hand, when white writers ask me why they are discouraged from writing about black life and culture, or any other culture, I tell them I would prefer them to write from their own experience and their own point of view. I think it is nearly impossible to write believably about a culture you haven’t lived!

I read that your publishing philosophy is “mass with class.” Please talk about your mission and goals as an author.

Reading was just so important to me as a child; I believe that all children can become life-long readers if only they have books they love to read when they are young. I have never looked down my nose at mass-market books, those books you can buy in the supermarket or at Wal-Mart or Target.  But I always strive to put the best possible stories and the best possible illustrations into the books that I work on, so that they can be published at an affordable price! 

As an author, I always hope that many children will be able to enjoy my stories, and that they will also learn something positive from them.

What’s next for you as an author? As a consultant and packager?

I wish I had a crystal ball!

What’s your greatest joy?

I think I must have answered this at some point. I have so many joys that are work related. In life it is probably spending time with our daughter, who grew up to be such a great adult I’d want to be friends with her even if she were not my daughter!

The Buzz on No More Blanket for Lambkin!:

“The overall feel is one of gentleness, from the soft style of illustrations to the tone of the dialogue between the two friends. This is a sweet book about two different friendships, one that fades away with age, and one that is strengthened with time and caring.”

– School Library Journal

The Buzz on Ballet Kitty (first in the series):

“[Ballet Kitty] is one of those books so adorable that it is unforgettable. Pink and precious, Ballet Kitty is for aspiring dancers, or even simply kitty lovers, everywhere. Your heart will melt for Ballet Kitty . . .”

– Veronica Nguyen, TheCelebrityCafe.com

Partial bibliography:

Bright Eyes, Brown Skin by Cheryl Willis Hudson and Bernette G. Ford, illustrated by George Ford (Just Us Books, 1990)

Just For You! Don’t Hit Me! by Bernette Ford, illustrated by Gary Grier (Teaching Resources, 2004)

No More Pacifier for Piggy! by Bernette Ford, illustrated by Sam Williams (Boxer Books, 2008)

No More Blanket for Lambkin! by Bernette Ford, illustrated by Sam Williams (Boxer Books, 2009)

Ballet Kitty: Ballet Class by Bernette Ford, illustrated by Sam Williams (Boxer Books, 2008)

Ballet Kitty: Play Book by Bernette Ford, illustrated by Sam Williams (Boxer Books, 2009)

At the age of seven, Natasha Anastasia Tarpley began to write alongside her aspiring writer-mother. While a sophomore in high school, the Chicago native began to gather publication credits for her poetry. At Harvard University, Tarpley enrolled in her first writing workshop…long after a love of the written word was already in her blood.

As a result of experiences she underwent while matriculating, Tarpley changed her major from German (which she had studied since second grade) to African American Studies. It was then that she began to write a series of poems which would later garner two fellowships, including the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.

Tarpley published her first book in 1998: a family memoir entitled, Girl in the Mirror: Three Generations of Black Women in Motion (Beacon). The very same year, she published her first, widely acclaimed children’s book, I Love My Hair (Little Brown). A companion book followed (Bippity Bop Barbershop, Little Brown), along with two more picture books (Joe-Joe’s First Flight, A A Knopf; and Destiny’s Gift, Lee and Low). Tarpley’s most recent work is based on the historic Disney-animated film, The Princess and the Frog. It’s called, Princess Tiana and the Royal Ball (Disney Press).

Without further ado, day five’s  featured author—Natasha Tarpley.

BBS:   Natasha, welcome to The Brown Bookshelf.

NT:      Thank you for inviting me.

BBS:   You began your writing career with adult-oriented books that were analytical and introspective in nature. What made you decide to start writing for children?

NT:      I have always approached my writing with a sense of openness, so the stories come as they come. I had an idea for a story about a little girl and her mother combing the little girl’s hair every night–based on my own hair-combing ritual with my mom, and that became I Love my Hair!, my first children’s book.

BBS:   I Love My Hair was the first picture book that you published. Was it the first one you wrote?

NT:      Yes, it was the first children’s book that I wrote.

BBS:   In the span of two years, you published three more picture books: Bippity Bop Barbershop, Joe-Joe’s First Flight, and Destiny’s Gift. As an already published author, was it easier to sell these next three?

NT:      Yes, it was a little easier. For Bippity Bop Barbershop, the publisher asked me to write a companion book to I Love My Hair, based on the success of that book. The others were not immediately accepted by the first publishers my agent sent them to, but because I had published before, it was easier to get editors to read the new manuscripts.

BBS:   Your latest book is based on the newest Disney-animated film, The Princess and the Frog. It’s called, Princess Tiana and the Royal Ball. How did your relationship with Disney and this book come to be?

NT:      I always tell young writers, “Be open and creative in the way that you approach your work. And don’t be afraid to approach people with ideas for projects.” With Disney, I had been following the story of how African American parents were petitioning Disney to create an African American Princess. I knew that once Disney made a film, there would also be a book—and I wanted to write it! So I met an editor at Disney, who introduced me to the editor who would be working on the Princess book. I established a connection with her, and she asked me to write the book when it was time.

BBS:   Did you get to screen the movie before writing the book? If not, how did the publisher communicate the necessary character and setting details to you?

NT:      I was able to read the screenplay.

BBS:   Was it a more or less challenging process to write Princess Tiana, compared to your other PBs?

NT:      It was still challenging because I had to work with characters and situations that had already been established, and at the same time, be creative.

BBS:   Back in 1994, you received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, as well as a fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, for a collection of first person narrative poems you wrote. Could you first describe the nature of these poems, then recount the chain of events that resulted in your competing for–and winning–this prestigious award?

NT:      When I got to Harvard, I really wanted to explore African American history and identity in a deeper way than what was being taught in my Afro-Am classes. I wanted to try to find a way to get closer to the voices and experiences of my ancestors. So, I started working on a series of first-person narratives that explored these themes. I was required to produce a book-length manuscript for my thesis, and I submitted these poems to the NEA and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The rest was the universe smiling on me–I was shocked when I won.

BBS:   What did receiving the NEA Fellowship mean to you…and for your writing career? 

NT:      It was really an affirmation that I was moving in the right direction in my life. And the grant funding enabled me to take time off from school to write—I wrote my book, Girl in the Mirror, during that period.

BBS:   In addition to writing picture books, you’ve also co-edited an interesting anthology entitled What I Know is Me. Tell us about it.

NT:      That was a collection of writings by talented young African American girls from around the country, co-edited with a young lady who was 19 at the time. Unfortunately, the book was never released.    

BBS:   You’re an author that goes on school visits, and presents to children regularly.  What’s the one question they seem ask you more than any other?

NT:      “How do you get your books published?”

BBS:   And how do you answer them?

NT:      I talk about the traditional publishing process of writing a manuscript, and the importance of editing; about how I go through multiple drafts of everything that I write. And then I tell them about submitting to (and working with) agents, versus submitting directly to publishers. From there, I talk about what happens when a publisher decides to accept the book (i.e., contracts, payment of an advance, etc).

But these days there are also many alternatives to traditional publishing. Publishing a book yourself is so much easier today. There are websites where you can upload your manuscript and have a book made, or have a book made every time someone buys it. I tell them about these “print on demand” websites, and encourage them to ask their teachers, parents and librarians to help them find these resources…and other kid-friendly websites and publications where they can start to publish their work. 

BBS:   What is the one thing you’ve learned by doing these visits that you didn’t realize before?

NT:      Kids are really serious about their work—their writing. Educators and parents need to encourage them and to create spaces for them to publish and learn more about their craft.

BBS:   The seeds of your writing career were planted early, simply by your observing your mother use writing as a means of self-expression and establishing goals.  How necessary is it for parents to model the importance of reading and writing to their kids? What are some practical ways they can do this?

NT:      Parents and teachers and others basically introduce kids to books, and help to shape what their relationship to books and reading (and writing) will be. My mom and dad always read to us, we had a regular story hour at school. These rituals, these stories really make a difference. I remember the books my parents read, the way they read them. I remember the smells, the sounds of libraries. These things are part of who I am. And even if kids don’t become writers, I believe books open doorways and windows that allow them to glimpse the possibilities of the world and who they might become. So, in short, I think it is VERY important for parents and educators to model and reinforce the importance of reading and writing-and also the pleasures of these things.

BBS:   What’s the one piece of advice you have for newbie writers—that they likely haven’t heard before?

NT:      Be open and creative in your approach to your work. If you’re a poet, be a poet, but be open to the many ways of being a poet in the world. And don’t be afraid to try things outside of how you’ve defined your work.

BBS:   What new children’s book projects are you working on?

NT:      I’m working on a few middle-grade and young adult novels.

BBS:   I know all of your work has special meaning to you. But if you had to choose just one, which book or project would you say is closest to your heart?

NT:      I don’t know. Maybe I Love My Hair, because it was inspired by my relationship with my mom, who is my best friend.

BBS:   Thanks so much, Natasha, for visiting with us today! Before you leave us…Airplanes or Trains?

NT:      Trains, definitely.

BBS:   Movies in the theater, or DVDs?

NT:      Both!

BBS:   Peach cobbler or beignets?

NT:      Peach Cobbler!

Find out more about Natasha Tarpley at:

http://www.dwyerogrady.com/tarpley.html

http://www.writer-on-line.com/content/view/322/66/~Articles/Memoir/An-Interview-with-Natasha-Tarpley.html

http://www.leeandlow.com/p/tarpley.mhtml

Kekla Magoon had long been a student of the Civil Rights Movement. She devoured stories about that period and believed deeply in non-violence. What would she have done back then? Kekla didn’t have to wonder. She knew: She would have stood alongside foot soldiers in battlegrounds across the South.

But one day, Kekla learned about the Black Panthers’ work as community organizers. They offered free breakfasts for school children. They provided free medical clinics and clothing. The more Kekla learned about the Panthers’ work in the community, the more questions she had about herself.  She could believe in their mission of service. Could she believe in the idea of wanting to fight back against the vise of injustice too? What would Kekla have done back then? She wasn’t so sure anymore.

Searching for the answers to those questions helped lead to the birth of her moving debut novel, The Rock & The River (Aladdin, 2009). Kekla deftly explores the life of Sam, who’s caught between two ideologies — that of his brother, Stick, and that of his father, Roland Childs. Praised for its rich character development and full-rendering of complex relationships and history, The Rock & The River is a poignant and important story that fills a gap in literature for young people.

We are proud to salute Kekla Magoon on day 3 of our campaign:

How did your childhood love of reading bloom?

My parents read to me a lot, and I learned to read early and I suspect that helped me to fall in love with books. My mom took us to the library every week, and I would check out huge stacks of paperbacks at a time. Huge. I read in class, and on the bus, and under the covers well past my bedtime. Books and me….well, it was just meant to be.

What inspired your first stories?

I’m not sure about my very young stories, but I know as a teenager I based my fictional “narratives” on my own life. I would make up scenes between me and my friends, or people I wanted to be friends with, or someone I had a crush on, etc. I was fairly shy, so I found it comforting to have some kind of “do-over” option when I didn’t say the right thing, or take the action that I wanted to in real life.

How did your parents encourage your creativity?

They definitely encouraged creative thinking and creative play when I was little. And they were big on books and reading, which I’m sure helped form my own affection for storytelling. I would venture to say, though, that my parents’ support of me now is as important as it was during the formative years when the seeds of creativity are planted and allowed to bloom. Now, they are big supporters of my book. They’ve purchased dozens of copies this year to give away to friends and family, not to mention the fact that they have visited pretty much every library and bookstore in northeast Indiana (and parts of southern Michigan….) to be sure that my book is in stock. I really appreciate my midwest marketing team!

You wrote your first novel in high school. What was it about? What inspired you to write it? How did that experience change you?

Oh, dear. My first novel….or should I say, “novel.” It was only about sixty pages long. At the time, it seemed like the great opus of the world. It was a mystery/suspense story about a female detective. I’m not entirely sure what inspired me to write it. It was the end of my senior year in high school, and I wrote it in a matter of days. I was probably fueled in part by nervousness over the time of transition that I was about to enter. There must’ve been something about the story that I just needed to write, but it was long before I considered writing as a career. Later, looking back, the enthusiasm that I had for that project at a young age did help me accept that maybe writing was a true passion of my life, and not a passing fad. It helped me think more seriously about pursuing my master’s degree and striving to make writing more than just a side gig.

You’re a MFA graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts. How did that experience help you grow as a writer? What seed of The Rock and the River came to you first? How did your manuscript evolve? When did you know it would become your creative thesis?

I worked on The Rock and the River beginning in the second semester. I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to shape it into my creative thesis. I was really excited about the subject matter, and it really was the first idea I’d had that inspired me to push far enough to turn it into a real book. I’d had several 60-80 page novel attempts that I was working with up until that point, but I really was still learning how to build a unique, novel-length narrative. I knew I wanted to write something about the Black Panthers, and when these two brother characters came to me, I knew that it would be part of their story.

Through your unforgettable characters like Sam, Stick and their father Roland Childs, you explore important themes like non-violence and militancy, brotherhood, activism and sacrifice. At its heart, yours is a story that makes you feel. What emotion drove the narrative of the book? How did you weave the threads of the story together?

If I have to pick one central emotion, I’d go with confusion, though anger is probably a close second. Sam’s challenge in the book is to grapple with a difficult decision that leaves him puzzling over what is right. His father is a civil rights leader, close to Dr. King, but his brother Stick is joining the Black Panther Party. Confusion reigns. What do you do when the two people you look up to most, those who you strive to emulate, split off in radically different directions? What happens when your lifelong beliefs are challenged? How do you channel your anger when the world around you is so unjust that you feel you could jump out of your skin? Sam struggles to answer these questions in his own mind, and his experiences throughout the book help shape the actions he takes. To build the plot, I began to think deeply about the world Sam lived in, who he would meet, what he would witness, what he would fear, how he would feel, and the story threads began weaving from there.

The Rock and the River is a rich and layered story that will put the Black Panther Party in a new light for many people. Why was it important to you to show a more complete picture of that organization?

The Black Panthers became intriguing to me the first time I learned that they had been community organizers, in addition to having a militant bent. I was 23 years old, and I had never been exposed to this side of their movement. I found that outrageous. My interest was piqued, and the more I read and the more I studied the Panthers, I craved the opportunity to write about them. I wanted to share what I had learned, especially with young people. The new information was overwhelming to me, and I found part of my sense of self being called into question. I’d always studied and been fascinated by the civil rights movement. I was sure that if I’d lived back then, I’d have been right there on the front lines in Montgomery or Birmingham. I believed strongly in the cause. I would have acted. Non-violence all the way. I was certain. But suddenly a new voice was nagging me. What if you had been a Panther? This blew my mind. I’ve no desire to carry a gun, but I could have gotten excited about the community organizing work the Panthers were doing. I could have been one of the people too frustrated with the injustice to be satisfied with not fighting back. I could see those things about myself, and it sent me into a tailspin. How would I decide? How did real people decide? What would it feel like to be right there, in that moment in time, and have to commit your life to one or the other, or decide to take no action and have to live with that, too?  I knew I had the makings of a novel, and it was just a matter of time before I figured out how to bring it to life.  

Did writing the story change you? In what ways?

Sure. Well, it was the first novel I’d written, and every novel changes you a little bit. More specifically, it helped me to touch an experience that I’d been wondering about for a long time–involvement in the civil rights era. I’ll never know what it was really like to be there, then, but I feel that writing this helped me get as close as I can to understanding what it might have been like.

Please tell us about your journey to publication. What were the toughest and most rewarding moments?

I began submitting this book to editors in the summer of 2005. It made its way through three editors at two different houses before it arrived at Aladdin, and the full process took over two years. It felt like forever to me, but I know it was not as long as most people spend submitting their first novel, so I also feel lucky. Among the toughest moments were receiving the (nice, detailed) rejection letter from the first editor, and the request for a revision on spec from the second. I completed the revision on spec, but ended up having to submit to a new editor when it was done. The truly toughest moment was when the new editor contacted me regarding additional revisions, far more extensive than what I had already done on spec. I was nearly certain that a contract would follow, if I agreed to these drastic changes, but they simply did not resonate with me. We couldn’t come together on it, and my window of opportunity closed. In retrospect, this rough patch became a deeply rewarding moment, because I held true to my vision for the book, which turned out to be the right thing (judging by my own happiness, as well as by the reviews and awards!). The most lovely, rewarding moment was the call in spring 2008 from my soon-to-be editor, Kate, saying Aladdin was going to acquire the book!

What do you want people to take away from The Rock and the River?

Mostly, I want them to take away the experience of having read a good story. And I’d like the book to inspire people to have a conversation about it, whether it be in a classroom or between colleages, family or friends. I believe there is a lot still to be dealt with in our country, with regard to the events of the 1960s, and I love having the opportunity to inspire those discussions. I also hope the book broadens people’s perspectives on The Black Panther Party, and really, the civil rights movement in general. Sometimes the way we talk about that time period makes it sound all too perfect, too pat, and while we shake our heads at the injustices that occur, there is a finality about it being of the past. To me, the Black Panthers makes it easier to talk about the things that haven’t changed, within the context of the community organizing that they did. We still need that kind of work, so the conversation about it is more dynamic than talking about overcoming legal segregation, which is really a thing of the past.

Please talk about the feedback you received from children, teachers and librarians, veterans of the movement.

Among the first questions I get from children are why I would write about something that happened so long ago, and was I alive in the civil rights movement–which, the way they say it, sounds like the stone age. Nothing like hanging with middle schoolers to make you feel old! But the best of the feedback is actually related to this because so many people in their lives–librarians, teachers, grandparents and some of their parents–were alive and can remember 1968. This book published in this time lends itself to a dynamic intergenerational dialogue that I really hope continues to grow. For 12 year olds, civil rights is ancient history. To people my age (approaching 30) it’s recent history, the impact of which we can see in our own lives. For people just slightly older than me, it is a wispy or poignant memory. And for my parents and elders, it is deep-set, ingrained knowledge–the wisdom of experience. When these perspectives unite, something strong and profound can come of it.

I love talking with people of all ages about the book. I enjoy unpacking the tidbits of history for the very young, and I enjoy having them unpacked for me by the very elderly. And everyone in between. I feel enriched from both directions, by what I have to offer and what I’m able to receive. I’ve discovered that everyone with a memory of 1968 has a story to share about that time, and by writing this book, I’ve invited them to open those stories to me. They are incredible, rich, life-giving tales of action, inaction, confusion, fear, sacrifice, joy and wonder. I’m blown away by the depth of reaction I’ve received from readers older than me. Some receive the novel as a piece of truth heretofore untold, which is immensely flattering to me as an author. Others see themselves in it, or see how they wish they had been. It was such a volatile, impressionable time in history, so perhaps it was impossible to emerge from that unchanged. And perhaps there haven’t been many opportunities for people to share these stories with one another; there’s something unspoken and suppressed about that time that needs still to be released. Some come to me in hushed tones, as if what they know can’t get out, or shouldn’t go too far. But it’s time. And I hope my young audience will get to connect with some of these real stories, so that they can begin to see beyond the book as fiction, to the elements of truth and history that it carries, even if they are a small part of the whole.  

You’ve earned lots of well-deserved praise for The Rock and the River from starred reviews to the Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award. Congratulations! What does that recognition mean to you?

It means a lot. It’s immensely gratifying to know that my work has been so well received. Working in a field where quality is so subjective is difficult at times. I feel confident in my work, and in what I have to say, but at the same time it’s a vulnerable act to put something as special and personal as a novel into the public eye. It can be nerve-wracking, no matter how good the feedback is. The most valuable thing I’ve learned about myself in the midst of the award buzz is how to be comfortable having my book out there, whether it earns praise or not. Once I entered that mindset, I found the critical comments about the book didn’t bother me, and I could embrace the positive reviews and be uplifted by them, without needing them in order to feel validated. I believe in what I’m doing, and that my work is worthy of being read. The awards are just icing on the cake…but extremely delicious icing! 

How do you measure your success?

Hmmm. Actually, I think there are a lot of ways to measure success, and I’m not sure that I really could choose one that is most dominant. There’s the success of simply getting a book published, which is not so easy to do. There’s the success of said book being well received, reviewed and bestowed with awards, which feels so special. There’s financial success, which comes with high book sales and so forth, which I value, too. I enjoy receiving letters from young readers, and I do believe that positively affecting even just a few kids is worth it all. Each of those things are important to me on different levels. I want the intangible things–like fulfillment, freedom, happiness and the opportunity to make a difference in the world–more than I want money, but I need some money to achieve such things, so all of those are factors in what I consider real “success.” Bottom line: To be able to continue making a living doing what I enjoy most, what comes naturally to me, and what is most meaningful to me–that is success.

On your website, you share that history is one of your favorite subjects to read and write about. What draws you to history?

I read a lot of historical fiction as a teenager, but if you had asked me back then, I probably would have said I hated history. It took me years (literally) to realize that a love of historical fiction probably relates to a love of history, at least on some level. I love intense, dramatic stories, and when it’s told right, history is nothing but a long, dramatic story. If it’s told wrong, or if you downplay the narrative aspects, then history degenerates into a list of names, dates, times and places where stuff happened. Ugh. Historical fiction doesn’t suffer from the problems that textbooks do. In historical fiction (and well-crafted non-fiction, to be fair), you get to lose yourself in the experiences of individuals acting within a historical context. This is how I learned to love history. By trying to see different times and places through the eyes of the people who really lived then. Fiction is a great way to explore the past, in an active, connected and emotional way. And if you accidentally learn some facts along the way, where’s the harm in that?

In one interview you said that many schoolchildren just know the heroes of history. How does that realization impact what you do? What areas would you like to see better explored? Why do you think they’re overlooked?

I do believe that history is taught in a simplified way to young children. It’s hard to get around it, really, given that there is so much to learn, and so little time to impart it all. The problem is that by the time they’re teenagers, the familiar narratives are so…familiar…that it’s hard to add to them. As kids, we’re taught to memorize the names of the presidents, and big chunks of time are synthesized into easy-to-remember single stories. Anecdotes, as opposed to a broader, cohesive narrative. Particularly when it comes to black history, which is typically taught in a quick lump in February, there’s barely time for more than soundbites. Those soundbites typically extoll the virtues and contributions of a select few individuals. Heroes, you might say, whose legacy makes them larger than life. Harriet Tubman. Abraham Lincoln. Rosa Parks. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and today, President Barack Obama. These individuals have become iconic, representing something larger than what any one person can truly do. Yet, the history we tell makes it seem as if they acted alone, or were embued with superhuman powers not granted to the ordinary folk. Hero-based history contains some troubling messages for youth, because as they grow, they begin to realize their human limitations. Sure when you’re four years old, you dream of being an astronaut, or becoming president, but by the time you’re fourteen, you understand that so few people can really achieve those positions. If all you’ve ever known is that heroes make history, how quickly do you give up your dreams, believing you can’t make a difference after all? 

Within Black History, Dr. King is the perfect example of this phenomenon. In our collective memory, Dr. King is no longer just a man; he represents something greater than himself. He’s spoken of as if he embodied the movement, which makes him seem larger than life. I don’t mean to diminish his contribution, but to place it more realistically within the Civil Rights Movement paradigm. He made speeches that motivated people, but it wasn’t the speeches that made change happen—it was the actions of the people he motivated. Entire communities rose up, and THAT was the revolutionary act. History teaches that when heroes act, the world changes. So should we all sit around and wait for the next hero to show up? Not everybody can be Dr. King, but everybody can make a contribution. I would like to see history focus more on broader pictures, rather than snapshots.

I’ve worked in youth-serving non-profit organizations in urban areas, where youth workers struggle day in and day out to convince young black teens that if they band together, they can make a difference. The entire field of community organizing is based on the philosophy that, united, any group of people can effectively change their own circumstances, and even change the world. Yet, young people today take a lot of convincing. Why? I have to believe that, in part, it’s because they don’t understand how history really happened, and how many hands it took to overturn slavery, segregation, and more. My particular passion is educating youth of color about the civil rights movement. This was a movement largely fueled by the energy, passion, anger and commitment of young people. Why is that not taught? Why can every school group I visit quote from the “I Have a Dream” speech, but has never heard of the Freedom Rides? I find this deeply disheartening.

The true facts of the civil rights movement are glossed over when they’re presented to kids. We speak about non-violent civil disobedience as if it was all about holding hands and singing “We Shall Overcome” until the laws miraculously changed. We may mention something about dogs and firehoses, but do we really take time to examine the courage that was required to face them down? Not really. We treat non-violence as if it was the obvious solution to an egregious problem, and it all comes across sounding really easy. It wasn’t. Many people died for this cause, and others came close. We forget to talk about how much anger there was, from both sides, and how people chose to deal with it in different ways. I’ve received letters from readers who were surprised by the anger that my characters experience. They understood and related to that anger, as teens living their lives today. They connected to that anger, and it made them think differently. It got them excited. I think we do our young people a great injustice when we’re not fully honest with them, or when we try to paint a pretty picture over something that was raw and ugly in its own time. If my novel can shed a little bit of light on some of those “dark corners” of history, then I feel I’m making a difference in my own way.

You’re co-editor of the children and young adult section of Hunger Mountain. Please tell us about what that work means to you.

It’s facinating to be on the other side of the editorial process, to view things from a different angle. I’m definitely a writer first, but I do find that editing and critiquing other people’s work helps strengthen my own. I enjoy the partnership with my co-editor, Bethany Hegedus, so the collaborative nature of the work is a nice break from the solitude of writing. It’s also meaningful to be part of this particular journal since it’s associated with Vermont College of Fine Arts, where I got my MFA. I feel a special attachment to the place!

What’s next for you? What writing projects are you working on?

My contract with Aladdin was for two books; I’m working on the second one now. It’s a contemporary middle grade. I’m just finishing it up now. I have other projects in various stages of completion, including a YA manuscript that’s currently with my agent and a couple other YAs that I’m looking forward to returning to work on after Book 2 is turned in.

I know from your site that you love ice cream. What’s your favorite flavor?

In a waffle cone: Vanilla. Out of the carton: Strawberry. In a dish: Cookies & Cream or Pralines ‘n’ Cream. My all time favorite flavor from childhood is Superman (which may just be multicolored vanilla, in truth) but I haven’t been able to find it as an adult. But the quest continues…

What’s your greatest joy?

Besides ice cream? I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. In writing, though, I especially enjoy the moments when the words flow smoothly and I manage to capture a certain thought in the perfect way.

The Buzz on The Rock & The River:

Kekla Magoon – Winner of the 2010 Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe New Talent Award

“In Chicago in 1968, Sam, 14, obeys his father, an eloquent civil-rights leader who is close with Dr. King and is passionately committed to nonviolent protest. But after King is assassinated and Sam witnesses police brutality toward a friend, Sam follows his rebellious older brother, Stephen (“Stick”), and joins the Black Panthers, whose revolutionary platform is the opposite of the nonviolent philosophy that Sam has been taught at home. Then Sam’s father is stabbed. Will the brothers retaliate with violence? True to the young teen’s viewpoint, this taut, eloquent first novel will make readers feel what it was like to be young, black, and militant 40 years ago, including the seething fury and desperation over the daily discrimination that drove the oppressed to fight back. Sam’s middle-class family is loving and loyal, even when their quarrels are intense; and Magoon draws the characters without sentimentality. Along with the family drama, the politics will grab readers, especially the Panthers’ political education classes and their call for “land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, and peace.” A long author’s note fills in background in this important title for YA American history classes.”

– Booklist, Starred Review

Sam Childs, 13, is growing up in Chicago in 1968. His father is a civil rights activist, and the boy has been involved in peaceful demonstrations with his family. When he and his girlfriend, Maxie, witness the brutal beating of a friend at the hands of the police, his world begins to change dramatically. His 17-year-old brother brings a gun home and hides it in their shared room. Next thing Sam knows, Stick has run away from home and is involved with the Black Panther Party, whose philosophy his dad does not share. The brutality of the beating has wrought a change in Sam as well, and the good works he sees the Panthers doing in his neighborhood make him question his dad’s opinion. The characters are well drawn and the complexities of the relationships between Roland Childs and his two sons are moving. The episodes of violence are graphic, but necessary to move the plot forward, and Magoon portrays well the tension between the Panthers and the Civil Rights Movement. An author’s note provides further historical context. While the image of the Black Panther Party is somewhat idealized, this is an important book about a historical reality that has not been dealt with in juvenile fiction.

– School Library Journal

AG Ford is a fast-rising star in the field of literature for children. His first book, BARACK (Katherine Tegen Books, 2008), written by Jonah Winter, quickly rose to become a New York Times bestselling title almost overnight. With BARACK, AG pays a visual tribute to the man who became America’s first African-American president.

Following that debut, AG created gorgeous artwork to adorn the pages of two more books.  MICHELLE is the inspiring story of First Lady, Michelle Obama. FIRST FAMILY follows a day in the life of the Obama family, including daughters Malia and Sasha, and puppy Bo. Both books are written by Deborah Hopkinson and published by HarperCollins.

AG attended the Columbus College of Art and Design, where he majored in illustration. During his junior and senior years, he was accepted into the Society of Illustrators student competition. College presented AG with the good fortune to study under the infamous and award-winning artist C.F. Payne.

AG grew up in Dallas, Texas (Garland), where he discovered his ability to draw at a very young age.

For our first featured illustrator of the Brown Bookshelf’s 28 Days Later, 2010 campaign, we present the amazing AG Ford.

The first three books of your career involve the first African-American President and his family. Can you talk about the significance this played in your artwork?

This is an interesting question because, while an emotional attachment seems inevitable, I really tried not to think of things in that manner. I really just wanted to view the project as a documentarian and simply illustrate the text written by the author, and try to display their passion, and their vision, and the vision of my editors.

I agreed and believed in the writing, so I just really wanted the illustrations to fit with the story and communicate one strong idea.  A successful book was my goal.

Tell us about your most recent book.

The most recent book I completed is GOAL,  written by Mina Javaherbin (Candlewick Publishing, April of 2010).  It’s the story about a group of young boys who play soccer in the shanty homes of South Africa.  I had to research and spend a great deal of time thinking about the imagery in order to communicate the illustrations effectively.  Textures, colors, and dark rich skin tones were all crucial in creating the art for this book.  The drawings of the shanty homes had to be accurate in height, and the textures had to appear rough and worn due to weather, wind, and the everyday wear and tear that is created by the hot sun, years of rain, and rust.  Dirt and dust needed to appear smoky and brutal, clothes needed to look worn out, and soccer balls needed to fly!  Personality from the kids needed to accurately display a range of emotions – happy and even frightful at times – and the action poses needed to display an enormous amount of intensity.  This was definitely a fun book to illustrate, though the process offered challenges at times. Still, I feel that GOAL presents some of my best work for children’s books.

What primary medium do you use in your work?

I use acrylics and oils primarily, more so oils lately, but I can go back in forth. Developing as an illustrator has been an ongoing process honestly, the work is never done, always trying to develop and get better.  Being an artist is interesting because there is no absolute time when you reach a peak, its an endless process.  Athletes usually reach a peak because of the physical limitations of the human body, but as an artist, your brain is your sword and most powerful weapon.  You are always learning and becoming smarter, therefore there isn’t a limitation on how good you can get or how much you can develop.  I try to stay in the studio as much as possible while maintaining my sanity.

Are there any differences in the way you work with children’s book publishers,  compared to your other editorial (magazine) work?

I haven’t done much magazine work, but there isn’t much of a difference. Simply put, a children’s book is usually around 25 illustrations or less, while a magazine job might be 1 or 2, sometimes 3 illustrations. But you are communicating with pictures what is written, making things clear, and fun for the reader. There are major differences when doing gallery work, simply because there are no limitations on what you can create.

If you could spend one day in a studio, working with any artist — past or present — who would that be, and why?

Just a few would be Norman Rockwell, because he was a fast painter, but so accurate, I would like to see his process.  Maxfield Parrish, just to see his glazing process.  Kadir Nelson, Thomas Blackshear, or Kehinde Wiley are a few illustrators I wouldn’t mind spending a few days in the studio with just to talk about art, and see their process, that would be fun I think.

What was the biggest change, unexpected result, or interesting observation you’ve noted since becoming a best-selling children’s book artist?

Well, I got more work thrown my way, which is always good!  And I become aware that people are liking my work to some extent.  But other than that, I think it’s one of those things that happens, and I look forward to trying to accomplish that goal again and again.  But I don’t think about being a best-selling artist much at all honestly, it doesn’t change the way my art looks.  I’m still the same artist, and I want to get better and grow.

As an illustrator who happens to be African American, do you ever feel any special pressures, or unique challenges? Please explain.

I am sure not to display African Americans in a negative light. But my first few books were about the first African American president, so I didn’t really have to deal with anything negative, it was all a positive portrayal.

Can you talk a bit about your process of illustrating a book?

I do a lot of thumbnails, and rough sketches, but not too many color studies, but that’s because I usually have an idea in my mind about the color.  Color studies are necessary though, and I will probably do more of them with bigger personal paintings.

What do you find most gratifying about being an illustrator?

One thing that really led me into children’s books is that I knew I could work traditionally which is something that I love to do.  I like working with my hands, and getting a little messy.  The most gratifying to me is probably being able to work from home and make my own schedule.  I always wanted to be my own boss and run my own business.  This is a great balance of my passion and being able to basically own a small business.

For our aspiring children’s book illustrators, talk about your path to publication.

Well I got lucky and landed a great agent early on while in my senior year in College.  But having an agent doesn’t mean you will automatically get work.  You still have to be smart about your moves.  I took a trip to New York for about a week and met with every publishing house that was willing to meet with me, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time and landed a book deal a few months after that.  The main obstacle is to be able to battle yourself as an artist. Don’t give up, research what you are doing, and really lose yourself in the art world.  Be a student of the arts, stay focused, work ten times harder than everyone around you, and be emerged in it and maximize your potential.

What would be your dream manuscript? Your dream author to work with?

I think my dream manuscript would be……… I don’t know yet.  As far as authors go, I’m still just reading a lot of different authors, I’m not partial to anyone in particular yet, I just really enjoy a lot of different authors, and feel there is some good writing going on!

Who are your cheerleaders, those who encourage you?

My brother is probably my biggest supporter. He just really takes the time to look at my work and purchase my books.  I’m sure he will always be there to look at my work and support me no matter what, he’s cool.

What’s on the horizon, what can your fans expect to see from you?

Well I’m not sure I have a large fan base yet, but I’m working on it.  But for those who are out there, they can expect a lot more personal work, big paintings!  I update my BLOG with new sketches, and ideas. I really like feedback, so I encourage viewers to post comments. I will write you back on my blog and answer questions and what not. http://agford.blogspot.com.  People can definitely expect to see more personal work, and learn about me from a creative perspective and as an artist, a painter, as well as an illustrator.

All images used in this post are copyright of the artist and his publishers.

Nearly two decades ago, 250 people braved the cold to attend the first African American Children’s Book Fair at John Wanamaker Department Store in Philadelphia. Year after year, word spread and enthusiasm for the celebration grew. Today, the book fair, held in the gymnasium of the Community College of Philadelphia, attracts thousands. In fact, not only is it one of the oldest single-day events for African-American children’s books, it has grown to become one of the largest too.

Founder Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati is a tireless advocate and promoter. It’s all part of her mission to preserve our legacy through books.

“The 18th Annual African American Children’s Book Fair will highlight some of the best books our generation,” says Lloyd-Sgambati. “These authors and illustrators cover every aspect of African American lives.  The books are well-written and beautifully illustrated.  These books will open the door to a love of reading and enlightened children of all ages.  This year also opens the door to our campaign to stress the importance of having a home library. Our mantra is “TAKE A BOOK HOME.”  Every home should have an area that is the family reading center.  Also getting our children to read means everyone in the family should be reading.”

Lloyd-Sgambati started The African American Children’s Book Fair to meet a need she saw in her community. For some children, the book fair will be the first time they meet a black children’s book author or illustrator, the first time they receive a personalized book.

“Every time a book is sold that means a story is told,” Lloyd-Sgambati told BBS in this interview. “Telling those stories enables the African American book industry to grow. This growth will mean that our legacy, our history is preserved.”

Several companies and organizations support classroom libraries by giving away new books of the fair participants to educators including PECO, the local utility company;  The Philadelphia Daily News and I Lead- The Urban Genesis Project. Other sponsors include The Literary, Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Comcast and Health Partners which provides resources to parents.

Please spread the word about this important event and stop by if you’re in the Philadelphia area. Several of the guest authors and illustrators are past and current 28 Days Later honorees. Here’s your chance to meet a children’s book author or illustrator of color, support literature and purchase a treasure — a signed book.

Details:

18th Annual African American Children’s Book Fair

Saturday, February 6, 2010, 1-3 p.m.

Community College of Philadelphia (Gymnasium)

17th Spring Garden Street

Free and open to the public

For more information, please call 215-878-BOOK

Guest authors and illustrators include:

 E.B. Lewis

Carole Boston Weatherford

Tonya Bolden

Deborah Gregory

R. Gregory Christie

Sean Qualls

Eric Velasquez

Nicole Bailey-Williams

Walter Dean Myers

Linda Trice

Charisse Carney-Nunes

Lynda Jones

Lorraine Dowdy Gordon

Jerry Craft

London Ladd

Kelly Starling Lyons

Booker T. Mattison

Kekla Magoon

Felicia Pride

Wade Hudson

Gerald Purnell

Cheryl Willis Hudson

Mutiya Visions

Vanessa Newton

Lori Nelson