Sarah is a former early childhood educator. Her celebrity picture book, Charlotte and the Nutcracker (Random House, 2021) received a starred review from Kirkus, which called it a “satisfying story of inspiration, dedication, perseverance.” Warren’s debut nonfiction picture book, Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers was picked for the Amelia Bloomer Top Ten Book List and awarded a Jane Addams Peace Association Children’s Book Award honor. Her picture book Beyoncé: Shine Your Light (Houghton/2019) was called “dazzling” by The New York Journal of Books and named a Scholastic pick for Black History Month. School Library Journal called her picture book biography Stacey Abrams: Lift Every Voice (Lee & Low Books 2022) “a powerful vehicle in conveying the importance of participating in a democratic society, especially through exercising the right to vote” and Publisher’s Weekly called her debut fiction picture book Everything a Drum (Amicus 2023) “an inviting endorsement of creative, musical play.”
Sarah is also the co-founder of Picture Book Parade, an organization that hosts storytelling exhibits in nontraditional places. She is a member of the MN BIPOC Kidlit Collective. Sarah and her family live in Minneapolis with their dog, Bruce Valentine. you can find her at sarahwbooks.com, picturebookparade.com and www.mnbipockidlit.com
Who Inspired Me
I never intended to be an author. I started working as a preschool teacher in 1999 and planned to teach for the rest of my life. I loved my preschoolers, but they were superhero fanatics. The center I worked for wouldn’t let them wear costumes, and they kept getting around the rules by showing up in their Spiderman PJs. It was a problem. I finally realized that they yearned to explore issues around power, autonomy, justice, and strength, so I decided to introduce them to real-life heroes and leaders that were “super” to me, and to make sure those heroes looked like us. The thing was, I couldn’t find enough biographies for
young scholars that celebrated the people I wanted to celebrate. That’s when I started writing. I think doing it for my preschoolers gave me the courage to try my hand at this. Making books for other people’s children is a huge responsibility!
How I Got “The Deal”
I got my first book deal by showing up just about everywhere I could think of where I could be around people in the industry. Once I got serious about writing for publication, I signed up for a two year-long writing apprenticeship offered by the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. I attended conferences, workshops, and critique groups and basically followed an established author named Lisa Bullard around throwing manuscripts at her and begging for feedback. She gave great feedback. Whenever an editor or agent invited authors to send them unsolicited
manuscripts at the end of their workshops, I did it. When I could pay extra to meet an agent or editor at a conference, I took out my credit card and made it happen. I think there are many less expensive ways to meet up with these folks now, over social media, for example, and I’m so glad.
As a part of programming at the Loft, I was able to get feedback from editors at the end of their yearly Children’s Literature Conference. I did two of these and I’m sure I came off as sweaty, anxious, and desperate. Despite my lack of cool, I made a connection the second year with Marilyn Mark from Marshall Cavendish. We didn’t end up getting to work together on the final book, but she liked my manuscript and offered me my first contract.
The Process: How I work
When I first started writing, I would get a voice stuck in my head, kind of like asong, and I would follow that voice. I had no idea what I was doing, but I felt confident and excited whenever I sat down to write. Since then, I’ve taken about a million classes and workshops to learn how to approach this artform
respectfully and intelligently. I’ve also done a bunch of work-for-hire projects where I bring someone else’s vision to life. I know more, but I’m less confident. I need to force myself to sit down and write, and it takes a while for that voice to pipe up. It always does….but I have to put in the work first. I can’t be the clueless free spirit I was in the beginning. I have to make writing a routine, try to let go of my inner and outer critics, and just get to it. With editing work, my LLC, mom-life, and life-life, I try to find 90 minutes a day to write. If I can do it, I feel like a million bucks.
The Buzz
Publisher’s Weekly—My annual visit with Lucy Laney school to celebrate our chance to shine bright in this world! Scholars got t-shirts and a signed book.
International Women’s Day—In 2023 I got to meet my hero, Dolores Huerta, and sit next to her on a stage grinning like a fool while she read the biography I wrote about her. She was at
CSU to celebrate International Women’s Day. The school launched a travelling exhibit about her titled “Dolores Huerta: Revolution in the Fields/Revolución en los Campos.” If it comes to your area, check it out!
Picture Book Parade—I am the co-founder of Picture Book Parade, an LLC that brings local authors and their work into nontraditional spaces. This is how we do it!
MSP International Airport—We are starting our 2nd year-long exhibit of picture books this August. Find out more at picturebooksparade.com!
I am always so impressed with authors whose books sample from all across topics. It’s so cool that both biography and fiction are part of this author’s skillset. Can’t wait to see more!