Desmond Hall is a Jamaican born author who’s also been a filmmaker, high school teacher, advertising creative director, playwright and so much more. Desmond has served on the board of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and the Advertising Council and has also been named one of Variety magazine’s Top 50 Creatives to Watch. Desmond is [ Read the full article… ]
28 Days
Day 9: Winsome Bingham
According to her website, Winsome Bingham is “a soul food connoisseur, master cook, and a US Army war and disabled veteran. She received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and an MFA in Writing For Children and Young Adults. She has more than 15 years of teaching experience. You can find her writing on [ Read the full article… ]
Day 8 – Joya Goffney
It’s been exciting to watch Young Adult fiction featuring Black characters blossom. Today’s characters are being allowed to fall in love, cause good trouble and, in general, be the teens they deserve to be. Our Day 8 spotlight is Joya Goffney, one of the newest stars in the genre thanks to her 2021 debut, Excuse [ Read the full article… ]
DAY 7: Janae Marks
Janae grew up in the suburbs of New York City, where she always wrote. She started out writing illustrated autobiographical stories in kindergarten, and then journal entries, stories to submit to Seventeen Magazine‘s short story contests, and letters to her pen pals and summer camp friends. She read a lot too, of course. Her books [ Read the full article… ]
Day 6: Raissa Figueroa
NOTE: There is a brief mention of suicide in this post. If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Raissa Figueroa is a brilliant illustrator and graphic designer based in San Diego, California. Her artwork, largely digital, is simply stunning. A few books [ Read the full article… ]
Day 5: Lisa Stringfellow
Question: Who is Lisa Stringfellow? Answer: Learn more about Lisa and her highly-anticipated middle grade novel, A Comb of Wishes (that publishes in just three days), below! The Journey I am a veteran middle school English teacher and about 15 years ago, I returned to graduate school to work on my masters degree. I [ Read the full article… ]
DAY 4: ANTWAN EADY
Talented, generous, dedicated and kind are just a few of the adjectives that describe Antwan Eady. Watching his rise has filled us with joy and pride. From helping to create a community for Black children’s book creators to showing love to Black authors and illustrators who paved the way and landing deals for his touching [ Read the full article… ]
Day 3: Elise Bryant
Elise Bryant was born and raised in Southern California. For many years, Elise had the joy of working as a special education teacher, and now she spends her days writing swoony love stories and eating dessert. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Long Beach. We are thrilled to welcome her to The [ Read the full article… ]