I was born to a mother who loves to read, to a woman who was always crafting stories of her own. I can recall her sitting at her word processor and her fingers flitting across the keyboard in great urgency. This was a person who was also a middle school teacher, and who would later become a librarian at a public library.
28 Days
Day 15 — Karyn Parsons
DAY 14 – RONNI DAVIS
In 2019, I had the pleasure of meeting Ronni Davis during a writing retreat near Seattle, Washington. She was hobbling around on crutches, trying to keep up. She was a newbie at the writing retreat, but it didn’t take long to become friends with this wonderful writer and amazing person. After reading her debut, WHEN [ Read the full article… ]
DAY 13: Ibtihaj Muhammad
Changemaker and fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad breaks barriers. She was the first Muslim American woman in hijab to compete for the United States in the Olympics. She was the first Muslim American woman to earn a medal in the games, scoring bronze in the women’s saber team event. She inspired the first Barbie in hijab, a [ Read the full article… ]
Day 12: KWAME MBALIA
One of the highlights of the many highlights Kwame Mbalia has received is definitely the Coretta Scott King Honor Award for TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY. Kwame said, “It rattled me to my core. I never dreamed that my book would resonate with readers like it did, and I’m incredibly grateful, thankful, and [ Read the full article… ]
Day 11: Vanguard Honoree Nikki Grimes
Day 10: Sharon Langley
In 1963, Sharon Langley became the first Black child to legally ride the carousel in Baltimore’s Gwynn Oak Amusement Park after it was finally desegregated. Langley shares both the historical and personal circumstances leading up to this momentous act in the lovely and well-reviewed picture book, A Ride to Remember, co-authored by Amy Nathan, illustrated [ Read the full article… ]
Day 9: Tonya Engel
Tonya Engel is a self-taught artist living in Houston, Texas. Folk artists of the deep South have influenced her work, as well as contemporary masters such as Marc Chagall, Frida Kahlo, Romare Beardon and Gustav Klimpt. Her bold style is figurative, textured, colorful, and ripe with symbolism. Engel made a spectacular debut in children’s publishing [ Read the full article… ]