Day 9: Tonya Abari

Tonya Abari is a Nashville-based independent journalist, author, essayist, author collaborator, and reviewer for both children and adults. With a wide range of interests including parenting, Black maternal health, food, travel, lifestyle, environment, personal wellness, and culture, her words have been published in the Nashville Scene, Essence, AllRecipes, AARP, Ambrook, The Kitchn, USA Today, Publishers [ Read the full article… ]

Day 8: Jerry Pinkney

Over a career spanning 69 years, Jerry Pinkney became one of the most revered and respected children’s book illustrators in America, if not the world. His evocative drawings and paintings won him international acclaim and brought more than 100 children’s books to life. As one of America’s pre-eminent Black illustrators, many of Jerry’s books prominently [ Read the full article… ]

Day 7: Shawn Pryor

Shawn Pryor’s (he/him) work includes the upcoming middle-grade graphic novel Fast Break (FSG/Macmillan, 2026), Kaiju Unleashed (Quarto/Epic Ink), and Who Is Shaun White? (Penguin Random House), The Great Explorer of Mammoth Cave: A Graphic Novel Biography of Stephen Bishop (Capstone), the hi/lo reader series The Gamer (Capstone), Cash and Carrie (Action Lab Entertainment), and several [ Read the full article… ]