As interested as I am to hear about Rebecca Barrow’s addition to the YA universe, what I really wanted to talk about was her lip color and that beautiful purple hair – because, I have a slight lip gloss and color obsession. Lucky for you all, I kept my impulses in check. Rebecca…::makes call me [ Read the full article… ]
28 Days
Day 1: Mariama J. Lockington
Today begins the Brown Bookshelf’s most-anticipated, and our favorite series of posts of the year, 28 Days Later. Celebrating Black Kidlit creators across the diaspora has been a passion for us, but is also necessary. Books by Black creators continue to be out-paced by books about Black children from people outside of the community. So [ Read the full article… ]
Time to Celebrate!
TOMORROW’S THE DAY! Join us for the next 28 days as we celebrate these outstanding Black authors and illustrators! And please spread the word. They deserve maximum shine. Our 2019 Honorees for 28 DAYS LATER* February 1 – Mariama Lockington February 2 – Rebecca Barrow February 3 – Maxine Beneba Clarke February 4 – David [ Read the full article… ]
Day 28.5: YA Panel Part 2
We’re pretending that it’s Leap Year by offering day two of our YA Panel with authors Justina Ireland (Dread Nation), Brandy Colbert (Little & Lion) and Dhonielle Clayton (The Belles). Check out the convo as they discuss being vocal on social media and getting on their soap boxes. BBS: All of you are active on social [ Read the full article… ]
Day 28: YA Panel
As the sole resident YA author on the BBS team, I’m often consulted about potential candidates to cover for 28 Days Later. Having returned to the campaign after a very long hiatus, the sound my colleagues heard when asking that question was akin to *crickets.* Not because I’m unaware of the authors out there, but [ Read the full article… ]
Day 27: Gilbert Robertson IV
It is so impressive to know that Gilbert “Gil” Robertson earned a B.A. in Political Science from Cal State Los Angeles and is a professional member of the National Press Club, National Association of Black Journalists, The Recording Academy, The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Motion Picture Association of America. He [ Read the full article… ]
Day 26: Quvenzhané Wallis
At the age of 5, Quvenzhané Wallis secured her first acting role as Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild. Her spectacular performance in the film earned her the distinction of being the Academy Awards’ youngest nominee ever for Best Actress (the third youngest among all categories), and the first African-American child actor to be nominated [ Read the full article… ]
Day 25: Tami Charles
Tami Charles describes herself as a “former teacher. Wannabe chef. Debut author.” We here at the Brown Bookshelf just know her as awesome. She was also in a R&B group (and I really, really want to know which one), and has serious love for empanadas. We’ve got love for empanadas too, but we’re really excited [ Read the full article… ]