It’s 2 o’clock in the morning and I’ve been working all day on a spread from my upcoming graphic novel. If I can just finish this one last panel, I can go to sleep. I look at the hand on one of the characters, it’s not great, but it’ll do. As I get ready to [ Read the full article… ]
28 Days
Day 27: Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Over the past 13 years, award-winner Vanessa Brantley-Newton has illustrated (or illustrated and authored) approximately 80 books for children, including titles such as Every Little Thing, We Shall Overcome, Mary Had a Little Glam, and The Hula Hoopin’ Queen. Her most recent release is The Youngest Marcher (written by Cynthia Levinson, Simon & Schuster, 1/2017) and later [ Read the full article… ]
Day 26: Eloise Greenfield
I knew that Eloise Greenfield loved me. As a child, I pored over HONEY, I LOVE over and over again, and could hear the words of her poems just as if she were right next to me, speaking to me, chatting with my mother and grandmother, reminding me that I was special, powerful, beautiful, and [ Read the full article… ]
Day 26: Jacqueline Woodson
I remember the first time I read Jacqueline Woodson’s Visiting Day. Early in my publishing journey, I was exploring the magic of picture books when I spotted one with a black father and daughter embracing on the cover. James Ransome’s beautiful illustration and the title called to me, saying, “This is something special.” The opening [ Read the full article… ]
Day 25: Rosa Guy
Most people have never heard of Rosa Guy (rhymes with “key”), but she has been influential in developing the careers of many writers despite her relative obscurity. Guy was born in Trinidad & Tobago and raised in Harlem from age 7. After the death of her father, and because her older sister was ill, Guy [ Read the full article… ]
Day 24: Andrea Davis Pinkney
In the 1990s, I was new to the art and business of writing. I dappled in adult magazine articles, then articles for young readers. I discovered early readers and found editors who thought they were worthy of publication. Then, I decided to write something else, something different, but I couldn’t put my finger on it [ Read the full article… ]
Day 23: Javaka Steptoe
As a young child, Javaka Steptoe served as a model and was the inspiration behind much of the artwork created by his esteemed father, the late John Steptoe. However, the young model went on to establish himself as an outstanding book creator in his own right. Javaka Steptoe’s debut picture book, In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers [ Read the full article… ]
Day 23: Jason Reynolds
Award-winning author and poet Jason Reynold offers a plan for “people, young, old, and in-between, who hate reading.” His plan: NOT WRITE BORING BOOKS. Since entering the field of youth literature in 2014, he has kept to his plan. Reynolds is the author of critically acclaimed When I Was the Greatest, for which he won the Coretta Scott King/John [ Read the full article… ]