28 Days

It seems being the youngest of seven children would give Pansie Hart Flood plenty of adventures to write about.  But it was the memories from summer visits with her Grandmother that penned her first trilogy.  The Brown Bookshelf is honored to spotlight Pansie Hart Flood during our 28 Days Later Program. Tell Us About Your [ Read the full article… ]

Bil Wright is an award winning novelist, playwright, and director. His latest award was announced last month at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting– The Stonewall Book Award -Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award for Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy. “Carlos Duarte knows who he is and isn’t trying to be anyone else—in fact, [ Read the full article… ]

Contemporary realism with an abstract flair is how Charlotte Riley-Webb has described her art. Her rhythmic style with bright bold colors easily translates into the children’s books she illustrates. Today, Web-Riley blogs about her journey as a children’s book illustrator and fine artist. By Charlotte Riley-Webb For the final year of my college education I [ Read the full article… ]

More than a decade ago, L. Divine dreamed of creating books that would inspire young adults to read for pleasure. The teacher and scholar came up with a main character, Jayd Jackson, a teen from Compton, California who attends a predominantly white school and navigates the world of classes, boys, friendships and family.  “DRAMA HIGH,”  she shared on one site, “is about [ Read the full article… ]

Calvin Alexander Ramseyis a man of numerous talents. Not only does he write award winning picture books for children, he is a photographer, a folk art painter, and a playwright.  His plays have won awards as they traveled across the country to Washington, D.C., Atlanta; Omaha, Nebraska; San Francisco; and Alaska. That schedule surely agrees [ Read the full article… ]

Lynda Jones was destined to be an author.  Her story breathes that truth.  A love for writing shines through her responses and  that’s why on this Valentine’s Day, we’re delighted to spotlight  her during our 28 Days Program. Tell us about your Journey Raised in the gritty urban landscape that is East Harlem (aka Spanish Harlem [ Read the full article… ]

Having authored over twenty picture books for children, Debbi Chocolate epitomizes the 28 Days Later Vanguard honoree. Her books include the CSK/John Steptoe Award-winning, The Piano Man; Parents’ Choice Award winner, Talk, Talk: An Ashanti Legend; and the highly acclaimed, El Barrio. Chocolate, a graduate of Spelman College and Brown University, is a former children’s [ Read the full article… ]

You know how it goes, “If you build it . . .” That’s just what happened for Earl Sewell. When publishers didn’t give him a break, he created his own opportunity by starting Katie Books, a publishing company named for his late mother. Sewell published his first novel and worked hard for two years selling it. Then, guess what? [ Read the full article… ]