As a child, Zetta Elliott felt the sting caused by racial slights and slurs. She endured the pain of divorce and the devastation of family breakup. As any child would feel given these situations, Zetta often felt invisible, overlooked — seen yet not heard. Her writing, like the works of many authors, reflect her personal [ Read the full article… ]
28 Days
Philana Marie Boles
When Little Divas hit bookshelves in 2006 it could have been called Lonely Divas because there simply weren’t many middle grade novels, of its kind, aimed at African American readers – a refrain repeated often here at The Brown Bookshelf when we spotlight those authors working hard to fill the slowly shrinking but still present [ Read the full article… ]
Julius Lester
While we’re happy to be featuring Julius Lester as one of our Vanguard authors, the word Vanguard doesn’t even come close to describing the type of career he’s had. Lester has published over forty books and his novels have received numerous honors, including the Newbery Honor Medal, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, National Book Award [ Read the full article… ]
Tia Williams
Even though most authors fall more along the lines of padding into the office to write with flannel PJ’s or sweat pants and bed head – writer, Tia Williams is all about glam and fab. As a former Beauty Director at Teen People and writer on fashion and beauty at some of the most popualr [ Read the full article… ]
Nicole Tadgell
Last fall, when I received a copy of No Mush Today, written by Sally Derby and illustrated by Nicole Tadgell, I was wowed by the story and art. I hoped for an opportunity to feature Nicole in some way, so when her name turned up repeatedly during our nomination process for 28 Days Later 2009, [ Read the full article… ]
Crystal Hubbard
Like the trailblazers in her picture books, Crystal Hubbard knows what it means to beat the odds. As a child, she struggled with chronic asthma. That could have meant sports were out of reach. But Crystal went on to overcome that challenge and not only excel at sports, but develop a passion for them. Her determination and desire to share the [ Read the full article… ]
Sharon Draper
It’s not unheard of for authors to wear two hats and be a “slash.” Author/Lawyer. Author/Doctor. Author/Teacher. Although many writers draw from their other full-time job to enhance their fiction, most are counting down the days to shed that job so author becomes their sole profession. But Sharon Draper, bestselling author and five-time winner of [ Read the full article… ]
Sherri L. Smith
What’s the old saying? Last but not least! Recently, Sherri L. Smith was the guest blogger over at Finding Wonderland and after reading these words “But, let’s get one thing straight—multicultural is a made-up word. The proverbial “Great American Novel” by its very name is a multicultural novel—America is made up of too many different [ Read the full article… ]