Typically, when you think of an author/illustrator, you think of someone who combines words with paintings or drawings to tell a story. But author/illustrator Nina Crews is not your typical storyteller — she’s extraordinary, and chooses to illustrate her stories with photographs. “I fell in love with photography in college,” she says. “While I studied [ Read the full article… ]
28 Days
Leonard Jenkins
Leonard Jenkins is the illustrator of so many books for children, posting a list of his books would test the limits of this blog. Explains why we couldn’t contact him for an interview — he’s busy! Probably buried knee-deep in his art studio, painting his next crop of books, and not taking phone calls. Mr. [ Read the full article… ]
Mildred Taylor
Allow me to giggle like silly for a second. It’s not everyday that you get to interview one of your childhood icons. Ahem. Okay, I’m better now. I was about eight or nine when I was introduced to Cassie Logan and her family in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Which means I was among [ Read the full article… ]
Jabari Asim
Poetry called to him in his youth. Fresh from college, Jabari Asim sold TVs at a Sears in St. Louis and dreamed big dreams. When his first poem was published in Black American Literature Forum, that was all he needed to set him on his path. He left his job at Sears and took the leap of faith that led him [ Read the full article… ]
M. Sindy Felin
Chosen by NPR as a Novel You Wish a Teacher Would Assign, M. Sindy Felin’s debut novel Touching Snow is an amazing story to read. I literally devoured Karina’s story in two days. Author Sharon Draper describes Felin as “. . . a writer whose words flow like mercury – volatile and dangerous. She is [ Read the full article… ]
Patricia C. McKissack
Patricia C. McKissack’s journey to become a children’s book author began as she sat on the front porch wrapped in her mother’s arms. As she listened to her mama recite the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar, a spell wove around them. Words and possibility swirled in the air until bedtime called and poetry danced in [ Read the full article… ]
Eleanora E. Tate
Eleanora E. Tate’s eyes glimmer with the twinkle of a teacher. She passes along wisdom with a heap of humor and grace. That’s a quality of her acclaimed stories too. Author of 11 books, Tate celebrates neighborhoods, families and communities with plots that move and challenge and characters who endure long after her stories end. [ Read the full article… ]
Janice Harrington
My first homework assignment for the 28 Days Later campaign was to read the book The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007), written by award-winning author Janice Harrington. I read it out loud with my 6-year-old son, who enjoyed the playful chicken noises — “Pruck! Pruck! Pruck! Pee-o, pee-o, pee-o!” Ms. [ Read the full article… ]