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Day 12 – J. Elle

There’s a certain heart you need to create for young readers. I think many children’s lit creatives were likely the same folks who, at some point, thought about becoming educators but for some reason or another didn’t. The heart of today’s creative is giving me vibes of that, primarily because she was in fact in [ Read the full article… ]

Day 11: Charnaie Gordon

You may have seen the countless cover reveals she has hosted. Or read her inspiring posts celebrating BIPOC children’s book creators. Or maybe you heard her fun and engaging interviews that make authors and illustrators feel like friends.  A dedicated advocate for diverse children’s books, influencer Charnaie Gordon champions reading through her popular blog, Here [ Read the full article… ]

Day 10 : Desmond Hall

Desmond Hall is a Jamaican born author who’s also been a filmmaker, high school teacher, advertising creative director, playwright and so much more. Desmond has served on the board of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and the Advertising Council and has also been named one of Variety magazine’s Top 50 Creatives to Watch. Desmond is [ Read the full article… ]

Day 9: Winsome Bingham

According to her website, Winsome Bingham is “a soul food connoisseur, master cook, and a US Army war and disabled veteran. She received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and an MFA in Writing For Children and Young Adults. She has more than 15 years of teaching experience. You can find her writing on [ Read the full article… ]

Day 8 – Joya Goffney

It’s been exciting to watch Young Adult fiction featuring Black characters blossom. Today’s characters are being allowed to fall in love, cause good trouble and, in general, be the teens they deserve to be.  Our Day 8 spotlight is Joya Goffney, one of the newest stars in the genre thanks to her 2021 debut, Excuse [ Read the full article… ]

DAY 7: Janae Marks

Janae grew up in the suburbs of New York City, where she always wrote. She started out writing illustrated autobiographical stories in kindergarten, and then journal entries, stories to submit to Seventeen Magazine‘s short story contests, and letters to her pen pals and summer camp friends. She read a lot too, of course. Her books [ Read the full article… ]

Day 6: Raissa Figueroa

NOTE: There is a brief mention of suicide in this post. If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Raissa Figueroa is a brilliant illustrator and graphic designer based in San Diego, California. Her artwork, largely digital, is simply stunning. A few books [ Read the full article… ]

Day 5: Lisa Stringfellow

Question: Who is Lisa Stringfellow? Answer:  Learn more about Lisa and her highly-anticipated middle grade novel, A Comb of Wishes (that publishes in just three days), below! The Journey I am a veteran middle school English teacher and about 15 years ago, I returned to graduate school to work on my masters degree. I [ Read the full article… ]