Oh my goodness, this one was a DREAM. I’m so excited to share this exquisite cover by Andrea Pippins for MAE MAKES A WAY: The True Story of Mae Reeves, Hat and History Maker, my upcoming picture book with artist Andrea Pippins, for Random House Kids and the Smithsonian National Museum for African American History [ Read the full article… ]
Category: General
Putting Black Girls at the Center: A Chat with Andréa Butler of Sesi Magazine
Sesi Magazine celebrates the dynamic and multifaceted lives of Black girls and young women in ways that are thoughtful, joyful, and inspiring. And that’s no surprise — publisher and editor-in-chief Andréa Butler is all that and more. A t the age of seventeen, the magazine-loving Andréa decided that if the magazine world continued not to [ Read the full article… ]
Generations Book Club: Celebrating Afro-Latinx Creators
Welcome back to Generations Book Club! Our new list celebrates books by Afro-Latinx creators. From picture books to middle-grade, YA to adult, we have great reads for everyone in the family. If you’d like to purchase copies of any of our picks, click on the covers below. Our mission for Generations is to raise awareness [ Read the full article… ]
Honouring and Inspiring Black Girls and their Stories: Q & A with the founders of SADE MAGAZINE
I love magazines, like LOVE love. I’m extremely grateful that there are still a few shops in NYC that carry publications from around the world, because I will always believe in a meaty print periodical. I used to have a collection of vintage magazines and Black covers so large, that it was kept in a [ Read the full article… ]
Celebrating Floyd Cooper
Floyd Cooper (January 8, 1956-July 15, 2021) was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His artistic talents began early. In an interview for Mackin Community, he said, “I began my artistic sojourn by erasing. When I was three years old I plucked a piece of gypsum board from a scrap heap left by my Dad [ Read the full article… ]
Cover Reveal: Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence
We are delighted to host the cover reveal for an amazing forthcoming picture book from Just Us Books. Written by Useni Eugene Perkins and illustrated by Laura Freeman, Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence “shares the story of Nkrumah’s declaration of Ghana’s independence and the tremendous history that led to that celebrated moment.” Award-winning creators [ Read the full article… ]
Juneteenth – Literary Freedom
Happy Juneteenth! As we celebrate Freedom Day, let’s support Black bookstores and creators. Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati, founder of the African American Children’s Book Project, is offering hundreds of titles in The Literary Cafe – Books & Events store. From board books through YA, she has curated a list to build home, school and library collections. Read [ Read the full article… ]
Why Juneteenth Matters
Thursday, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law making Juneteenth the first federal holiday established since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Marking the date when General Gordon Granger arrived with the Union Army to enforce that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were free – June 19, 1865 – Juneteenth is a celebration of [ Read the full article… ]