“With his compelling memoir, Hudson will inspire young readers to emulate his ideals and accomplishments.” –Booklist, Starred Review Getting to know Wade Hudson is such a treat and a privilege, and his middle grade memoir DEFIANT: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South, is a genuine blessing. In DEFIANT, readers will get a glimpse of [ Read the full article… ]
Category: News
COVER REVEAL: MAE MAKES A WAY
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… ]
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… ]
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–It Doesn’t Take A Genius
Gordon C. James has said of his work: “When people see my art I want them to say, I know that person, I know that feeling.” And I burst into cheers when I saw this NY Times bestselling artist’s cover art for my middle grade novel IT DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS. He so beautifully captured [ Read the full article… ]
OPAL’S GREENWOOD OASIS: History in Full Color
The upcoming centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre on May 31, 2021 – June 1, 2021 offers us the opportunity to hear from Black creators telling the story of what happened in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921 through books, television, film, radio and other planned public programs. Three Black creatives in Oklahoma [ Read the full article… ]
Torrey Maldonado on: The Talk
In The Talk, out today, thirty diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators engage young people in frank discussions about racism, identity and self-esteem. Featuring stories and images filled with love, acceptance, truth, peace, and an assurance that there can be hope for a better tomorrow, The Talk is an inspiring anthology and must-have resource published in [ Read the full article… ]