At 18, I had my first job as an advocate for Black children’s books. I was working in Harlem and Washington Heights as a summer literacy intern for my college, knocking on doors and offering to read to children and families in their homes. It was a new program, which ended up meaning that we [ Read the full article… ]
Fry Bread Six starred reviews A litany of awards Including the Sibert. A spectacular debut For which we give honor To Kevin Noble Maillard! My Journey I came to publishing in a roundabout way. I have a PhD in Political Theory and also a law degree. I have been a law professor at Syracuse [ Read the full article… ]
“When I was crocheting, I didn’t feel jumpy or jittery. I didn’t feel like I needed to do something to get attention…Throughout the fifth grade, whenever I felt some kind of bad behavior starting up, I would take out my project and crochet away the urge to do something disruptive.” -Jonah Larson, Author I’m [ Read the full article… ]
A Visit to Grandad: An African ABC is an “alphabetical adventure” set in Modakeke, Nigeria, with characters who are “positive models for the African culture, food and way of life.” It is written by today’s picture book author honoree, Sade Fadipe. A Visit to Grandad was first published in England as A Fun ABC before its U.S. [ Read the full article… ]
In 2019, I had the pleasure of meeting Ronni Davis during a writing retreat near Seattle, Washington. She was hobbling around on crutches, trying to keep up. She was a newbie at the writing retreat, but it didn’t take long to become friends with this wonderful writer and amazing person. After reading her debut, WHEN [ Read the full article… ]
Kyandreia Jones is a Posse Miami Scholar and a Creative Writing major at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. She was born and raised in South Florida. When she thinks of home she likes to muse that she is in a “sunshine state of mind.” Jones’ poetry and prose has been published in various college [ Read the full article… ]
Today I’m very excited to feature Camryn Garrett, a young author who has been a part of the industry landscape for years. (I’ve been following her on twitter for a long time.) Her debut FULL DISCLOSURE was released in Fall 2019. It’s smart, funny, and features a main character we haven’t seen much of in YA, a sexual teen who happens to be HIV+.
“I write. I teach. I mom.” That’s the way Ashley Franklin explains it on her website. Ashley is the debut author of Not Quite Snow White, a lovely picture book illustrated by Ebony Glenn and published by HarperCollins. She is also an adjunct college professor who lives in Arkansas with her husband and two young [ Read the full article… ]
