June is full of celebrations: Father’s Day, Juneteenth and Black Music Month to name a few. But a beautiful one that needs more support is LGBTQIA Pride. There are so many amazing Black authors whose work deserves to be in schools, libraries and homes around the nation. Banning. Discrediting their work. Quietly pulling their books [ Read the full article… ]
Allen R. Wells is an accomplished author, engineer, and advocate for inclusion and representation in children’s literature. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Allen discovered his passion for storytelling at a young age, inspired by his second-grade teacher who introduced him to journaling. This early spark fueled a lifelong journey to create impactful stories that [ Read the full article… ]
Kaylani Juanita McCard, professionally known as Kaylani Juanita, is an illustrator. Her work focuses on activism, empowerment of people of color, and LGBTQ+ people. Her work has appeared in publications through Chronicle Books, Cicada Magazine, and Lee & Low Books. Her first illustrated book, Ta-Da! by Kathy Ellen Davis, was released by Chronicle Books and nominated for an Young Readers award via [ Read the full article… ]
I am fascinated by today’s honoree’s writing style. Her micro-chapters are a sign that there are still new ways to execute an old Art. They’re also something that a lot of young readers have probably been waiting for. Despite her books being nearly 400 pages, the 1-2 page chapters makes reading them feel like you’re [ 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… ]
As a teen I studied ballet, but it was already too late for me to be a professional dancer. (I was no Misty Copeland.) I loved going to the ballet, but there were no black or brown ballerinas on stage at New York City Ballet or American Ballet Theater. If there were, maybe I might [ Read the full article… ]
Pointe may be Brandy’s first published novel, but it is not her first attempt at writing. She is a magazine journalist. Add that to her tap and jazz dance training and you have the perfect person to write about ballet. Her life story is riveting and so is Pointe. After learning about Brandy, you will [ Read the full article… ]
Tonya C. Hegamin is an author that refuses to be penned down to one category. She has degrees in both poetry (from the University of Pittsburgh) and in creative writing (from the New School University). She’s penned both picture books (Most Loved In All The World, Houghton Mifflin, 2008) and novels. And even within her [ Read the full article… ]
