Studens are heading back to school again, in a year roiling with the controversy over teaching Black history. Some parents and lawmakers apparently fear that teaching children about the accomplishments of Black people in the past will somehow damage white learners. I defy anyone to feel damaged by learning the story of Clara Belle Drisdale […]
Clara Belle Williams: New Mexico Pioneer in Education Read More »
Are you an aspiring kidlit author of color wondering if a mentor might be just what you need to assist you on the path to publication? Kid Lit Nation will be linking up-and-coming authors of color with mentors this year. I am one of the authors who will providing mentorship later this year for an
Kid Lit Nation Mentor Read More »
For some readers, the attractions of a new culture or setting can be huge. We all know our own culture down to the level of our subconscious and consider it “normal,” possibly even boring. I admit I enjoy seeing and reading about other cultures and peoples. Black Panther’s land of Wakanda and it’s tribal structure and
Crafting Fictional Cultures Read More »
When authors write about POC, the very last thing they should be worrying about is what word to use to describe a character’s skin color. (or the slant in the eyes, the shape of the nose, etc.) Once an author has elaborated on the exact skin hue … well, exactly what do readers really know
Chocolate or Coffee? Read More »
I’ve heard numerous white authors use variations of that phrase when they decide to include characters from marginalized groups in their stories. Writers make things up all the time, they insist. They seldom appear capable of seeing any other reason for negative reaction to their work. Readers, critics, and reviewers who complain about their works
I’m a writer, I can just use my imagination Read More »
Kid Lit Nation (http://kidlitnation.com/) is hosting a webinar on 1-31-18 featuring debut picture book author Baptiste Paul and illustrator Jacqueline Alcantara. For more detailed information about the event, click this link – KIdLitNation Webinar You can register for the webinar via this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_exnq2R34Q1mdvJ4lBsqALw
KidLitNation Webinar on 1-31-18 Read More »
I have never been able to write poetry. Not good poetry, anyway. Give me 70,000 plus words to write and I’m happy. Give me 700 words for a flash fiction piece and I grit my teeth and write because the publisher pays me (and sends me glowing notes about how wonderful my stories are –
Louder Than A Bomb Read More »
I can’t count the number of times I have heard that word used by agents and editors at a writers conference I attended in the fall. Prairie Writers and Illustrators day is a yearly one-day affair by the Illinois chapter of SCBWI. The conference is hosted at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois every fall. During
Voice and Ownvoices Read More »
When I was a kid, we used to have a song we sang when we walked down the street, deliberately bumping into people we didn’t like. I am blind and I can’t see, and if I knock you down don’t you blame it on me. As if that absolved us from guilt. Being “color blind” requires
More on the “Color Blind” thing Read More »
At first, the question the novice writer asked seemed simple. A member of one of my writing groups asked whether describing one of her characters as “a black man” was racist. That one word (racist, not black) often seems utterly terrifying for many white people – especially white authors. I started simply, by asking if
So You Say You Don’t See Color Read More »