Zetta Elliott's Blog, page 112
July 4, 2010
take the A train…
In two weeks I'll be attending the Harlem Book Fair—will you? I'll be on this panel on 7/17, and on 7/18 I'll be doing a reading/signing/writing workshop at The Studio Museum in Harlem (2-4pm). Hope to see you there!
White and Whatever: Diversity in Children's & Young Adult Book Publishing Schomburg/Hughes Auditorium (Televised Live on C-Span's Book-TV) 3:55p – 5:10p
The United States is an extremely diverse nation. But books for children and young adults hardly reflect that diversity...
July 2, 2010
heart sigh
As my taxi flew along the BQE late last night, I realized just how reassuring the Manhattan skyline can be, especially the arc of white lights atop the Chrysler Building. If I see those lights in the distance, I know that I'm back in Brooklyn and will soon be home. I've been on the go a lot this week, so I'm sorry if I missed some blog posts and Facebook links. It's hard to keep up with things when you're on the road, and the interview process can leave you so drained you don't even WANT t...
June 29, 2010
brilliant blogs
Many thanks to blogger Summer Edward for this thorough, thoughtful review of Wish—from a Caribbeanist's perspective! I hope you've already discovered Summer's online journal, Anansesem, which is currently accepting submissions from children and adult writers…
Have you stopped by The Bottom of Heaven lately? Claudia has posted the first in a series of reflections on Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. I'll be contributing my thoughts in early July—be sure to follow along as other bloggers...
June 27, 2010
lullaby
My good friend Kate is a transracial adoptee—she's also a mother, lawyer, writer, and wife—but she devotes a good portion of her time to raising others' awareness of the issues facing adoptees (she blogs at The Missing Piece). A few years back, Kate introduced me to poet/novelist Jackie Kay (also a transracial adoptee writing about adoption), and so when I saw this video on e-drum, I knew I had to send it to her. Then I watched the video myself and felt I could listen to Jacke Kay reading p...
June 26, 2010
"seg-book-gation"
Have you read Bernice McFadden's great op-ed in The Washington Post? If not, get over there now! Here's just a taste:
…a few select African American authors have "crossed over" into the mainstream — the work of many African Americans authors, myself included, has been lumped into one heap known as "African American literature." This suggests that our literature is singular and anomalous, not universal. It is as if we American authors who happen to be of African descent are not a people but...
June 24, 2010
yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!
As I think about potentially leaving Brooklyn and moving back into car country, the one advantage that sticks in my mind is an end to sexual harassment in the street. It's hard to get through a day in this city without multiple men of varying ages saying or doing something to offend me and disturb my peace. So when I found this post over at the Crunk Feminist Collective, I practically jumped for joy (it's by J.Neensy, whose website is called "Brooklyn Magic"!). I wish men (and women...
June 23, 2010
mulatta (fiction) fatigue
This self-diagnosis prevents me from fairly judging a book like The Girl Who Fell from the Sky. This one has an original plot about a family so dysfunctional the protagonist really didn't "need" to be mixed race. But she is, which means some of the same old same old (repeated references to her beauty/striking blue eyes: check; insensitive white boyfriend: check; menacing black girl at school who wants to beat her up: check; black family member who admires her good hair: check; reference to ...
June 21, 2010
A Place Where Hurricanes Happen
Today's the release day for A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, a beautiful collaboration between author Renee Watson and my good friend, Shadra Strickland. An award-winning illustrator, Shadra poured her passion and talent into this new book—these beautiful sample illustrations will give you a sense of how she captured both the innocence of kids in New Orleans, and the terror of living through a devastating hurricane.
You recently gave a talk about the healing power of art. How do you...
June 20, 2010
The Mariposa Club
Thanks to Amanda and Jodie, The Mariposa Club started off at the top of my TBR list following the Book Blogger Convention in late May. And even though I finished it a couple of weeks ago, the distinct voices of the characters are still fresh in my mind. This is one of the most original stories I've ever read, and the representation of four gay friends (self-dubbed "The Fierce Foursome") entering their senior year of high school in southern California brilliantly complicates our ideas of...
June 19, 2010
Happy Father's Day
Not to be morbid, but 6 years ago my father died of prostate cancer, which is a form of cancer that can be treated and even cured if detected early. So on this day, urge the men you love (of a certain age, 45-50) to get tested so there will be many more Father's Days to celebrate together…
