Zetta Elliott's Blog, page 26

my Scottish granny

Meet my Scottish granny! To be honest, I don’t remember much about Grandma McKay, but I know that she took my father in when he arrived from the Caribbean as a teen only to find his stepmother didn’t want him in “her” home. She taught my mother to make Yorkshire pudding and she knit me and my siblings cardigans in different colors—mine was bubblegum pink, which might explain why I lost it in K-mart when I was four or five. I’ve had Scotland in my thoughts for the past few years. When I was working on my family memoir, The Hummingbird’s Tongue, I found the journal of an 18th-century Scottish lady who visited St. Kitts-Nevis. Scotland has recently been examining its ties to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and I unsuccessfully applied for a residency designed to explore the interwoven histories of Scotland and the Caribbean. I have another residency application on my desk, but decided not to wait for an invitation to cross the pond. I leave for Edinburgh in a few hours and am looking forward to meeting educators and students at two local schools where I’ll be giving book talks. On Thursday I head to Glasgow for the first time (I visited Edinburgh in 1991 as an exchange student) to talk all things kid lit with Prof. Evelyn Arizpe and author/doctoral candidate Elizabeth Dulemba. And on Friday I’m on the closing panel of the SYP Conference: Publishing v. the World. Then I come back to Brooklyn—and then I have some tough choices to make. I was in Washington, DC last week for the NEA’s Read Across America launch, and I was reminded once again how much I like DC. After having dinner with two local friends, I started thinking seriously about giving up my apartment here in Brooklyn. I’ve been here over ten years—largely because my landlord is my friend who keeps the rent below market value. If I left, she could renovate and raise the rent, and I could start a new chapter in a new city. It would be hard to leave behind my NYC friends and professional contacts, but there are so many youth-serving organizations in DC…lots of Black history, pleasing architecture, good public transit, and DC is a walkable city. Maybe Scotland will sweep me off my feet and I’ll see if spending the summer there eases my restless spirit. But I need a change…

Words at Weeksville

Words have been flowing through me this month! Last week I wrote four picture book stories and started collaborating on a chapter book with a good friend. Today I finished another picture book, and I’m still adding to my YA poetry collection (20 poems plus 40 haiku). The latest school shooting in Florida got me down, but then I heard the impressive poems of teens who took my Gwendolyn Brooks writing workshops and I stopped thinking about leaving the country. A dose of Wakanda later that night helped, too!

This coming week I’ll be busy: I’m teaching a creative writing mini-camp at Uptown Stories and I’m giving a talk to MLIS students at Pratt Institute on Tuesday night. On Wednesday night I’ll be leading a historical fiction writing workshop for adults at Weeksville Heritage Center:

Grounding Your Story In History

What’s the best way to imbue your creative writing with historical detail? When do you have to stick to the facts and how do you make the story feel true when you don’t? Join Zetta Elliott, the author of over 25 books for young readers and Weeksville’s 2015 Writer-in-Residence, as she leads an intimate writing workshop that will help jumpstart your creativity by using rich history to write compelling narratives. Participants will receive a copy of Ms. Elliott’s book “A Wish After Midnight,” which is set in historic Weeksville.

There are seats still available and you can get your tickets here.

Next week I head to North Carolina and then in two weeks I head to Scotland! I’ve also got invitations to go to Boston and Columbus, OH. I’m saying “yes” to just about everything this spring so I can take the summer off and disappear for a while. I just got a request for revisions on The Dragon Thief but they’re not due till May…would love to turn those in and leave the country for a while. Not for good—I just need a break. Maybe this summer I’ll get over to Sweden and start my Viking novel…

in my own interest…

As an indie author, I have to do most things for and by myself. I participated in a young adult novel convention in San Mateo this past weekend; I had to pay for my flight, hotel, and numerous car services to get around the Bay Area. Then, at the end of a great day of talking about books with authors and readers, I took my seat between two other authors and got ready to sign some books. But only one person stopped by my table and she had a copy of…BIRD. A picture book published ten years ago. So I went out to the bookseller’s stand and sure enough, BIRD was the only title of mine they had ordered. The bookseller blamed the convention organizers, and they in turn blamed the bookseller. The night before, I spoke to two groups of teens at a juvenile detention facility and they had the choice of THREE of my YA titles: A WISH AFTER MIDNIGHT, THE DEEP, AND SHIP OF SOULS. The librarian told me she had ordered the books through Amazon, which means for the indie title I got the highest royalty. The chart on the right shows what I earn on THE DEEP, which is a $10 book; when someone buys it on Amazon, I get just over 30% but when they buy through the distributor channel, I get 10% (the industry standard). I came home from that convention with a lots of different ideas in my head, but yesterday I went through my CreateSpace dashboard and removed the extended distribution option from all of my full-color picture books. They also retail for $10 but when libraries and bookstores buy through the two big distributors, I only get 20-35 cents per book. So someone just ordered 70 copies of BENNY DOESN’T LIKE TO BE HUGGED through that channel but I only earned $14 in royalties. When anyone orders THE DOOR AT THE CROSSROADS through the expanded distribution channel, I make 26 cents even though the book retails for $15. I wanted to make it easy for bookstores and libraries but the truth is, most of them aren’t interested in supporting indie authors. Which means I need to act in my own interest from now on.

I just turned in final revisions for DRAGONS IN A BAG and my editor is sending me her editorial notes for THE DRAGON THIEF. After doing 10 book talks in three days, I’m relieved not to have any school visits until the middle of February! Time to write…

lift the curtain…

I just had a fantastic school visit at PS 1 and left with my phone buzzing with notifications. Like me, plenty of folks online are excited about the cover reveal for Dragons in a Bag—see what the buzz is about here or click on the red curtain. I also wrote a short essay about my inspiration and the importance of Geneva B‘s artwork in a moment when Black boys are still being misrepresented…

I’ve never done a cover reveal before and knew I wanted to draw attention not just to my book, but to an alternative way of looking at kid lit. So I was thrilled when Social Justice Books and my colleagues at See What We See agreed to host the reveal:

My investment in reading children’s literature through a critical lens drew me to like-minded scholars, librarians, and bloggers, and together we joined forces to form See What We See (SWWS). It’s not enough to celebrate the publication of books that feature kids of color; each addition to the field needs to be analyzed and assessed by critics who are culturally competent. It’s also important to recognize that the books that end up on our shelves have been curated—selected and shaped by members of an industry that is sorely lacking in diversity. I was fortunate to find in my editor a partner who respected my vision for Dragons in a Bag. For me, fantasy fiction’s purpose isn’t to shield kids from the harsh realities of the world in which we live. Everyone doesn’t get to live happily ever after, but magical tales can inspire and even prepare young readers to challenge the injustice that plagues our society.

My presentation this morning was for mostly 3rd graders and it was awesome to have so many brown eyes trained on me, taking in every word as I talked about my love of Merlin and unicorns and fairies. The teachers at the school were also engaged in my book talk, and several educators came up afterward to tell me that their childhood also lacked “mirror books.” Now they’re committed to having inclusive books in their classrooms and school library. We have so much healing to do! But it starts with honesty and awareness, which is why sites like Social Justice Books are so important.

I head to the Bay Area in a couple of days! Check my tweets and Facebook page for more details. This event at Jefferson Elementary School in Berkeley is open to the public on Thursday night:

And this event is on Friday afternoon:

And on Saturday I’ll be at the San Mateo Young Adult Novel Convention!

We Rise…

Last May I wrote a poem for this important anthology organized by Just Us Books. They soon found a partner in Random House and that means I’ll have two books out with that publisher this fall–and both deal with dragons! This anthology has a serious purpose, which the editors explained in their press release:

(January 17, 2018) —  Random House Children’s Books will publish WE RISE. WE RESIST. WE RAISE OUR VOICES, an empowering collection of poems, letters, personal essays, art, and other works from over 50 diverse, award-winning children’s book authors and artists in collaboration with Just Us Books, a Black-owned publisher committed to exclusively producing Black and multicultural children’s books, it was announced today by Mallory Loehr, SVP, Random House Books for Young Readers Publishing Group. Phoebe Yeh, VP/Publisher of Crown Books for Young Readers, acquired World rights for publication from Just Us Books co-founders and anthology compilers Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson. The beautiful, full-color keepsake collection will be available on September 4, 2018.

In an increasingly polarized world, parents are looking for tools to discuss the difficult political and global challenges that their children will one day inherit. In WE RISE, WE RESIST, WE RAISE OUR VOICES, the industry’s foremost children’s authors and illustrators share their perspective, encouragement, hope, and inspiration to help parents, educators, and young readers ignite lasting change in their communities.

You can read the full press release here.

This week I’ve been leading writing workshops at Brooklyn Prospect Charter School HS. I’ve worked with this school in the past and knew their students would be interested in learning about Pulitzer-Prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks. I wanted to provide context, however, and so we’ve been talking about some of Brooks’ contemporaries, too–Margaret Walker, Nikki Giovanni, and I think we’ll wrap up with Claudia Rankine. I’m planning my own poetry collection inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement’s three Black women founders, so it’s great to have a week where I’m focused on poetry—which is rare. I’m energized when I’m in the classroom listening to the students, but by the time I walk home again I am TIRED. Hats off to all the full-time teachers (like my parents) who do this all day every day!

war & peace

I found out about The Book Wars when they reviewed Melena’s Jubilee last spring. I wouldn’t say I’ve given up on bloggers, but I blog less myself these days and know only a few book bloggers will consider self-published books. So it was encouraging when I reached out to the bloggers at The Book Wars and found one who was interested in looking at Benny Doesn’t Like to Be Hugged. After that great review by Jane, I went on Twitter and saw that another team member, Nafiza, was looking for inclusive #ownvoices MG and YA titles. I asked if she was open to indie authors and she was; two fantastic reviews appeared on their blog this month! My books are rarely reviewed in Canada, so it means a lot to know there are at least a few open-minded members of the kid lit community up there now. It’s also clear she really understands what I’m trying to do with the City Kids series, and I appreciate her emphasis on the quality of the storytelling. Yes, I deliberately introduce social issues for the kid characters to address but I’m honestly not trying to preach. I want to present a range of viewpoints so that the reader can see just how complex social issues can be. Many readers expect fantasy fiction to provide an escape from reality, so I know my approach won’t be everyone’s cup of tea—but Nafiza “got it.” I especially appreciate that she pointed out how my books could be used in the classroom. Here’s an excerpt from the first review:

The Ghosts in the Castle presents a work that grapples with contemporary issues pertinent to children in ways that are accessible to children without once condescending to them. The book is not didactic–in fact, it encourages readers to question, wonder, and research. Above all, the book tells a story that is both engaging and entertaining. I recommend this book for both libraries and in-class use. It will be an invaluable resource for social studies teachers as well.

And here’s part of the second review:

The Phantom Unicorn has the traditional elements of a fantasy adventure story that will be familiar to readers of the genre. What sets it apart and makes it special is its awareness of the contemporary world and the issues currently being faced by children in marginalized societies. POC children will find mirrors in all of Zetta Elliott’s books but this series especially centres the problems and themes important to them without alienating others.

As I said about The Ghosts in the Castle, I believe The Phantom Unicorn to be potentially invaluable in classrooms and libraries. The City Kids series will prove to be essential springboards for engaged discussions about a plethora of subjects such as social activism, nonconventional family units, and discrimination. Lest you think, however, that the books are little more than didactic volumes, please know that the stories themselves are strong and feature well developed characters living complex lives.

You really need to get these books.

I’m not great at promotion but have been thinking about making a super short video to let folks know about these books. Kids are clamoring for inclusive fantasy fiction and with Dragons in a Bag coming out this year, I’m determined not to act like a debut author. I’m bracing myself for a certain degree of “Columbusing”—folks raving about Dragons (“Look at this great new author!”) without acknowledging my body of work. If I hadn’t found an agent last year, Dragons would have been part of the City Kids series, and I’m hoping to finish The Gryphons at the Gate in 2018. I said I’d cap the series at five books but The Phantom Unicorn leaves the door open for a sequel. Some days it feels like there will never be enough stories to make up for the books I needed but couldn’t find during my own childhood. I just need to remember that they don’t ALL have to be written by me…

 

2017 MG & YA Titles by African Americans

2017 is almost over and with help, I’ve put together a list of the middle grade and young adult novels authored by Black writers and published in the US. You can find our 2016 list here. If I’ve missed any titles, please leave them in the comments. We do not include self-published titles for this list since we’re trying to see what US publishers are producing annually. It’s right to celebrate THUG sitting atop the bestseller list, but context matters, too. If 3,000 novels for teens are published in the US each year, how much progress have we really made?

FICTION

One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes. Bloomsbury USA. Ages 10-14
Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson. Katherine Tegen Books. Ages 13+
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Balzer + Bray. Ages 12+
Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson. Bloomsbury. Ages 12+
Ahgottahandleonit by Donovan Mixon. Cinco Puntos. Ages 12–18
Heels, Heartache & Headlines (Hollywood High) by Ni-Ni Simone and Amir Abrams. Kensington Teen/Dafina. Ages 14–up.
American Street by Ibi Zoboi. Balzer + Bray. Ages 14+
Overturned by Lamar Giles. Scholastic Press. Ages 12+
The End of Oz (Dorothy Must Die), Vol. 3 by Danielle Page. HarperCollins. Ages 14+
The Sky Throne by Chris Ledbetter. Month9Books. Ages 12+
Crossing Ebenezer Creek by Tonya Bolden. Bloomsbury. Ages 13+
The Go-Between by Veronica Chambers. Delacorte Press. Ages 12+
Cleo Edison Oliver in Persuasion Power by Sundee Frazier. Arthur A. Levine Books. Ages 8-12
Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderley, Marjory Wentworth. Candlewick. Ages 8-12.
Rise of the Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste. Algonquin. Ages 13-18
Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson. HMH. Ages 10-12
The Harlem Charade by Natasha Tarpley. Scholastic. 8-12
Dork Dairies #12: Tales from a Not-So-Secret Crush Catastrophe by Rachel Renee Russell. Ages 9-13
M.F.K. by Nilah Magruder. Insight Comics. Ages 12+


Tru and Nelle: A Christmas Tale by G. Neri. HMH. Ages 10-12
Dear Martin by Nic Stone. Crown Books for Young Readers. Ages 14+
I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina. Tu Books. YA
Auma’s Long Run by Eucabeth Odhiambo. Carolrhoda Lab TM. Ages 10-13
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. Simon and Schuster. Ages 12+
One Shadow on the Wall by Leah Henderson. Atheneum. Ages 8-12
You Don’t know Me But I Know You by Rebecca Barrow. HarperTeen. YA
Beasts Made out of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi. Razorbill. YA
Starfish by Akemi Dwan Bowman. Simon Pulse. Ages 12+
Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess. Blink. YA
The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore. Knopf. Ages 10+
Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor. Vikings Books for Young Readers. YA
When I Am Through With You by Stephanie Kuehn. Dutton. YA
by Liari Tamani
Patina (Track) by Jason Reynolds  Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books. Ages 10+
Siege of Shadows by Sarah Raughley. Simon Pulse. YA
Reign of Outlaws by Kekla Magoon. Bloomsbury. Ages 8-12.
The Truth of Right Now by Kara Lee Corthron. Simon Pulse. YA
Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert. Little, Brown. YA
It All Comes Down to This by Karen English. Clarion. Ages 10-12.
Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia. Amistad. Ages 9-12
Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson. Wednesday Books. YA
OMG…Is He Also a Witch? by Talia Aikens-Nunez. Central Avenue Publishing. Ages 9-12
Mulatto Girl Aggie, 13: Name on the Ledger by LaKesa Cox. Black Rose Writing.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds. Marvel Press. YA
Mango Delight by Fracaswell Hyman. Sterling Children’s Books. Ages 9-13
Sasha Savvy Loves to Code by Sasha Ariel Alston. Gold Fern Press. Ages 7-10
Jupiter Storm by Marti Dumas. Plum Street Press. Ages 8-12
Gabriela Speaks Out (American Girl) by Teresa E. Harris. Scholastic. Ages 8-12
The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Spirit Week Showdown by Crystal Allen. Balzer + Bray. Ages 8-12

NONFICTION

How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana and Abigail Pesta.  Ages 13+
The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in this Game Called Life by Kwame Alexander (HMH)
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison. Ages 8-12
Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld ages 10-13
School of Awake: A Girl’s Guide to the Universe by Kidada Jones. Ages 14-18
Pathfinders: the Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Souls by Tonya Bolden. Abrams. Ages 10-14
Now or Never! Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry’s War to End Slavery by Ray Shepard (Boyds Mill)
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford. Candlewick. Ages 9-12.
Al Roker’s Extreme Weather: Tornadoes, Typhoons and Other Weather Phenomena by Al Roker. HarperCollins. Ages 8-12

taking stock

I know that I am more than my productivity, but one way I manage my anxiety is by staying on task. That means I always have a To Do list and I also keep a writing agenda so I know which projects need my attention. 2017 was a difficult year and I spent a lot of time inside my head, dreaming of other worlds—necessary if temporary escapism, though most of the time I was writing about things in the news. Near the top of my current To Do list is: “set new writing agenda for 2018.” In order to do that, I’m looking back at 2017’s agenda, which I followed pretty closely.

In January I wrote an essay, “The Perils of Proximity” for the Doris McCarthy Gallery. That same month I self-published The Ghosts in the Castle. In February I pulled some educator friends together to have “A Talk with Teachers: Revisiting James Baldwin’s Vision for Education.”  I also started writing for a curriculum company that wound up buying NONE of my stories. But trying to satisfy them led me to produce Mother of the Sea, North/South (a dystopian novella), and a short story called “The Ghosts in her Bones.” In May I wrote a poem, “You, Too, Can Fly,” for an anthology edited by Cheryl and Wade Hudson of Just Us Books; they sold the project to Crown/Random House, and We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices will be published in September 2018. In June I wrote a new picture book story about a little girl understanding her aunt’s transition; fully expect to self-publish that one! By mid-July I finished The Return and stupidly asked my agent to send it out; no response, as expected, so that YA novel is top of the list to self-publish in 2018. Started work on The Dragon Thief but then Charlottesville happened and I wrote The Phantom Unicorn instead. I wrote Benny Doesn’t Like to Be Hugged a couple of years ago but self-published it in October. The NY Times asked me to write an op-ed but then didn’t want my essay, “Nice Is Not Enough,” so Edi published it as part of her When Women Speak series in November. I finally finished The Dragon Thief earlier this week, and then wrote an essay on Logan for Smugglivus over at The Book Smugglers; that will be published in early January.

Am I done for this year? I don’t know. I spent this morning chasing down yet another outstanding payment, so I’m VERY clear that producing more doesn’t necessarily affect my bottom line. Does it keep me sane? Or does writing continuously keep me from being fully present in my world? I don’t know. But I’ve been very emotional this week, probably because I get the blues whenever I finish a big project. One way to make sure my funk doesn’t last too long is to dive into another book. For now I’ll keep reading and watching Netflix, and on Xmas Eve I’ll watch Scrooge and hope the bells on Xmas morning remind me that we can always start over—even at the very end of the year.

 

rage is pain

I was angry yesterday. I’m just getting over a bad cold and I finished The Dragon Thief on Monday, so I’m bone tired and that always makes me emotional. I figured I’d binge-watch the new season of Broadchurch to relax but the case they were trying to solve was the rape of a middle-aged woman at her best friend’s birthday party [spoilers ahead]. And the show did a really good job showing rape culture: several suspects have pornographic images of women displayed at work, teenage boys share porn at school, men stalk and harass their female employees, they cheat on their wives, they try to coerce young, subordinate women into rough sex, they steal intimate photos of underage girls and share them on social media, husbands install spyware to secretly monitor their wives. Early on in the season the male detective admits, “It makes me ashamed to be a man.” Yet when a despondent father who lost his son attempts suicide, I found myself shedding quite a few tears—and then I was angry at myself for falling for that narrative bait and switch. HE was not the victim, and because he didn’t succeed, his wife and two daughters were then left to a) care for him, and b) wonder why he didn’t think they were worth living for. The ending was totally depressing—one young man grooming a vulnerable teen to become a serial rapist—but that’s real. That’s how misogyny continues to thrive over generations. So I woke up yesterday feeling a bit out of sorts, but figured I had enough energy to run a few errands. On my way out of a shopping center I passed an elderly man perched on a ledge, and I didn’t want to make eye contact because I knew he was begging for change even if I couldn’t understand what he was saying in Spanish. And I lugged my bulky bag down the stairs to the subway, grumbling about “this place”—as in, “What’s WRONG with this place?” Why are senior citizens picking cans from the trash? Why are grandparents begging at the mall? I’m still looking for a way out, even though I know it’s cowardly to flee instead of staying to fight. There was drama at the post office because the automated machine swallowed my postage and while I was waiting for a supervisor, the man who used the machine after me took my postage—even though he must have noticed it wasn’t for the amount he paid. But I was running out of steam by then so just came home and chatted with a neighbor in my building before collapsing on the couch. I tried to decide if my neighbor should go on my very short list of “good guys.” That used to be how I’d redirect myself—“Don’t focus on the assholes; think about ‘the good ones.'” But they’re harder to find these days. I started watching Season 2 of The Crown and quickly realized THAT was a mistake. More “men behaving badly”—and more hurt and humiliated women “making the best of it.” So I turned it off and finally sat down to write my guest post about Logan. And, as expected, I was sobbing by the time I got to the end. I wiped my tears, blew my nose, and immediately started to write but then had to stop, take my glasses off, and really let loose. I usually have two good cries per year but I’m not sure I’ve had one since the election. Instead I stayed busy and wrote and wrote and wrote…I need to set a new writing agenda for 2018 but I crossed a lot of projects off my list this year because Rome is burning. Everything feels urgent. My inbox keeps filling up and I’m grateful that people want to book me for 2018 but it’s hard to focus on the future. I want to disappear for a while. I usually try to write over the holidays. Maybe this year I’ll tackle that unfinished dystopian novella. I’ve written the half told from the female twin’s point of view—now it’s her jerk brother’s turn. Can I write without projecting all my rage/pain onto that male character? I don’t know. Guess there’s only one way to find out…

Wrote most of my guest post last night but will finish that up today and share the link once it’s live—even if it is a hot mess. A friend’s coming over to bake tonight, and I’ve got Xmas tunes playing with my little silver tree glowing nearby. Haven’t been craving sweets lately—didn’t even get cake as a reward for finishing The Dragon Thief! But maybe I’ll get some pizza today and find something “light” on Netflix that makes me feel a bit better about the world…

the most wonderful time of the year

Christmas is coming! A week ago I wasn’t feeling very festive, but then I turned on the holiday tunes and started baking my Christmas cookies; a friend gave me a poinsettia—and then it snowed! I’m still writing furiously, trying to finish The Dragon Thief (which has now surpassed 30K words), but I’m deliberately making time for the holiday traditions that make me happy. Then yesterday I went online and discovered that my books made two year-end lists! It can be difficult to see lists of the “best” books of the year; if they aren’t lily-white, they often only include traditionally published books. But when Prof. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas at Penn GSE puts together her annual list, she includes indie titles and uses a specific set of considerations:

In selecting the top books of 2017 for young readers, Thomas highlights authors and illustrators whose work deals with issues like gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and socioeconomic class in ways that are real and empathetic.

“When a children’s publisher decides to release a book, or a teacher assigns a novel, they are making a choice that will resonate for decades,” Thomas said. “That’s because stories help kids understand who they are and who they can be. These stories matter not only for the members of the groups they portray. They also show members of other groups a view of life they might not otherwise see.”

You can watch a video from the Penn GSE team here. The banner image above accompanies the year-end list from M Is for Movement, a blog founded by four activist/authors. They explained the reasoning behind their list:

…the Trump campaign, election, and the racism, sexism, xenophobia and hate it has unleashed has highlighted the need to address social justice issues with our children. But a movement was already in the making, as many of these books were in the works even before Trump becoming president seemed a real threat. And of course many of the authors and illustrators who launched their books this year are people who have been tilling this ground for years. In either case, our folks have been hard at work, and we didn’t want to even try to make a comprehensive list of all the great social justice themed books that came out this year*. So instead, we asked M is for Movement editorial board members, other authors, illustrators, librarians, educators, and scholars “what were your favorite social justice and activist themed children’s books to come out this year?”

I don’t have kids and I don’t review books on this blog, so I drew a blank when “the M team” asked for my 2017 picks. I recommended Deborah Menkart of Teaching for Change and Social Justice Books, and was honored to find that one of her picks was Milo’s Museum! Two other books of mine were included, Mother of the Sea and Benny Doesn’t Like to Be Hugged, which is astonishing—and humbling, and heartening. These same author/activists participated in a social justice children’s book fair last weekend and over a thousand people came out! I’m not sure we could replicate that here on the east coast, but there is DEMAND for books like ours, and I love that these radical kid lit creators aren’t waiting for bookstores or publishers or mainstream review outlets to get on board.

Okay—time to get back to writing! I keep thinking the novel is almost done, and then it just keeps going…I stocked up on soup this week, which is good because we’re expecting more snow. Time to hunker down, write, bake, and assemble my own year-end list of African American YA/MG novels!