Zetta Elliott's Blog, page 26

say her name

I would never describe myself as a poet, but I did just complete a poetry manuscript. I was aiming for thirty poems but last night I hit 28 and knew I needed to take a break. If you add in the 30+ haiku I wrote, I’m well over my self-imposed limit. It’s not hard to write about police brutality when every week brings new reports of unarmed Black women and men gunned down by cops. It’s not hard to write about youth activism when students are marching across the country. It’s not hard to focus on the ways gun violence impacts Black women and girls—as this 11-year-old girl explains—but it’s tiring. I’m weary today and feel like I could go right back to bed but might take a walk instead. It’s a good day for the botanic garden. The snow from last week’s storm should be gone, and it’s nice to see flecks of purple here and there as crocuses welcome the new season. I’m thinking about revisiting an old screenplay, and I’ve got to revise The Return so I can get that novel out before the month ends…still thinking about returning to Scotland and moving to DC and maybe going out to LA with a friend who just got a job there. I feel itchy and weary and basically ate my way to the end of this poetry manuscript. But my agent emailed me from Bologna to let me know there’s strong interest among editors, so maybe this will be the year I self-publish less. It’ll always be my go-to option, but it’s nice to share the labor with others!

That fierce dragon charm was a gift from Maya Gonzalez—and she has another gift on her blog this month: “5 weeks of expanding the mind and beautifying the world with Queer/Trans/Intersex fabulousness!” Do take some time to read and reflect on these critical essays, and if you’re an educator, make sure your students have access to Maya and Matthew’s latest books: They She He Me: Free to Be! and The Gender Wheel. It’s important to demand change from our leaders but as June Jordan reminded us, “We are the ones we have been waiting for…”

Kweli 2018

There’s nothing like this event in the publishing world—a space where IPOC are in the majority, and can connect and share insights about the industry. Early bird registration has ended but check the website—it may not be too late to submit a manuscript for critique by agents and editors…

Publishing versus the World

Today on Facebook I watched a video filmed by survivors of the school shooting in Dunblane, Scotland. They wanted to voice their support for the students here in the US who planned a mass walk-out to protest the lack of gun control. When I was in Edinburgh last week, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave the keynote address and yet there were no metal detectors, guard dogs, or wands. We were asked to leave our coats and bags in the cloakroom (which was left unlocked), and then we filed upstairs to hear her speak humbly and passionately about the role books have played in her life. Sturgeon admitted she made a point of reading a few pages of a novel every night before bed because it helped her not to stress over the latest tweet that could end the world. It isn’t fun being from a country whose leader is ridiculed regularly, but it was a relief to be outside of the US for a few days. I’ve already looked into returning in May and would love to reconnect with the students and teachers I met. The publishing community—at least those attending the conference—seemed interested in inclusion strategies and appreciative of the work some publishers are already doing to better represent today’s Scotland. Could I see myself living there? I don’t know. On Wednesday I arrived at the hotel close to 1pm and headed out almost immediately to present at an elementary school in the same neighborhood. The next day I woke up and grabbed my bag of books and hopped on the tram, and it struck me that I can “do what I do” just about anywhere. In some ways that’s reassuring and in other ways…disconcerting. If I want to step out of my life for a while, does it make sense to cross the ocean and do what I’ve always done? On the plane ride home, between sneezes, I started writing two novels—one set in Edinburgh and the other in Glasgow. I didn’t see much of that city while I was there, but got a very warm welcome from grad students and faculty in the Education Dept. at the university. My host Eilzabeth Dulemba took this photo after our event ended (read her write-up here), and she kindly shared her own experience living as an expat in Scotland. I come from a family of migrants; I know there’s always a price to be paid when you trade one life for another, and I have no illusions about greener grass. But I do want a change of scene—or rather, a regularly changing scene—Paule Marshall’s transnational life to match her “tripartite self.” Connecting with kids of color in Edinburgh was wonderful, and I saw mythical beasts (like this unicorn) all around Old Town when I squeezed in an abbreviated walking tour before my panel on Friday afternoon. I guess my worry is that I’m too adaptable. If I can teach and write and give talks anywhere, then what does “home” really mean? Do I want to fit in or feel anonymous? I talked to my landlord about leaving by the end of the summer, and made a mental list of the furniture I’d sell rather than move. I’m keeping May open so I can maybe get back to Scotland and/or down to DC in order to tour the different neighborhoods. This weekend I’m seeing a friend who moved back to Canada after Trump was elected. Another friend studying in the UK is thinking of moving back to the US. We’re all searching for the right “fit.” I want a new challenge and a fresh start. But in order to earn a living, I need to build on the reputation I’ve built as an author/activist here in the US. One of the last questions on our “Publishing vs. the World” panel last week was, “What gives you hope?” And I told the audience about Njeri at Onyx Pages in Canada who discovered Mother of the Sea because of Jherane at Rebel Women Lit in Jamaica. Digital publishing allows stories to cross borders and oceans…no wall can stop us. And these amazing Black women are building inclusive, real and virtual communities of readers and writers. The day after I got back from Scotland I did this interview with Njeri. It’s an honor to having a reader/reviewer take you and your work seriously—not because you’ve won a big award or landed on the bestseller list, but because they trusted a fellow reader. I think my online community would mean even more if I did emigrate again. My entire Scotland trip was arranged through online outreach, and I’m so grateful that folks I’d never met before welcomed me into their schools, their campus, their conference. That truly is reassuring—there are good people everywhere.

Saw A Wrinkle in Time today but will have to blog about that later. Early morning school visit tomorrow so I’ll sign off for now. Nite!

Logan

Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk about my books with a Black Canadian book vlogger, and she closed with lightning round questions: “Who is your favorite character in Black Panther?” I’m terrible at answering “favorite” questions, but I had to admit that even though he was unlikable, I left the theater thinking most about Eric Killmonger. Last fall, the women over at The Book Smugglers asked me to reflect on my favorite 2017 SFF book or film. Without hesitation, I asked if I could write about Wolverine. When it comes to superheroes, for the past decade he has been my undisputed favorite, and his on-screen death shook me in unexpected ways. Here’s a bit of my rather intimate essay—you can read the entire “love letter” here:

It’s amazing how a movie about mutants actually reveals so much about human nature. We can be selfish and petty and cruel, and yet we still need one another desperately. Most days I would say that I have given up on the idea of family; I believe in community and do my best to serve mine, but I haven’t started a family of my own and largely accept the estrangement from my siblings that followed my father’s death. As is my custom, I spent Christmas alone, practicing the solitary rituals that bring me joy; without my family around, the holidays are guaranteed to be peaceful.

So why does my heart ache when I watch Logan now? Maybe living in the Trump era has me feeling like Logan—defeated, world-weary, and desperate for a way out. Maybe it’s something more. Moments before his death, Charles says to a cynical Logan, “This is what life looks like—a home, people who love each other, a safe place. You should take a moment and feel it.” Maybe one day I will. Maybe I still have time.

I came back from Scotland with a cold, but will write about my amazing trip soon…

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…