Zetta Elliott's Blog, page 31

Black magic for Black kids!

Book #3 in the City Kids series is here! We first met Zaria in Book #1 but now she has left Brooklyn behind to visit her beloved England—the source of all magic! Or so she thinks…

Learn more about The Ghosts in the Castle in my latest newsletter. You can order a copy from CreateSpace, Amazon, from the Kindle store, and it will be available from bookstores soon…

a time to heal

It’s Sunday and I’m doing five things at once, which is how things have gone since the new year began. Folks say the way you spend the first day of the year sets the tone for the 364 days to follow, and so far that’s been true for me. I’m preparing Ghosts for publication and got the first printed proofs late last week. They looked good but not good enough to publish, so that meant another hectic round of last-minute revisions…patience isn’t my strong point but at some point you have to surrender and accept that certain things are beyond your control. And some things just aren’t worth stressing over! As my Irish-Canadian grandfather would pronounce after fixing a broken piece of furniture himself, “Good enough!” Maybe the chair wobbles a bit and maybe you can see the duct tape holding it together, but if you can sit comfortably without the chair collapsing beneath you, then it’s fixed. This book has made me think about family quite a bit—and diaspora. Maya Gonzalez often reminds us that children’s literature is really a project of healing, and I’m feeling that quite keenly these days. In the acknowledgments section of Ghosts I talk about my research process and the two trips I took to London in 2015-16. But I also note that in a way, I started writing this book when I was a child in Canada, uncritically consuming British fantasy fiction and unconsciously filling my head with problematic images and ideas that persist to this day. In some ways, Ghosts is for adults more than it’s for children. It’s for everyone who grew up in the Commonwealth grappling with the legacy of British imperialism. It’s for those of us who learned early on how to lead a double life—how to codeswitch, how to hide the passions for which we were often shamed and/or shunned. A reader on Twitter posted this photo tweet a couple of nights ago, and it reminded me of how hybridity is central to my work—not because I’m a mulatta but because of where I am and how I operate within the African diaspora. I’ve gotten a really positive response to Ghosts from folks in the UK, and more than one Black Brit has said: “We need you.” And I know exactly what they mean—they don’t need me personally, but they need books like mine to feed the imagination of their kids. Because too many of us on both sides of the Atlantic know what it’s like to hunger for mirrors and have to do without. There’s a lot of important writing in the latest issue of Anansesem, an online magazine of Caribbean kid lit founded by Summer Edward. In the introduction she writes:

Publication is a gift and it’s one the writers and illustrators whose work appear in this issue have earned, rather than been given.

They share their gifts with us and as we share them back with you, we hope something comes to life in you the reader. Their words, their art, their stories can, and will, plant something in your imagination, in your consciousness, that will bear fruit later. This is the ancient cycle of sowing and reaping that fuels humanity. If we don’t keep this cycle alive in our communities, in our writing communities in particular, we will lose the gifts our children need to live and live well.

Today I’m applying for a residency in Sweden but yesterday I finished reading Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn, which gives a sobering glimpse into the sex tourism industry in Jamaica. It’s also a story of intergenerational trauma that confirmed for me, once again, why there is so much silence on my father’s side of the family. Whenever I see those t-shirts that proclaim, “I am my ancestors’ wildest dream!” I wonder if that’s really true in my case. I’m pretty sure my grandparents would be proud of me, but my father would likely be ambivalent about my books and my determination to fill the many voids he left behind with my own imaginings. Some of my Caribbean relatives see me as a failure or disappointment because I have no man and no kids (pretty sure my mother feels that way, too). And then there are the ancestors on my mother’s side who felt the penalty for being Black in Canada was simply too severe and so tried to pass into Whiteness. I’m sure they’d be horrified to see me with a shovel in one hand and a pen in the other, communing with ghosts throughout the diaspora…

But this is how we heal. One of my goals for 2017 is to be more emotionally honest with myself. When it comes to my writing for kids, I want to talk more about how writing stories like The Ghosts in the Castle helps me to heal. Writing is empowering and exciting and satisfying, but it also connects me to others who are hurting. And helping them to heal—or even just to acknowledge their pain—is what matters most. Because this is how we heal.

Black genius

Pandora is giving me life today! Stevie Wonder, “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.” Lianne La Havas. George Michael and Mary J. Blige covering Stevie’s “As.” Lauryn Hill. D’Angelo. Solange. Goapele. Sade. Beyonce. Alice Smith. All shining examples of Black genius! I’m still thinking about my trip to DC and the time I spent on the top floor of the NMAAHC. I tried to explain on Facebook how layered the experience is—there might be an image but over top would be a quote by a Black icon, then audio playing of another Black leader’s voice, and then you experience all of it with others—you sense their pride, their joy. One woman took the time to read the panel dedicated to Dr. Ben Carson before turning to me and rolling her eyes, which made me laugh out loud. You feel rich amidst such accomplishment, knowing how hard each artist had to fight to share their talent with the world. You feel like an infant swaddled by love, wrapped tight in a blanket woven by hands that would not be stilled or used only to hew wood and draw water. You feel that you have not just permission but an obligation to add to the wealth that future generations will inherit.

I got up and went for a run this morning. My sciatica’s acting up and it’s hard to get used to typing with these stiff wrist guards on (carpal tunnel syndrome—self-diagnosed, of course), but the sun is shining and it’s mild outside. A friend is making hoppin’ john and invited me over to share her New Year’s meal. I enjoyed a quiet morning in the apartment since the gamers downstairs just woke up (after sleeping off their hangovers, I suspect). I’ve got The Return out of the stack of books and papers I keep in the living room. Maybe if I look at it every day, I’ll be inspired to start writing again. I spent a lot of the holidays getting The Ghosts in the Castle ready for publication. The printed proofs are on the way and I’m hoping to make the novel available by the end of the week.

I ended the year on a high note—Debbie Reese let me know that Melena’s Jubilee made Betsy Bird’s list of the Best Picture Books of 2016. Then today I learned that The Door at the Crossroads is a finalist in the Cybils YA Speculative Fiction category. It’s gratifying to know that people are finding and appreciating my work! I’ve got two school visits scheduled for this week and can’t wait to share Ghosts with the kids. One group will be working on their own time-travel stories…lifting as we climb.

boxing day blues

A couple of days before Xmas there were reports and videos on Facebook showing police brutalizing Black women. I didn’t share; these cases need to be known (#sayhername) but I didn’t want to circulate those stories before my favorite holiday. And then on Xmas Day I had the nightly news muted and saw that George Michael had died…didn’t post anything on social media and stayed off Facebook because I didn’t think I could stand another round of collective mourning. We’ve lost so many icons this year…and I LOVE George’s music. In fact, I knew I’d found true friends when I moved to Brooklyn back in ’94 and joined a youth collective and the two Black women I was closest to revealed they were fans, too. It was such a relief then—to know I wasn’t the only Black woman who loved his music and would defend him when he came under attack (which was often). But this morning on Facebook there were so many friends posting tributes and expressing their sadness…can’t find my “best of” CD so I’m listening to a GM mix on YouTube. No one does melancholy and drama like George, and so this soundtrack is perfect for today’s task—answering these end-of-year questions:

1. What was the most memorable part of this past year?

2. What were the 3 biggest lessons you’ve learned this past year?

3. Review your planner for the past year and assess your priorities. Are you happy with how you spent your time? If not, what steps can you take to adjust your priorities?

4. How are you different between this past year and the year before it?

5. What or who [sic] are you especially grateful for this past year?

6. Name 3 things you can improve on this upcoming year. What are concrete actions you can take to work towards these improvement?

7. From 1-10, how do you feel overall about this past year?

To answer #1, I’d have to scroll through my photos because I honestly don’t remember what I was doing in January. Last week I signed up for a two-day trip to DC, and seeing the National Museum of African American History & Culture was *definitely* memorable. I took lots of photos and posted them on Facebook while I was there, so now I feel like I don’t have much to say. But it was so invigorating to be on the top floor, surrounded by proof of Black genius and Black excellence in the arts. That’s been on my mind lately; I still haven’t decided whether competition produces excellence or simply opportunity. Few Black performers got a chance to take the stage a hundred years ago, but we still saw proof of Black genius because they were talented and made the most of their chance to shine. Would we value them less if more creators had a chance to share the stage? I think we’re too invested in the idea that genius is rare when really, it’s abundant—and that doesn’t make it less valuable. I watched a video on Facebook this morning about not being afraid to change your “brand.” I don’t think I have a brand—not one I’ve cultivated consciously—but I suppose I’m known by some for representing certain ideas or a particular point of view. I don’t see my politics changing anytime soon, but I do want to try something different in 2017. Maybe get back to playwriting or try—again—to make a short film. The goal this week is to finish one more novel before the year ends. Then I won’t have unfinished projects hanging over my head and I’ll be able to plan for the Viking novel and whatever else comes up. I want to go to New Zealand. Not sure why, but I feel drawn to the Pacific Islands. I got a last-minute offer to teach a YA lit class but it meets on Wednesdays and I already have 3 mid-week trips planned for the new year. Somehow teaching feels like taking a step back and I want to keep moving forward…into the unknown…

2016 MG & YA Titles by African Americans

It’s that time of year again! Using librarian/blogger Edith Campbell’s list of new releases, I’ve put together the middle grade and young adult novels authored by Black writers and published in the US. You can find our 2015 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. If 3,000 novels for teens are published in the US each year, this list is predictably depressing…

American Ace by Marilyn Nelson; Dial Books (ages 8-12)
Cleo Edison Oliver, Playground Millionaire by Sundee T. Frazier; Arthur A. Levine (ages 8-12)
To Catch a Cheat by Varian Johnson; Scholastic (ages 8-12)
Little White Lies by Brianna Baker and F. Bowman Hastie III; Soho (ages 12 and up)
Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis; Knopf Books for Young Readers ( ages 12 and up)
Dorothy Must Die Stories Volume 2: Heart of Tin, The Straw King, Ruler of Beasts by Danielle Paige; HarperCollins (ages 12 and up)
Infinity Riders/Voyagers Series by Kekla Magoon (ages 8-12)
Yellow Brick War by Danielle Paige; Harper Collins (ages 12 and up)
The Return: Fall of the Beasts Book 3 by Varian Johnson; Scholastic (ages 8-12)
Keep Me in Mind by Jaime Reed; Scholastic Point (ages 12 and up)
The Misadventures of Max Crumbly #1: Locker Hero by Rachel Renee Russell; Aladdin (ages 9-12)
Booked by Kwame Alexander; HMH (ages 10-13)
Solemn by Kalisha Buckhannon; St. Martin Press (ages 12-18) [image error]
As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds; Atheneum (ages 8-12)
Perfert Liars by Kimberly Reid; Tu Books (ages 12 and up)
Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes; Little, Brown Books for Young Children (ages 8-12)
Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton; HarperTeen (ages 12-18)
Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods; Nancy Paulsen Books (ages 8-12)
Ghost by Jason Reynolds; Atheneum (ages 10 and up)
Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige; Bloomsbury (ages 14–up)
Pasadena by Sherri L. Smith;  PG Putnam’s Sons. (ages 14–up)
Into White by Randi Pink; Feiwel & Friends (ages 12 and up)
Freedom over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan; Atheneum (ages 6–10)
Rebellion of Thieves by Kekla Magoon; Bloomsbury (ages 8-12)
Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes; Boyds Mills/WordSong (ages 8-12)
Riding Chance by Christine Kendall, Scholastic (YA)
Girls Like Me by Lola Stvil; HMH Books for Young Readers (ages 12-18)
Dear Yvette by Ni-Ni Simone; Kensington (ages 14 and up)
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon; Delacorte Press (ages 12-18)
Dork Diaries 11: Tales from a Not-So-Friendly Frenemy by Rachel Renée Russell; Aladdin (ages 9-13)
The Smaller Evil by Stephanie Kuehn; Dutton Books for Young Readers (YA)
Tru & Nelle by G. Neri; HMH Books for Young Readers (age 8-10)
The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Spirit Week Showdown by Crystal Allen; Balzer & Bray (ages 8-12)
Trouble Next Door: The Carver Chronicles, Book 4 by Karen English; Clarion Books (ages 6-9)
Everyone We’ve Been by Sarah Everett; Alfred A. Knopf (ages 12+)
Catching a Story Fish by Janice N. Harrington; WordSong (ages 8-12)
Change Up by Derek Jeter with Paul Mantell; Jeter Publishing (ages 8-12)
Twintuition: Double Trouble by Tia and Tamera Mowry; Harper (ages 8-12)
Two Naomis by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Audrey Vernick; Balzer + Bray (ages 8-12)
The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship between a Boy and a Baseball Legend by Sharon Robinson; Scholastic (ages 8-12)
No Ordinary Sound: a Classic Featuring Melody by Denise Patrick; American Girl Publishing (ages 8-10)
Justin #1 (Blacktop) by LJ Alonge; Grosset & Dunlap (age 12+)
Janae #2 (Blacktop) by LJ Alonge; Grosset & Dunlap (age 12+)

Non-Fiction

Same but Different: Life on the Teen Autism Express by Holly Robison Peete; Scholastic (ages 12-17)
This Kid Can Fly: It’s about Ability (NOT Disability) by Aaron Philip and Tonya Bolden. Balzer and Bray (ages 8-12)
Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas by Gwendolyn Hooks. Lee and Low (ages 7-12)
You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Jeffery Boston Weatherford; Atheneum (ages 9-12)
Bessie Stringfield: Tales of the Talented Tenth by Joel Christian Gill; Fucrum Publishing (ages 12 and up)
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina , Young Readers’ Edition by Misty Copeland and Brandy Colbert; Simon and Schuster (ages 8-12)
March: Book Three by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin; Top Shelf Productions (Grade 8+)
Hidden Human Computers: the Black Women of NASA by Sue Bradford Edwards and Duchess Harris; Essential Library (YA)
How to Build a Museum: Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture by Tonya Bolden; Viking; (ages 10-13)
You Got This by Maya Penn; North Star Way
Hidden Figures , Young Readers’ Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly; HarperCollins (ages 8-12)
Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance by Simone Biles & Michelle Burford; Zondervan
A Poem for Peter: the Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day by Andrea Davis Pinkney; Viking Books for Young Readers (ages 7-10)

mind the gap

It’s done! I finished writing The Ghosts in the Castle on Saturday night and now have the daunting prospect of a week without writing. Unstructured time is tricky for me, but yesterday I filled the hours by “soaking the sponge” that is my brain. When I write, I wring the sponge dry and then I have to absorb new ideas and images in order to be ready to write again. Ghosts is out with some trusted readers and I’m looking forward to hearing their impressions. I stopped posting my word count on Facebook because much of the time I was cutting, trying to simplify and clarify the narrative so that it works for my target audience of 8-10-year-olds. I’ve been watching Black in Britain: a Forgotten History on YouTube and love the way my novel syncs with their survey of Black British history. But then, theirs is a four-part miniseries and mine is a 25K-word novel for kids…

Yesterday I watched The Hollow Crown and The Danish Girl, and I’m thinking of going to see Moana this afternoon. I started my Xmas baking yesterday and did another batch of cookies this morning. Pandora’s giving me a lovely assortment of Xmas tunes and hearing tracks from A Boney M Christmas makes me think of my Caribbean father and all the history I now dig for alone because he chose to withhold so many stories about his childhood in Nevis. We have family in the UK but I don’t really know where because my father never talked about that part of the family. So many silences…If I can keep my mind busy this week, I should be able to turn my attention to The Return next week and I might even finish it before 2016 ends! We had snow but then rain; gloomy weather still creates perfect conditions for keeping the tree lit all day long…but I’m hoping for a white Christmas. Hope you’re feeling festive, too!

troublemaker

I met Ruben Brosbe a few years ago and knew right away that he was an educator committed to social justice. He’s written a fantastic profile of me, “The Troublemaker: Zetta Elliott & the Future of Children’s Literature,” for Brooklyn Magazine and in it, Ruben pulls no punches! Here’s a glimpse:

Some people might consider Elliott impatient. Zetta has suggested (as did a publishing industry professional who spoke to me off the record) that she would have more success with publishing her work if she learned to play nice and put more trust in white editors and publishers.

“I’m really not interested in having a conversation with someone who’s not going to tell the truth,” Elliott says. “Everyone wants reconciliation without the truth.”

This is where the ‘activist’ title once again feels appropriate. The publishers and others admonishing Elliott to slow down bring to mind the white moderates Dr. King complained of in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” or at the very least contemporary white liberals who support the motives of #BlackLivesMatter while tsk-tsking their sense of urgency.

Ruben keeps a special basket of my books in his classroom and I can’t WAIT to share The Ghosts in the Castle with his fourth-grade students up in Harlem. It’s not quite done yet, but I’m close!

final stretch

Writing a thousand words a day is exhausting, but I am very close to completing The Ghosts in the Castle. It’s raining today and I’d really like to go back to bed, but instead I’m going to run some errands and then sit down at the computer to finish Chapters 8 and 10. Chapter 9 I’ll save for tomorrow because it’s the only section that’s completely blank in my manuscript. I *think* I know what I need to write there, but it’s easier to just fill in the blanks for those other half-written chapters. Charity Russell is doing great work on the illustrations; I’ve selected this image for the cover and think it will look amazing in full color. The interior illustrations will be black and white, but that gives kids the option of coloring them in themselves. Tomorrow night is the season premiere of Vikings…will tune in to the History Channel if I finish this novel, but know I’m not ready to start my Viking novel yet. I’ve got my complete list of manuscripts pinned to the wall; I look at it every day so I always know what’s next, what needs more time, what’s overdue. Looking forward to more holiday writing—and less binge eating—as I finish The Return over Xmas…

it’s official

I wrote close to 1500 words yesterday and then got a lovely email from Beth Phelan congratulating me on my new book. Beth developed the #DVpit initiative and that’s how I met my agent last spring. Since then, Jenn has sold two manuscripts and the second sale was announced in Publishers Weekly yesterday:

Kids need inclusive spec fic NOW, which makes it hard to wait two years for this book to come out. But I’m making good progress on The Ghosts in the Castle and will no doubt get The Gryphons at the Gate (City Kids Book #4) out next spring. To a lot of educators and librarians, only the Random House book will count as legitimate, but I’m going to continue to self-publish until the publishing industry operates at the pace of the 21st century…

I’ve managed to come down with a cold but stocked up on Sudafed yesterday and plan to hunker down and write for the rest of the week. A thousand words a day will get me to the end of this novel, and Charity Russell is already doing a great job with the illustrations…I’m mindful of my many blessings and hope you’re aware of yours, too. Enjoy the holiday!

in the wind

After unseasonably high temps in Atlanta last Friday, the weather turned and we had a gusty, brisk day that made me glad for my coat and scarf. When I got back to Brooklyn Saturday night, it was rainy and cool; the next day I had to dig out my down coat because temps dropped to the 40s. I still got out for a run that morning and then went to the Lower East Side to have a delicious afternoon tea with a friend. On the way home I discovered that I’d lost my unlimited metrocard. It only had two days left on it so I wasn’t too upset, and I’m looking forward to being home a LOT this week—no appointments, no school visits, just plenty of time to build on the progress I made on Ghosts while in Atlanta. I went to the post office today and sent off dozens of books; I sent out a slew of emails as well, and may never get a response but at least I’m sowing seeds. The one Black male clerk on duty at the post office was his usual unfriendly self, and that made me think of the last NCTE panel I attended before heading home: “’We Lift as We Climb’: Navigating Academe as Persons of Color, Narrating Experiences as Inside-Outsiders.” The five scholars of color expertly addressed concerns raised by the teachers and junior faculty in attendance. One Black male doctoral candidate asked how to identify potential allies when solidarity among Black people couldn’t automatically be counted on–“He may look like me but that doesn’t mean he’s with me.” And lots of heads were nodding…when one young teacher-in-training told a tearful story of being erased in her all-White graduate classes, at least six New Yorkers stood up, spoke out, and otherwise made clear to her that they had her back and had all been through similar situations. I felt odd watching this conversation unfold because I sympathized yet left the academy years ago, and never really had a mentor to turn to—my friends from grad school were my main source of support. And we knew better than to automatically place our trust in the elders who might once have been radical junior scholars like us, but had since mellowed as they moved into administration. So it was encouraging to hear the scholars on this panel express their commitment to using whatever rank and influence they’d attained to defend those coming up behind them. When the panel ended, I gave away most of the books I’d brought to any interested educators in the room. To my surprise, four women of color came up to me and asked, “Are you Zetta Elliott?” One told me about a second grader who never talked about the loss of his mother until he read BIRD. Two others said they used my essays in their classes (it’s nice to know I’m not just whistling in the wind), and another had heard about me from Prof. Ebony Thomas (who could easily be a publicist the way she talks up my books!) I don’t know why that man at the post office is so miserable but since he’s always that way (except with White customers), I’m not going to take it personally. There’s so much negativity on offer right now, I’m choosing to focus on the positive. NCTE was a great experience and it was lovely to meet new people and see old friends—especially the ones from Arkansas who came out to our 8am panel! Everyone in line at the Publisher Spotlight booth in the exhibit hall was gracious and kind, and we blew through the stack of Melena’s Jubilee in under half an hour! If I get Ghosts in the Castle done this week, I’ll publish my 25th book for young readers before the end of the year. I’ve got two potential illustrators interested in The Return, so that book will likely be my first of the new year. We definitely have challenges ahead with this new administration, but in my heart I know we got this. That’s what I choose to believe…