Zetta Elliott's Blog, page 50

looking ahead to 2015

I don’t really make resolutions but I do make a list of things I hope to achieve in each new year. I met most of my goals for 2014 and have started thinking about the ways I need to grow in 2015. I’ll be trying a few new things in January—for the first time I’ll be teaching a creative writing class to graduate students at Pine Manor College during their winter residency, and I’ll also be co-facilitating a breakout session at Midwinter ALA in Chicago. If you’re going to be there, too, please let me know! We’re planning a dinner and/or brunch for PoC and allies. Here’s the official press release:

CHICAGO — The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), in collaboration with the Children’s Book Council (CBC), will be hosting a Day of Diversity: Dialogue and Action in Children’s Literature and Library Program on Jan. 30, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.

This invitation-only event will bring together leaders in children’s literature and literacy to discuss strategies for ensuring that all children have access to diverse literature and library programming. The Keynote address at the Day of Diversity will be given by Dr. Camila Alire, ALA Past President (2009-2010).

“The importance of ensuring that our children have access to literature that reflects the diversity and common plurality of our world cannot be overstated,” said ALSC President Ellen Riordan. “By bringing librarians, publishers, authors, book sellers, educators and nonprofit leaders together for the Day of Diversity we’ll have a chance to openly discuss strategies in which we can all work together to better serve and support our children.”

“CBC Diversity has been a leader in bringing the conversation about diversity in children’s books and publishing to the forefront over the last three years,” said Robin Adelson, executive director of the Children’s Book Council & Every Child a Reader. “It’s now time to move from talk to action and we are looking forward to seeing what can happen when the various constituencies, all focused on the needs and interests of children, work together. We are grateful to ALSC for spearheading this important move forward.”

Those attending the 2015 American Library Association Midwinter Meeting are invited to learn more about the Day of Diversity and to lend their own voice during the Diversity Matters: Stepping it Up With Action! News You Can Use session. This session will be held from 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. CST on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015 in McCormick Place West W183b. Additionally, ALSC will also be hosting at least two online community forums or webinars in the months following the Day of Diversity; in order to ensure that the Day of Diversity discussion and outcomes are presented to a broader audience.

The Day of Diversity is funded in large part through the Everyone Reads @ your library grant awarded to the Association for Library Service to Children by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Other sponsors include the Chicago Public Library and Friends of ALSC.

About the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)

ALSC, a division of the ALA, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s website at http://www.ala.org/alsc.

About the Children’s Book Council

The Children’s Book Council (CBC) is the nonprofit trade association for children’s book publishers in North America, with members spanning from large international houses to smaller independent presses. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, literacy advocacy, and collaborations with other national organizations. The CBC is proud to partner with other national organizations on co-sponsored reading lists, educational programming, and literacy initiatives. Please visit www.cbcbooks.org for more information.

About Dollar General Stores

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. With more than 11,500 stores in 40 states, Dollar General has more retail locations than any retailer in America. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted manufacturers such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg’s, General Mills, and PepsiCo. For more information on Dollar General, please visit www.dollargeneral.com.

Looking Back at 2014!

This photo slideshow generated with Smilebox

the story of Christmas

I love Christmas and each year I look forward to reviving those traditions that make me feel festive—and creative. For the past three years I’ve written straight through the holidays. Last year I wrote Fox & Crow, which is now available online (you can try ordering it from your favorite bookstore in a couple of days). It was inspired, in part, by the PBS special “Christmas in Yellowstone.” I fell in love with the red fox in that Nature special and was thrilled when Babs Webb recreated the hunting scene for the first illustration in our book. I used to say that almost everything I wrote could be traced back to PBS, but Fox & Crow: A Christmas Tale was also inspired by two videos that were posted by friends on Facebook. One showed a little fox approaching two hunters or soldiers for help getting a jar off his head, and the other showed a crow using the lid of a jar to sled down a snowy rooftop. To bring the animals together I thought about Aesop’s famous fable and imagined their rivalry continuing in a contemporary North American suburb; Babs lives in Colorado so her illustrations reflect that landscape. Fox and Crow fear humans and generally hold them in contempt, but on Christmas Eve, the two creatures encounter members of a family that has been touched by illness. Here’s the summary:

Fox and Crow are old friends who enjoy trying to outsmart one another. One winter evening, mischievous Crow plays a trick that leaves Fox with his head stuck in an empty jar! Instead of helping her friend, Crow flies off to have an adventure in town. Humbled by his embarrassing predicament, Fox must also leave the safety of the forest to search for help. Both creatures know from experience that humans can be wasteful and cruel, but on this special night, Fox and Crow see humans in a new light after they each bring joy to members of a family whose holiday spirit has been dimmed by illness.

Inspired by actual events, Fox & Crow: A Christmas Tale is a contemporary take on Aesop’s beloved fable.

Babs and I discussed how to represent the family in terms of race, and we decided to make them interracial. I don’t think I ever saw a mixed-race family like my own in the books I read as a child, so I’m happy to have one represented so beautifully in my Christmas book. I’m re-reading Dickens’ A Christmas Carol now; every Christmas Eve I watch the 1951 black and white film version starring Alistair Sim. Every Christmas I watch The Fellowship of the Ring, though this year I may go see the final installment of The Hobbit instead. There will be egg nog. My Xmas baking has begun. All I need now is a little bit of snow…

Illustration by Babs Webb

claiming space

Thousands of New Yorkers hit the streets on Saturday for a massive protest march against police brutality. I wanted to be there with them, but we had other, equally important work to do in Bed-Stuy. Ibi Zoboi organized a fantastic reading by four Black women writers, and the young members of her Brooklyn Blossoms Book Club represented the younger generation by reading from Brown Girl Dreaming and asking their own thoughtful questions to kick off the Q&A. The room was packed and on the gallery walls hung the beautiful black and white photographs of Black girls from throughout the diaspora taken by Delphine Fawundu. Before the event began at noon we had a chance to see some of the talented young people who performed for Restoration’s holiday show; Tonya, Renee, and I said a few words to them about the importance of literacy, and I got to hand out some of my books to eager young readers. Before the reading began there was time to catch up with fellow authors Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Lyn Miller-Lachmann; we talked about the challenge of earning a living as an artist, and then Jackie arrived and we took our places. I recently wrote a guest post over at Madhuri Blaylock’s blog about the relative silence around Black women’s victimization; the specific challenges we face rarely get the attention they deserve, but yesterday the voices of Black women and girls were heard loud and clear. You can find a terrific write-up over at Lyn Miller-Lachmann’s blog. There are some fantastic photos of the day, too, but I can’t seem to upload any right now so check out the great shots Lyn took or visit the event page on Facebook to see the photos taken by Melissa Blemur. I met Melissa on Twitter a few months ago along with two Canadian expats, Heather and Hazel, and it was great to finally meet them on Saturday! My butter tarts were a hit, I sold half of my books, and went home feeling grateful for the chance to share my work with readers and future writers. I read from An Angel for Mariqua for the first time and think it was well-received. Yesterday I dropped off ten copies for the kids Xmas party at Rikers this week. I hope all the dolls and books bring some comfort and hope to kids who miss their mothers all year round but especially around the holidays. We are here. We’re claiming space and insisting that our stories are told…

I Am Here!

Have you seen I AM HERE! Girls Reclaiming Safe Space at the Skylight Gallery? You haven’t?! Then come out to Restoration Plaza tomorrow and join us for a day of Black women writers, Black girl readers, and lots of BOOKS! In the morning, Restoration celebrates its founder, Robert F. Kennedy, with a Memorial Holiday Party that includes free books for kids. Then at noon, I’ll be participating in a reading, book sale, and signing along with Renée Watson, Tonya Cherie Hegamin, and National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson! I even made butter tarts for the occasion, so please come and eat some for me (otherwise I’ll be having butter tarts for breakfast until Xmas).

silence of the season

I woke up on Friday with a severe case of reverse bronchitis; I know I said I wasn’t going to self-diagnose anymore, but I got bronchitis and/or pneumonia almost every winter as a kid, so I know this illness pretty well. The day before I’d been to see the nutritionist about my high (bad) cholesterol (turns out I’m not pre-pre-diabetic). Came home feeling fine, and not totally convinced that one piece of cake a week was to blame for my test results. Then that evening I had some tightness in my chest and 24 hours later I was curled up on the couch, teeth chattering, unable to stay warm despite multiple layers of clothing and blankets. By Saturday my voice was gone, which hasn’t happened before, but I did notice some improvement. I am slowly getting better but I have a Skype visit scheduled today and worry the kids won’t be able to hear me. Mostly I’m grateful for my healthy immune system, which has worked so hard to fight back against this nasty virus. And I’m grateful for the comforts of my home–the soft couch, the warm bed, the kettle, the food in the fridge, the hot shower (and hot water bottle). Over the weekend I submitted files for my latest MG novel, An Angel for Mariqua. My designer is in Indonesia so she would send me files just as I was going to bed, and I’d keep the computer close by so I could tell when CreateSpace approved the files for printing. My friend Katie Yamasaki worked with incarcerated mothers at Rikers Island to create a mural; she’s now collecting dolls of color for the annual kids Xmas party at Rikers and I’m hoping to also donate copies of this book. Mariqua’s mother has been sent to prison and her older friend Valina has a mother who’s dying of AIDS. This is an excerpt where Mariqua learns about how the virus works:

“Every body has an immune system that’s like a coat of armor,” she said. “The armor helps to protect us from viruses and infections that can make our bodies weak. A person with AIDS loses her armor, and that makes it difficult for her body to heal itself after an attack. When a person with a healthy immune system catches a cold, she gets better after a short while. But when a person with AIDS is exposed to a virus, sometimes that person gets sicker and sicker even though they’re taking medicine.”

I know diseases and prisons aren’t generally associated with Christmas, but I think it’s important to focus on the true spirit of the holidays: love and compassion, forgiveness and redemption. I put up my silver tree yesterday; it’s not the same as having a live tree but it’s still pretty and once the Xmas carols came on, I started to feel more festive. Christmas is my favorite time of year but I also keep it very low-key—no family, maybe no friends, just a lot of quiet time and good food and hopefully a few hours of writing. I watched Peter and the Wolf yesterday, which I just love and has become one of my annual traditions. No words, just Prokofiev’s beautiful music…so touching. You can watch it on You Tube.

 

night wind

walk out into the night

let the wind suck from your eyes

the tears you won’t let fall

World AIDS Day

I’m almost ready to release An Angel for Mariqua; over the weekend I took photos of my lovely model, Sumi, and my designer is now working on the cover. A colleague from the NYC Health Department is working on a kid-friendly afterword, which is important since this middle grade novel addresses HIV/AIDS in the Black community. Here’s a summary:

“Christmas is coming, but eight-year-old Mariqua Thatcher isn’t looking forward to the holidays. Mama’s gone and Gramma doesn’t know what to do with her feisty granddaughter. Almost every day Mariqua gets into a fight at school, and no one seems to understand how she feels inside. But things start to change when a mysterious street vendor gives Mariqua a beautifully carved angel as a gift. Each night Mariqua whispers in the angel’s ear, and soon her wishes start to come true! Mariqua begins to do better at school, and she even wins an important role in the church pageant. But best of all, Mariqua becomes friends with Valina Peterson, a teenager who lives in Mariqua’s building. Valina helps Mariqua learn how to control her anger, and reminds her pretend little sister that “everyone has a story to tell.” Their friendship is tested, however, when Mariqua discovers that Valina has been keeping a secret about her own mother. Can the magic angel make things better?” 

I wrote this novel back in 2000, and wish I could say that HIV infection rates were no longer at crisis levels, but that simply isn’t true. Black women are particularly impacted and I hope my book will help start a much needed, family friendly conversation in our community. I thought I would share some statistics from the CDC since today is World AIDS Day.

New HIV Infectionsa

African Americans accounted for an estimated 44% of all new HIV infections among adults and adolescents (aged 13 years or older) in 2010, despite representing only 12% of the US population; considering the smaller size of the African American population in the United States, this represents a population rate that is 8 times that of whites overall.
In 2010, African American women accounted for 6,100 (29%) of the estimated new HIV infections among all adult and adolescent African Americans. This number represents a decrease of 21% since 2008. Most new HIV infections among African American women (87%; 5,300) are attributed to heterosexual contact.c The estimated rate of new HIV infections for African American women (38.1/100,000 population) was 20 times that of white women and almost 5 times that of Hispanic/Latino women.d

HIV and AIDS Diagnosese and Deaths

At some point in their lifetimes, an estimated 1 in 16 African American men and 1 in 32 African American women will be diagnosed with HIV infection.
In 2011, an estimated 15,958 African Americans were diagnosed with AIDS in the United States.
By the end of 2010, an estimated 260,821 African Americans ever diagnosed with AIDS had died in the United States.

Mayor Bill de Blasio speaking at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on Worlds AIDS Day in NYC.

Indies First!

It’s Small Business Saturday and if you’re thinking of giving books for the holidays, I urge you to order them online from Teaching for Change. If you can visit the DC store, you’re in for a real treat—the majority of their kids books are by and about people of color! Plus the people who work in the store have a commitment to social justice so you can trust that the CONTENT of those diverse books is CORRECT. I was honored to have one of my books included on their Best of 2014 list. Indie bookstores often want authors to support them, but they won’t all support indie authors like me. Teaching for Change is one of the few bookstores that carries my books for young readers, but they’re facing hard economic times so please give them your support!

attitude of gratitude

Walter H. Williams, Butterflies (1973)

Yesterday I grabbed a post-it note and wrote, “I am american/but not the way you are American.” Then I stuck the note on my bulletin board and went back to writing The Return. I managed to get 2000 words down before turning in for the night, and all in all had a pretty wonderful Thanksgiving. Canadian Thanksgiving is in October and I’ve never really observed the holiday here in the US; I don’t have family in NYC, it’s too close to Christmas, I hate to shop, and spending the day with someone else’s family can be an agony. This year I picked up some traditional fare from a gourmet deli in Brooklyn Heights and planned to spend the day on the couch with my laptop. I went for a run in the morning, then heated up my feast and wrote about Nyla and Keem’s adventures in Senegal. I was tempted to start a new picture book inspired by the work of Walter H. Williams (1920-1998); I saw one of his paintings in DC and immediately a story began unfolding in my mind. Children appear to be picking cotton but beyond the dead tree, the cotton field transforms into a child’s paradise filled with butterflies and sunflowers. A little online research let me know that Williams was from Brooklyn and took art classes at the museum, but spent most of his life as an expat in Copenhagen. Orange is the color of my childhood and these paintings from the late 1960s really resonate with me. I’ve opened a new file but will try to get a few thousand words done on The Return before I switch gears.

This morning I received another terrible Canadian review, this time for The Phoenix on Barkley Street (the reviewer said the phoenix looked like “a buffoon”). I have many things to be grateful for, and the immigrant/expat in me will ever be thankful for the chance to trade my life in Canada for this american life. I’m lucky to have been born and educated in Canada, but I thank God my late father gave me a way out…

Walter H. Williams, “Roots, Southern Landscape”