Zetta Elliott's Blog, page 79

christening the ship

Ship of Souls has been getting some great reviews! We have a five-star review from the Vine program on Amazon.com, and Edi over at Crazy Quilts has paired her wonderful review with the top ten songs on the German pop chart!

Some authors are writers while others are storytellers. I think this short novel attests to Elliott's skills as both. The events flow flawlessly, without contradictions or miscues. Historic elements are woven into the story from the American Revolution to 9/11 which speak to the presence of so many ethnic groups in the creation of America and the historic misinterpretation of their contribution. Water, trees and birds are magical elements of nature that serve as portals between the physical world and other dimensions. And then there's Nyla and Keem, two supporting characters who are developed so well that we cannot help but wonder what more will happen to them, alone and/or together.

We also got a thoughtful review from Lyn Miller-Lachmann over at The Pirate Tree:

In contrast to many works of urban fantasy, Elliott concentrates less on world building and more on building the reader's emotional attachment to her characters, particularly her protagonist, D. If more authors of fantasy did the same, I would read more fantasy…This story will appeal especially to middle grade boys, who'll appreciate both the fast-paced adventure and the fact that the author has created a safe space to explore emotional issues experienced by many of her target readers.

The Pirate Tree will also run an interview with me later in the week. There was one 3-star review on Amazon from a teacher who said her reluctant reader couldn't get into it—and she didn't care for the book herself. Makes you wonder about the connection between a teacher's impression of a book and its chances in the hands of her students…

READ!

Have you done anything this month to participate in the African American Read-In? There's still time! Why not join Edi, Doret, and Vasilly—on Wednesday they'll be discussing Jewell Parker Rhodes' award-winning middle grade novel, Ninth Ward. You can find more information here.

If you're in Toronto, make sure you stop by the African Canadian Children's Literary Festival! I just discovered this event thanks to self-published author Angelot Ndongmo who is one of the festival presenters.

Lastly, my excellent week ended with a special delivery:

say it LOUD

After I finished my presentation this morning, a 4th-grade student who had been in the front row came up to me and tugged my sleeve.

HIM: Can I tell you something?

ME: Sure!

He leaned in close and I bent down so he could whisper in my ear…

HIM: I'm African!

ME: (excited) You ARE? That's wonderful. What part of Africa are you from?

HIM: (still speaking softly) Senegal.

ME: Wow! Tu parles francais aussi? (I had spoken a little French earlier in my presentation)

HIM: Yes.

ME: And do you speak Wolof as well?

HIM: (with a small smile) Yes.

ME: Wow–that means you can speak THREE languages. Good for you!

And then another child tugged at my arm and I tried to answer everyone else's questions before my time was up. I never have to wonder why I do what I do, why I write what I write…

PARTY!

Join us for the launch of

 

Ship of Souls

 

You're invited to the official launch party for Ship of Souls , the latest novel for young readers by award-winning author, Zetta Elliott.


Set in New York City, this unique blend of magical realism and history explores the quest for belonging, the power of friendship, and the value of loyalty.
Get a signed copy of the book, enjoy some refreshments, and learn more about the magical and historical events that inspired this incredible story!

March 3, 2012
1-3pm
at
The African Burial Ground National Monument
290 Broadway
(between Duane St. and Reade St.)

Need directions? http://www.nps.gov/afbg
Need more information? info@zettaelliott.com

this made my day

Today was EXCELLENT! I thought I might be late, and since I demand punctuality of my students, I was horrified at the thought of being late for class myself. But the insanity on the train subsided, there was no mile-long line for the elevators at school, and all three of my classes were fantastic. I love students who show up ready to learn—and to share! We discussed Wish in my neo-slave narratives class and the students had some really interesting insights. In between classes I checked my email and found a request to republish my essay on African Canadian writers. I also found I had been cc'd on this lovely message from the awesome librarian at yesterday's school. Here's some of what she said:

THANK YOU for bringing Zetta Elliott to our school yesterday!
The program was a huge success. We had over 200 students from both campus schools…in the auditorium together. Zetta kept them engaged for 45 minutes with her interactive presentation.
After the official program ended, she stayed and interacted informally with students in the auditorium and then accepted an invitation to visit their classroom on the 3rd floor, where I found her reading aloud from her new book to a group of enthralled 6th grade students.
Today, students have been coming into the library all morning requesting her books.
I highly recommend her presentation. I hope you are able to bring her to other schools.
I would also welcome the opportunity to have her return to our school to work on other projects with our students. Please keep us in mind.
Thank you again for providing our students with this valuable experience.

Tomorrow I go to a school in Bed-Stuy that I've visited several times before, and then I spend the weekend planning our launch party! I've made a flyer, which you can view here: launchflyer. More details to come…

gold star

Had another amazing school visit today! Walked back to the train with a big smile on my face and as soon as I got home, I ordered some copies of my poetry book for the kids in Ms. Mosby's class who shared their moon haiku with me. This was the largest group I've ever presented before—200 kids!—and I think I do better with smaller groups, but it was still a lot of fun. My second visit at this school in Cobble Hill was just as great as the first, and the kids were just as sweet and impressive. I think 6th graders might be my favorite age group—they're young enough to still have a sense of wonder, and yet they're still respectful and even a little bit shy. After my presentation in the auditorium I went upstairs to one sixth-grade classroom and spent some time with a small group of students (and their two awesome teachers). Another class gave me the poster they made after reading Bird, and before leaving the school I was presented with a certificate of achievement—my first gold star in years! I came home to 27 emails in my inbox…my head felt like it was about to burst today, but this has been a really productive week. We're almost ready to announce our launch party for Ship of Souls. I'll post details soon…and yes, there will be cake!

quiet

This introvert is taking a much-needed day of silence…yet as I walked around the park this morning, baseball cap tipped against the blowing snow, I marveled at the kindness of others. I did three "meet the author" presentations this week, and every time I left a school, I said a prayer of thanks for the Brooklyn Public Library. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to share my work with so many students and educators—eight schools altogether, with one hundred students in the audience each time. On Monday the assistant principal in Sunset Park worked tirelessly to get me the equipment I needed for my powerpoint presentation, and then sat at the laptop herself and advanced the slides so I was free to interact with the students. On Wednesday I arrived at the school in Spring Creek and two members of the book club were waiting at the door, cameras poised to capture the moment. After my talk the librarian and parent coordinators hosted a nice reception that included *quite* a spread—and I got a call later asking me about how to order books for the school. Yesterday I was in a new school with a stunning auditorium, and the librarian filled it with a range of students—some top performing classes, some special ed. classes, some kids with special needs–and she, too, sat at the laptop so I was free to move around. Afterward as many teachers as students came up to thank me for my talk and to express interest in Ship of Souls. Those kind of moments always make me thankful for my early years in Canada—the warmth and openness of Americans wouldn't mean so much to me if I didn't come from a culture that's markedly different.

Back at my job, my students were understanding when I had to rearrange our class schedule on Tuesday to accommodate a radio interview with Pia Lindstrom; I'm not sure whether we taped a twenty- or thirty-minute segment because the time flew by and I got to talk about SoS, my belief in magic, my love of history, and I even squeezed in a quote by Audre Lorde (whose essay I'd taught earlier that morning).

Now I have to turn my attention back to my conference paper for France. I found a grant that might help to pay for some of the expenses, but I need to submit the conference program and I can't ask for that when the organizers are still waiting on my overdue paper…time to make the most of this day of silence—time to write.

step one

Have you heard about the Children's Book Council's new Diversity Committee? Elizabeth Bluemle has also written an account of the committee's first event:

Last year, a group of children's book editors desirous of actively talking about and tackling these issues started gathering for lunch discussions. Over time, this grew into a full-blown initiative spearheaded by the wonderful people at the Children's Book Council. Last week, I was overjoyed to have a chance to attend the kickoff celebration for the CBC Diversity Committee, which describes itself as "dedicated to increasing the diversity of voices and experiences contributing to children's literature. We endeavor to encourage diversity of race, gender, geographical origin, sexual orientation, and class among both the creators of and the topics addressed by children's literature. We strive for a more diverse range of employees working within the industry, of authors and illustrators creating inspiring content, and of characters depicted in children's literature."

I'm skeptical, of course, and don't see any mention of their intent to *measure* progress, which I think is important. But it's a start, and big change can come from taking a small step forward. The following is from their blog:

We plan to achieve these goals by taking the following actions:



Recruitment

Participate in high school and college career fairs.
Visit high school senior level English classes to discuss careers in publishing.


Resources


Maintain an up-to-date blog consisting of industry news, book spotlights, CBC Diversity event information, the personal stories of Committee members, and other ready resources for publishing individuals.
Provide a Goodreads CBC Diversity profile that exhaustively curates front and backlist books by CBC member publishers in order to raise awareness of the diversity-friendly content already in existence.

Keeping the Conversation Going

Hold safe space meetings at which industry employees can discuss the obstacles to diversity that they have encountered within the children's publishing world.
Host panel discussions at which different industry arms can communicate the challenges they face in selling and promoting diverse books, and can work together to develop solutions to these problems.

freezing time

Sometimes when it's cold outside you don't really notice. By the time my walking tour ended yesterday, my imagination was ablaze—and my feet were frozen. But I didn't become aware of that fact until I headed back to Brooklyn; I was too busy scheming and dreaming up another book! Cyrus Forman, park ranger at the African Burial Ground National Monument, gave a fantastic presentation yesterday that included a powerpoint presentation at the visitor center followed by a guided tour of the sites in lower Manhattan that were part of Maritcha Lyons' world. Cyrus stopped traffic and led us through the streets surrounding the African Burial Ground; Maritcha was born where the ugly Manhattan Detention Center now stands; her grandmother had a home and a bakery there, and once welcomed Frederick Douglass as a guest; Maritcha's father, Albro Lyons, ran the Colored Seamen's Home at 330 Pearl Street (picture here), which was attacked in the New York City Draft Riots of 1863 (he also once lived in Seneca Village, the mostly black community destroyed to make way for Central Park). Carla L Peterson joined us for the tour (pictured with Cyrus above); she's the author of Black Gotham and the great-grand-niece of Maritcha Lyons! There are lots of other great events planned for the rest of February, including another walking tour on 2/25. Check out the AFBG's new social media site, and you can find a list of their Black History Month events on the CES blog.

I gave my first presentation on Ship of Souls last Friday. The students and staff at the North Star Academy were wonderful, and the kids were definitely intrigued by the chapter I read aloud. This morning I'm heading over to Prospect Park to take photos for my powerpoint presentation. Then it's back to work on my conference paper. No one can stop time, but it's so easy to lose yourself in the past when you're walking around this city—the parks, the schools, the brownstones—all serve as reminders of another time, other generations who walked these same streets and dreamed their own dreams…I came home from the walking tour yesterday and found an email from my father's cousin; I had searched for her unsuccessfully online, but found someone on Facebook that I thought was her brother…I sent him a message, he forwarded it to his sister, and she emailed me to offer the assistance I need to piece together my father's family history. It's hard to set the shovel aside once you start digging, but time doesn't stop just because you're caught up in the past. The semester's off to a good start, I've got a radio interview on Tuesday, and three more school visits this week. Sometimes I feel like the sankofa bird—facing forward but always looking back over my shoulder…

avoiding annihilation

My essay on African Canadian authors is up on the FedCan blog:

If the Canadian publishing industry only opens the gate for two black novelists each year, what happens to all the other talented and aspiring writers? Twenty novels written by twelve African Canadian authors have been published in Canada since the start of the twenty-first century – and only two of the twelve were first-time authors. A rather astonishing percentage of those novels have won or been nominated for major literary awards, including Esi Edugyan's Half Blood Blues, which won the 2011 Giller Prize. Yet can you name three black Canadian women novelists under the age of forty? I couldn't do it when I emigrated in 1994, and I still can't do it now that I'm nearing forty myself. I can name black women novelists from the United Kingdom (e.g. Helen Oyeyemi, Diana Evans, Zadie Smith) and the United States (e.g. Jesmyn Ward, N.K. Jemisin, Heidi Durrow). I adore the novels of Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, an amazingly talented writer from Nigeria. But when I think about young black Canadian women novelists, I draw an unsettling blank.

My scholarly field, Ethnic Studies, is very much in the news these days since the Tucson Unified School District complied with an order from the Arizona state superintendent for public instruction to terminate the Mexican American Studies Program. It infuriates me to know that books are being banned – books that empower so many students of color by opening doors to an alternate, more inclusive view of the world. I know from experience – both as a student and educator – how it feels to finally find yourself in a classroom where people who look like you take center stage. How often does this happen in Canada for black children or children of color more generally? How can it happen when gatekeeping in the Canadian publishing industry keeps the flow of diverse voices to a trickle?

My longer conference paper is still under construction, and I'm thrilled that at least five authors responded to my request for an interview. Now I just have to knuckle down and pull it all together…