Zetta Elliott's Blog, page 82

Girls' State of the Union

[image error]

The Women's Media Center invites girls from all over the United States, ages 14-22, to create a 1- 5 minute Girls' State of the Union video. Five finalists will be highlighted on the Women's Media Center's YouTube channel and a group of diverse and talented celebrity and new media influencer judges will choose the winner. http://womensmediacenter.com/blog/gir...

Like the President's report, the Girls' State of the Union will sum up the condition of the country—with special emphasis on the welfare of girls—and an outline of what the President's legislative agenda and priorities for congress should be.

The winner, along with her parents or guardians, will be flown to Washington, DC to present her State of the Union report at the National Press Club in January.

We will launch the video contest on November 16, 2011 and end it on December 12, 2011.

The winner will be added to our She Source database, an online braintrust of female experts on diverse topics designed to serve journalists, producers, and bookers who need female guests and sources. This is an opportunity to show the country that girls are an important part of our union and play a vital role as problem solvers and media thought leaders!

CHILDREN'S POETRY ANTHOLOGY ON SPORTS

REVISED CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS – CHILDREN'S POETRY ANTHOLOGY ON SPORTS




Submission Deadline: March 31st, 2012



On your marks, get set, write! 



An independently published e-book anthology of children's poetry dedicated to the wide world of sports is in the works. 



ADULTS who write children's poetry, including those who are emerging poets, are invited to submit their work. 



We're looking for original, unpublished poems,  written in English , aimed at 5- to 12-year-olds that deal with various aspects of athletics:





Olympics and other major international sports events (i.e., FIFA World Cup)
winter/summer, individual/team sports
winning and losing
amateur/professional athletes
sports fans and those behind the scenes (coaches, refs, etc.)
equipment/uniforms and places where sports are played
sports history and other miscellanea (halls of fame, records, trivia, etc.)


*We are interested in receiving poems written in a variety of forms  including but not limited to the following : couplet, triplet, limerick, haiku, tanka, cinquain, diamante, mask poem, apostrophe poem, list poem, etheree, palindrome, etc. 





Poets whose work is selected for the collection will receive a small honorarium. 





We will contact you shortly after the deadline if we plan to include your poem in the anthology. 



A portion of the anthology's proceeds will be donated to Right to Play, an organization working with volunteers and partners to use sport and play to enhance child development in areas of disadvantage.



Please email poems to Carol-Ann Hoyte at kidlitfan1972 at yahoo dot ca.

2011 Authors of Color

Doret has posted her 2011 list of MG & YA novels by authors of color. If we take a look at Doret's list and mine, how many of these novels feature LGBTQ characters? Can queer kids of color find their mirrors in these books?

READ OUT LOUD 2011

I had a lot of fun at the last Read Out Loud event, and will be leading a poetry workshop based on Wish this time around. If you're in Harlem, stop by! Here's a message from the coordinator, Christine Petro:

We are growing more excited about READ OUT LOUD on this Saturday, December 3rd at PS 92. In addition to author appearances and book signings we have a full schedule of activities for children and youth (ages 4-13) and their parents. Among the highlights, Sesame Workshop is returning as an activity partner this year and Scholastic is the generous contributor of 1,000 books for our book giveaway.

Other activity partners include Barnard College, Bank Street School of Education and Columbia University, all running hands-on, literacy-based workshops, designed to engage families in the creative process of writing and reading. New York Public Library is on site to do library card sign-ups and a number of other institutions and organizations (20 in total) are taking part to encourage families to read and enjoy books. One exciting new component of the event this year is a Student Writing Gallery, which will exhibit high quality writing pieces from students in District #5 schools. Please check out the work of these young writers at the event!

Morningside Area Alliance holds this event in collaboration with Community School District #5, which includes 31 public schools in Harlem. Our host school, PS 92, the Mary McLeod Bethune School, is a welcoming and friendly learning environment, and we appreciate all the energy and resources they have contributed toward this event.

Location

PS 92, Mary McLeod Bethune School

222 W. 134th Street

Between 7th Ave. (Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd) and 8th Ave. (Frederick Douglass Blvd)

New York, NY 10030

Main entrance is underneath scaffolding.

Transit/Parking

The nearest train is the C train at 135th Street/St. Nicholas Ave. or the 2/3 on 135th Street/Lenox Ave. There does not appear to be any planned service changes for these trains.

You may find street parking nearby, or the nearest parking garage is a couple of blocks away:

Deb Parking, LLC

300 W 135th Street (between St. Nicholas and Frederick Douglass Blvd.)

(212)368-1745

Weekends:

$10 flat rate for regular cars

$20 flat rate for SUVs

Rate applies from 6:00 AM – 12:00 midnight

Social Media

Follow our Twitter account @ReadOutLoudNYC and use hashtag #ROL2011 to tweet about the event. You may also "Like Us" on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Morningside-Area-Alliance/248322296888

2011 Caribbean Children's and Young Adult Books

This is a guest post submitted by Summer Edward.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to meet Zetta Elliott at the A is for Anansi conference at New York University. Since then, I've been a loyal reader of her blog, Fledgling. So when I saw Zetta's recent post listing MG and YA novels written in 2011 by African-American authors in the U.S. I thought I'd follow suit and compile a list of English-language Caribbean children's and young adult books published in 2011. While Caribbean children's and YA publishing communities have their own unique struggles, they do share some of the same challenges faced by so-called "minority" publishing communities in the U.S. Like Zetta, I think a good way to gauge the status of a publishing community is to look at publishing statistics.

I found that 48 English-language Caribbean children's and young adult books were released this year. Of those books, 7 titles were reissues and over 50% were self-published. Of the 16 books published by publishing houses, most were published by publishing houses located outside the Caribbean.  Also, only 4 of the books were YA books. Take a look at the list and let me know if I've missed anything.

Note: I've tried to supply as much information about the books as possible, but in some cases details like the publisher or the type of book are unavailable. I've coded the books as follows: BB- Board Book; PB- Picturebook; YA- Young Adult novel; MG- Middle Grade novel. Some titles have no web links because no links to the books are available. Reissued titles are indicated by an asterix (*)

English-language Caribbean Children's and Young Adult Books Published in 2011

 Published by Publishing Houses:

Good-bye, Havana! Hola, New York!  by Edie Colon (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books; August/PB)
Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina  by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand (Marshall Cavendish Corp/Ccb ; September/PB)
One Love by Cedella Marley (Chronicle Books; September/PB)
Stir It Up! by Ramin Ganeshram (Scholastic; August /YA)
Bouki Cuts Wood: A Haitian Folktale  by Amanda St. John (Child's World; August/PB)
Marijuanaman by Ziggy Marley (Image Comics; May/YA)
Boy Boy and the Magic Drum  by Machel Montano (DIP Publishing; January/PB)
Minding Ben by Victoria Brown (Voice; April/YA)
Island Princess in Brooklyn by Diane Browne (Carlong Publishers; August/MG/YA)
The Cloud with the Silver Lining* by C. Everard Palmer (Macmillan Caribbean; October/MG)
My Father, Sun-Sun Johnson* by C. Everard Palmer (Macmillan Caribbean; October/MG)
A Cow Called Boy* by C. Everard Palmer (Macmillan Caribbean; October/MG)
Riot* by Andrew Salkey (Peepal Tree Press; May/MG)
Earthquake* by Andrew Salkey (Peepal Tree Press; May/MG)
Drought* by Andrew Salkey (Peepal Tree Press; May/MG)
Hurricane* by Andrew Salkey (Peepal Tree Press; May/MG)

Published by Organizations:

The Discovery by Grace Nichols (Guyana Book Foundation; September/PB)
All the Joy in the World by Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette (Rotary Club of Grand Caman Sunrise; March/PB)
Daddy and I Explore…The Farm! by David Chapman (Sunray Publishing; April/PB)
Waldorf, the Water Drop: The Story of Water Pollution by Pamela O'Toole  (Guyana Book Foundation; September/PB)
Bri and Luk: Friends In Times of Changing Climates (Future Centre Trust; January/PB)

Self-Published:

The CP Superheroes of the Cayman Islands by Vinnette Mae Glidden (Caribbean Pirate Ltd; October/PB)
Island Girl  by Khara Jhanielle Campbell (CreateSpace; June/PB)
Spooky Nights on the Island  by Beverly E. Dyer-Groves (AuthorHouse; June)
Ping Pong by June Stoute (Wordways Caribbean; September/PB)
Sweet Dreams: El Yunque Dreams  by Jo Anne Valle (CreateSace; May/PB)
Trapped in Dunston's Cave (Caribbean Adventure Series) by Carol Mitchell (Caribbean Reads Publishing; June/MG)
Grommit– My Life and Times by Andy Campbell (Bob & Chris Books for Children; March/PB)
Squirrel Coconuts  by Andy Campbell (Bob & Chris Books for Children; March/PB)
To Patos and Back by Andy Capbell (Bob & Chris Books for Children; March/PB)
The Reggae Band Rescues Mama Edda Leatherback by Jana Bent (Reggae Pickney; September/PB)
Why the Turtle and the Snail Carried Their Houses on Their Backs  by Marilyn Laing (AuthorHouse; April/PB)
Kaa Kaa & Tokyo in Babysittin' 'Lil Kelly by Rabia Abdul Akim (ContessaBlack Entertainment; July/PB)
We Are Free: A Story About the Origin of the Garinagu by Ingrid and Ibo Cayetano (July/PB)
Sweet Jamaican Summertime at Grandma's by Angela Brent-Harris (Xlibiris; May/PB)
The Night Nopat Was Left Out by Lynette Noel (AuthorHouse; February)
Money Basics for Kids: Financial Literacy for Children by Sharryn Dawson (Money Basics for Kids/PB)
Marcus and the Amazons by Geoffrey Philp (Mabrak; August/MG)
I Find It So Hard! by Rosheenna Beek (PB)
Who is Smarter Than Galiber Guess?  by Anthea Bousquet (Maryli Publisher; April/MG)
Bahamian Lyrical Tales by Kirkland "KB" Bodie (Media Unlimited)
Satchi and Little Star by Donna Seim (Jetty House; August/PB)
The Adventures of Lisbeth by Liesel F. Daisley (AuthorHouse; August/PB)
The Magic Cave by Aarti Gosine (AuthorHouse; January/MG)
The Perfect Shell by Joanne-Mason (due December/PB)
Trixie Triangle by Kellie Magnus (Jack Mandora/Media Magic/BB)
A Book for Baby by Kellie Magnus (Jack Mandora/Media Magic/BB)

Summer Edward is the Founder and Managing Editor of Anansesem, a Caribbean ezine for and by children. She is a writer and Caribbean children's literature activist from Trinidad and Tobago. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Temple University and an M.S.Ed in Reading, Writing, Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Philadelphia, PA.

Saturday morning art

My students are required to produce a piece of art that illustrates a line of text from any of the novels, poems, and articles we've read this semester. I promised I would make a demo to reassure those who aren't so confident about their artistic ability:

attitude & gratitude

I'm thankful for many things this evening. I'm thankful for the medication that relieved my 4am migraine. And I'm so glad I dragged myself to work today because my students really lifted my spirits. We were discussing colorism and we took turns acting out Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith. We shared stories of our own experiences with privilege and prejudice; we reflected on the messages we get from the media and from our families. We talked about body image and eating disorders, and the impulse too many black women have to diminish ourselves in order to please or placate others. Why do so many of us fear that we "take up too much space?" I'm so thankful for the opportunity to teach and learn from my students—and I truly needed to be in the classroom this week because things got a little heated on the blog. When I posted the publishers responsible for the 47 black-authored books that came out in 2011, one editor left an anonymous comment that rubbed me the wrong way. In part because it was the same old, same old ("I don't consider race when judging a manuscript") and in part because s/he claimed my methodology was flawed. I responded to her comment and then rallied the troops (thanks to everyone who shared their opinion!), and my good friend Laura Atkins wrote a brilliant response that she has since posted on her own blog. Laura was much more diplomatic than I was and asked the anonymous editor to consider a few things:

…have you considered how you respond to manuscripts based on your own background (not knowing what that background is)? And if this idea is extended, considering that the publishing industry is dominated by people from a white middle-class background (and generally female), then isn't this going to shape the reactions editors and sales people are having to submissions? Again, Neesha's post on aesthetics is helpful to read here. As is Cynthia Leitich Smiths' article, "A Different Drum: Native American Writing" ("Field Notes," The Horn Book Magazine, July 2002, p. 407). She gives examples of responses she had to her writing, including the use of humor which non-native readers didn't get, and how she was told that repeating four times was incorrect – it should be three (drawing on fairy tale tropes rather than Cynthia's cultural traditions). This is a lot of what I wrote about in my essay, "White Privilege in Children's Publishing," and I think gets to the heart of the issues with the publishing industry. As long as the people working there don't reflect the people who live in the country (demographics are shifting, ethnic minorities becoming majorities in some places) – then how can the books published really reflect and speak to children from truly diverse backgrounds?

Laura also posted links to my stats and her response on the Child_Lit list, and one member (thank you, Melynda Huskey) shared a link to an interesting Implicit Association Test that YOU can take to reveal your unconscious assumptions about groups of people who are different than you (race, religion, gender, sexuality, etc.). Academics certainly have their issues, but maybe we need more professors in publishing! I withdrew from the Child_Lit list after hearing crickets whenever I broached the subject of racism in publishing, but I'm grateful that at least some people on the list were willing to respond so thoughtfully to Laura's post.

I will be grading over Thanksgiving, but I have vowed *not* to grumble as I grade. There's way too much to be thankful for…

the breakdown 2011

So now that we've got our list of YA & MG novels by black US-based authors, it's time to figure out who's responsible for giving these books the green light. We finished up with 47 titles by 35 authors. Here are their publishers:

Kensington/Dafina: 11

Kimani TRU: 7

Simon & Schuster: 6

Scholastic: 5*

Penguin: 2

Hyperion: 2

Aladdin: 2

Harper Teen: 1

Harper Collins: 1

Plenary: 1

Egmont: 1

Hatchette: 1

FSG: 1

Candlewick: 1

Bella: 1

Bloomsbury: 1

Push: 1

Nancy Paulsen: 1

Razorbill: 1

*two Scholastic titles were reissued

Once again, Kensington and Kimani Tru (Harlequin) are in the lead; together they publish almost 40% of black-authored novels for teens. The following authors had multiple titles in 2011: Celeste Norfleet (2), Kelli London (2), Rachel Renee Russell (2), Nikki Carter (3), Andrea Davis Pinkney (2), Patricia McKissack (2), Veronica Chambers (2), Walter Dean Myers (3), Artist Arthur (2), and L. Divine (2).

the breakdown 2012

So now that we've got our list of YA & MG novels by black US-based authors, it's time to figure out who's responsible for giving these books the green light. We finished up with 46 titles by 35 authors. Here are their publishers:

Kensington/Dafina: 11

Kimani TRU: 7

Simon & Schuster: 6

Scholastic: 4

Penguin: 2

Hyperion: 2

Aladdin: 2

Harper Teen: 1

Harper Collins: 1

Plenary: 1

Egmont: 1

Hatchette: 1

FSG: 1

Candlewick: 1

Bella: 1

Bloomsbury: 1

Push: 1

Nancy Paulsen: 1

Razorbill: 1

Once again, Kensington and Kimani Tru (Harlequin) are in the lead; together they publish almost 40% of black-authored novels for teens. The following authors had multiple titles in 2011: Celeste Norfleet (2), Kelli London (2), Rachel Renee Russell (2), Nikki Carter (3), Andrea Davis Pinkney (2), Veronica Chambers (2), Walter Dean Myers (3), Artist Arthur (2), and L. Divine (2).

2011 African American YA & MG Novels

       

All the Wrong Moves by Nikki Carter (Kensington; January 1/YA)
Famous by Simone Bryant (Kimani TRU; January/YA)
Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon (Simon & Schuster; January 4/MG)
Joseph's Grace by Shelia Moses (Simon & Schuster; Janurary 4/YA)
Eliza's Freedom Road by Jerdine Nolen (Simon & Schuster; January 4/MG)
Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves (Simon & Schuster; January 4/YA)
Drama High: The Meltdown by L. Divine (Kensington; January 25/YA)
Mystify (Mystyx #2) by Artist Arthur (Kimani TRU; February 1/YA)
Kick by Walter Dean Myers & Ross Workman (Harper Teen; February 1/MG)
How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen (Harper Collins; February 22/MG)
Glitz by Philana Marie Boles (Penguin; February 3/YA)
Act of Grace by Karen Simpson (Plenary; February/YA)
Upgrade U by Ni-Ni Simone (Kensington; March 1/YA)
Getting Played by Celeste Norfleet (Kimani Tru; 22 March/YA)
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (Penguin; 14 April) 
Carmen by Walter Dean Myers (Egmont Books; April) 
The break up Diaries by NiNi Simone (Dafina; April)
Bird in a box by Andrea Davis Pickney (Hatchette Group; April)
So, so hood (Drama High) by L. Divine (Dafina; 31 May)  
Doing my own thing by Nikki Carter (Dafina; June )