MUST.STOP.WRITING.

A novel’s never done. Not for the writer. I finished The Door at the Crossroads in January but I’m tinkering with it still, adding a sentence here and there, inserting a paragraph to extend or clarify a conversation. But it has to stop. At some point every author has to walk away from her book and let it live on its own. I’m like an annoying helicopter parent who won’t let her teenager walk out into the world for fear others will point out her flaws and prey on her weaknesses. I find myself anticipating critiques, and so I go back to the novel and try to answer questions that actually haven’t yet been asked. But it has to stop. Still waiting on the latest updates to the cover but have set a date for the launch party—I hope you can join us on April 14 from 6-8pm at the Weeksville Heritage Center! I’m not good at parties but this book has been a long time coming, so I think it’s important to stop and celebrate.

If you’re in the NYC area, you definitely want to check out the Kweli Writers Conference. I’ll be on two panels but check out all the others—this is your chance to meet and learn from writers, illustrators, editors, and agents:

The Color of Children’s Literature

Program Schedule












Saturday, April 9, 2016

7:30am – 8:45am

Registration and Coffee

8:45am – 9:00am (Volvo Hall)

Welcome and Introduction

9:00am – 9:55am (Volvo Hall)

Keynote by Edwidge Danticat

10:00am – 10:55am (Volvo Hall)

Publishing 101

Panel Discussion moderated by Lynne Polvino (Clarion), featuring:

Regina Brooks, Antonio Gonzalez, Stacy Whitman, Phoebe Yeh

11:00am – 12:00pm (Volvo Hall)

Industry Overview

Panel Discussion moderated by Connie Hsu (Macmillan), featuring:

Victoria Wells Arms, Stacey Barney, Zetta Elliott, Cheryl Hudson

12:00pm – 1:30pm

Lunch Break

1:30pm – 2:25pm

A. Working Through the Editorial Process (Volvo Hall)

Panel Discussion moderated by Natalia Remis (Scholastic), featuring:

Tracey Baptiste, Cheryl Klein, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Eileen Robinson

B. Picture Books Roundtable (Conference Room)

Joanna Cardenas, Zetta Elliott, Cheryl Hudson, Sean Qualls and Eric Velasquez

2:30pm – 3:25pm

A. Building a Platform (Volvo Hall)

Panel Discussion moderated by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, featuring:

Dhonielle Clayton, Antonio Gonzalez, Andrew Harwell, Daniel José Older, Stacy Whitman

B. Writing Middle Grade and Young Adult (Conference Room)

TS Ferguson, Grace Kendall, Alvina Ling, Eileen Robinson

3:30pm – 5:30pm (Volvo Hall)

Manuscript Critiques

3:30pm – 4:25pm

Submissions Panel (Conference Room)

Panel Discussion moderated by Jessica Echeverria (Lee & Low Books), featuring:

Celeste Lim, Beth Phelan, Rachel Stark, Harold Underdown

4:30pm – 5:30pm

Success Stories (Conference Room)

Panel Discussion moderated by Katherine R. Harrison (Knopf Books), featuring:

Joseph Bruchac, Sheela Chari, Nnedi Okorafor, Daniel José Older

6pm – 7:30pm (Volvo Hall)

Wine and Cheese Reception