L is for Library

It's time to start taking down the Xmas decorations, I guess.  I've been putting it off because once I take down all the cards displayed on my bookshelf, I'll have to do some *serious* dusting…never mind all the pine needles embedded in my rug!  But this card came at the very end of the year and it will be moving to the photo collage on my fridge—I just wrote a scene that starts at the Brooklyn Public Library; had to find a way to work in that golden phoenix that's on the central branch's facade.  This beautiful artwork is by Selina Alko who has a forthcoming Brooklyn alphabet book…

And speaking of libraries…*after* you make a generous donation to your local library system, why not print out Ari's list of 2011 new releases and make sure that books by writers of color are added to your library's collection?  It's important to get the word out about these books, especially since many won't be widely reviewed.  Stay tuned over the next few weeks because I'll be posting about African American MG/YA releases along with a few author interviews.  I'm anxiously awaiting Arnold Adoff's latest book of poetry since I got to see Greg Christie's illustrations a year ago and they were just stunning…