CBC Diversity
Month
On linguistics and gender identity. @tmagazine
Contributed by Nikki Garcia, Assistant Editor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
There are a lot of well-meaning people in publishing who work hard to create more diversity in books. But unfortunately there can also be times when excuses are made for not highlighting diversity through books:
*There isn’t enough of an audience to buy these books.
*It’s difficult to reach that market.
*That market is too niche.
*We have too many tough issue books.
“Some women writers are better represented in print in terms of race, gender identity, sexual identity and ability than others. This closer look enables us to ask why some are underrepresented.” via vidaweb.org
Named in honor of the late author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, the Walter Dean Myers Grant will be given to five unpublished authors from non-majority backgrounds, who shine the light on diversity in their writing. @weneeddiversebooks
Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee (Scholastic, September 2004). All rights reserved. @scholasticreadingclub
CBC Diversity’s Goodreads takes the guesswork out of finding diverse books!
Author Mitali Perkins reflects on questions of “appropriation and authenticity.” @mitali
Contributed by Hena Khan, Author
Like countless Americans, I grew up loving Curious George and his antics—swallowing a puzzle piece, painting a jungle scene on a wall, and flying on a bunch of balloons. And when I had children of my own, I happily reread the classic stories with them, along with a collection of new adventures for George at the library, the chocolate factory, and more. It was exciting for me to watch my sons develop the same appreciation for the mischievous little monkey that I have and to observe how truly timeless he is.
The inaugural Walter Awards were presented by We Need Diverse BooksTM at a ceremony at the Library of Congress on March 28. Named in honor of the late author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Walter Dean Myers, the awards are given in recognition of diverse children’s books.
“Mindfulness is key. Being driven by this sense of an overarching mission is key. There isn’t much time to lose.” via Lit Hub
In honor of Women’s History Month, a roundup of YA featuring strong heroines. @richincolor
Contributed by Shifa Kapadwala, Publicity Assistant at Simon & Schuster Children’s Books
I’m from a South Asian immigrant family. For my traditional parents, a woman’s ultimate end goal should be getting married and taking care of a family. It’s no surprise that I don’t share this exclusive view, and I credit reading with helping me understand a culture I didn’t experience at home. I learned about things like the kinds of foods that were eaten for dinner or lunch; the different types of relationships between children and their parents; and social interactions and phrases more commonly used in mainstream Western culture. Though it was extremely hard to find Indian characters to relate to in the books I read throughout my academic career, it was literature that would help me understand the world around me.
It became more evident to me that I wanted to work with books—but the question was how. When I finally connected the fact that the little logos on the spine of my books stood for publishing houses and that there were actual people who worked to bring books out into the world, I decided I wanted to pursue publishing. Deciding was one thing, but pursuing was an arduous path.
Contributed by Kate Sullivan, Senior Editor at Delacorte Press
These days, many working in the industry have heard the news and are on board with the mission: it’s time to diversify the book market. Publishing is an ecosystem, and every level needs to be committed to making changes if this mission is to succeed.
As an editor, I think a lot about my piece in this effort, and I’m avidly watching what other editors are doing to make it happen. Recently, some conversations I had on Twitter surrounding #ownvoices and #Dvpit made me reflect about blind spots that even the best intentioned ally or advocate editors have—including myself—and I want to share those revelations so that we can keep pushing the efforts forward.
I know many editors who are ready for change, and are embracing it. They’re calling to the heavens, to Twitter, lunching agents, asking and begging for more diverse submissions. And… honestly, we haven’t been super successful yet. At least, I know I’m not the only one discouraged by the limited progress. Some authors of color or marginalized voices are getting bigger and better book deals but not enough. I’m seeing more books that feature characters of different ethnicities or backgrounds and sexualities, and fantasies inspired by different cultures, but most of them aren’t written by diverse authors. It’s progress of a sort, but we need to push further and do better.
A recent survey by PW asks: “Why has publishing made so little progress in its efforts to diversify, particularly racially?” @publishersweekly
“No one type of body has the monopoly on worthiness…everyone’s story, and humanity, is valuable.” @guardian
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell @rainbowrowell
Find your next favorite read at CBC Diversity’s Goodreads!
A window into dyslexia. via Quartz
LGBTQ writers share the books they wish they’d read as teens. @thelithub
Innovations in braille literacy. @schoollibraryjournal
Writers and publishing professionals share action points for building a more diverse publishing industry. @brooklynmag
New and upcoming 2016 titles from past Coretta Scott King winners! @schoollibraryjournal
