A non-profit and a
grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates
essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote
literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.
“Donations to WNDB have enabled us to fund grants for 25 publishing internships over the past three years. Fully HALF of those interns have gone on to obtain full-time jobs in publishing, and they’re already bringing greater diversity to children’s books, promoting affirmation and empathy for ALL kids. If you think this effort is as important as I do, please support us by donating today. THANK YOU!”
– Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and Honorary Chair, WNDB Internship Program Committee, [shown in the graphic] with her granddaughter.
[Image description: White text on orange background states the quote above and includes a small photo of Linda Sue Park smooching her toddler-age granddaughter. The same photo is faintly visible through the orange background.]
Because all stories are part of #OurStory - Introducing a book discovery tool that celebrates diversity.
[Image description: Large black text on white background reads: “#WeNeedDiverseBooks Presents OurStory A Book Discovery App Celebrating Diversity.” The word “OurStory” is a logo, with the word “Our” in a cursive type font and the word “Story” with a 3D effect. Below the logo is an image of a laptop displaying the OurStory website. Behind the laptop and the logo is a faded background image of a grid of book covers.]
Image reads: ESSAY CONTEST! tell us WHY in 300 words or less to win a spot in an exclusive reception sponsored by We Need Diverse Books!
“We need diverse books because…” TTBF & WNDB invite teens (ages 11-18) from diverse backgrounds to tell us why diverse books matter. We will select 25 respondents to attend an exclusive event at the Festival on October 7th where they can meet & interview WNDB authors & diverse voices from the book industry. Deadline: August 15th Enter at http://tiny.cc/rlblly
We Need Diverse Books will be launching the OurStory book discovery app on June 15th.
Created by the We Need Diverse Books team, OurStory is a tool for kids, parents, educators, and librarians to discover books with diverse content and by creators from marginalized communities.
Celebrate with us on June 15th!
[Image description: Large black text on white background reads: “#WeNeedDiverseBooks Presents OurStory A Book Discovery App Celebrating Diversity.” The word “OurStory” is a logo, with the word “Our” in a cursive type font and the word “Story” with a 3D effect. Below the logo is an image of a laptop displaying the OurStory website. Behind the laptop and the logo is a faded background image of a grid of book covers.]
“Last week, Audible Editor Emily sat down to interview Ellen Oh, author, editor, and founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement. Emily and Ellen discuss the origins of the movement, the books that have defined Ellen’s career, and more. We hope you are as inspired by her as we are.”
Virtual Writing Retreat Scheduled for Mar 16, 2017
Authors Maurene Goo, Brendan Kiely, and Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich are joining Camp NaNoWriMo to talk about the writing essentials. How do you build structure for your writing into your life? How do you make the most of a writing community? And how do you find meaning in your stories and your storytelling? We’re asking the big questions.
We Need Diverse Books™ is now accepting applications for 2017 WNDB Internship Grants. In the program’s successful second year, grants of $2500 were awarded to each of eleven diverse publishing and agency interns. After two years of the Grant Award Program, eleven eligible interns have gone on to full-time work in the publishing arena. This year five $2500 grants are available to diverse publishing and literary agency interns. New this year, WNDB will include a metro stipend to each intern.
According to the 2016 Publishers Weekly Salary Survey, “Little progress on diversity,” has been made. And the publishing industry is still predominantly homogenous. An internship is an important gateway into positions at publishing houses and agencies, but the expense of living in New York City can be a barrier to many well qualified candidates. The WNDB Internship Grants help those who might otherwise not be able to accept a position.
“We’re delighted to be awarding grants to worthy interns for a third year, and also happy to see the ongoing success of our previous interns.” Linda Sue Park, Honorary Chair of the WNDB Internship Grants Committee said. Jennifer Mann, Project Manager for the Internship Grant Committee, has agreed to step in as Acting Director while Anne Ursu is on sabbatical.
We Need Diverse Books™ is giving away sets of brand new picture books to 30 elementary school libraries, and your school could be the recipient! Thanks to a generous donation from Chronicle Books, we’re giving away copies of the following titles:
Green is a Chile Pepper by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrated by John Parra
Round is a Mooncake by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrated by Grace Lin
Lowriders to the Center of the Earth by Cathy Camper, illustrated by Raul the Third
Josephine by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Christian Robinson
Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes, illustrated by Sanjay Patel
Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns by Hena Khan, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini
You Can Do It Too! by Karen Baicker, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max
I Can Do It Too! by Karen Baicker, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max
Bintou’s Braids by Sylviane A. Diouf, illustrated by Shane W. Evans
The Quickest Kid in Clarksville by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Frank Morrison
We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization that advocates for essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects the lives of all young people. Chronicle Books publishes a number of beautiful picture books reflecting a variety of kids and we’re honored to give these new books a home where they’ll be well-loved. Any of these stories would make a fantastic addition to a school library.
If you would like your school to be considered as a recipient for a set of these picture books, please fill out the application. The giveaway is open to primary and elementary schools (K-5th grade) only. If selected, you will receive ten (10) books, one (1) copy each of the aforementioned books. An application is the only requirement for consideration.
There’s never been a more important time for children to both see themselves reflected in literature and learn about the lives of others. We thank all of our children’s teachers, librarians, and educational staff for all the work they do!
Interested educators and librarians may apply here.
WNDB is excited to share the news that FLYING LESSONS & OTHER SHORT STORIES edited by Ellen Oh is available for preorder! Find out more on our website.
Did you know that #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration? It’s also the last day of our end-of-the-year fundraiser.
Today we have 3 donors who will match your donations up to $1400! When you donate today, your gift will be doubled (up to $1400) thanks to following generous authors:
Nicola Yoonhas pledged to match up to $500 in donations. She’s chosen to support WNDB in the Classroom with her pledge.
Our end-the-year fundraiser has been going strong, thanks to all of you!
However, our fundraiser is not over yet. We still need your help to fund our programs that put more diverse books into children’s hands. As of today, We Need Diverse Books has raised over $24,000. To help us meet our goal of $30,000, our friends at Andrea Brown Literary Agency has issued a matching donation challenge.
Today only, the Andrea Brown Literary Agency will match donations up to $2000.
Here’s how you can help We Need Diverse Books meet this matching donation challenge:
Inspired by today’s matching donation challenge? If you’d like to offer a matching donation, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact Thien-Kim Lam at thienkimlam@diversebooks.org.
We here at We Need Diverse Books have been completely astounded by the outpouring of support that we have received this month from kidlit authors. In addition to generous matches from amazingly generous authors Erica M. Chapman, Alexandra Duncan, Harriet Reuter Hapgood, Heidi Heilig, and Justina Ireland, we have 3 more large groups of authors here waiting to match YOUR DONATIONS.
To donate: Pay via Paypal or check and indicate which group (or author) you are matching! If you are using check: Make the check out to “We Need Diverse Books” and mail to:
