nationalbook.org
The ten contenders for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
Yesterday morning the @nationalbook Award for Young People’s Literature longlist was posted and SO happy to see these nominees including guest Kacen Callender for King and the Dragon Flies!!!
Look at all of the diverse books nominated on this list!! We love to see it. 🔥🔥🔥
Congratulations to #OwnVoices National Book Award winner Elizabeth Acevedo and finalist Christopher Paul Curtis, as well as to WNDB Supporter and fellow finalist Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Their books have undeniably shaped Young People’s Literature in 2018, and we celebrate them!
electricliterature.com
As she accepted her National Book Award, Ward talked about whose stories are allowed to be “universal”
“The subtext of rejection, especially for marginalized writers, often translates to an inability to “reach the mainstream,” a lack of “connection.” The term “universal stories” gets thrown around as though it’s an easy method to master. As though “universal stories” truly means universal, when in fact it is its own code. Sometimes there’s no subtext at all, just clear confusion and disinterest. Art is subjective, yet subjectivity also comes with our own inherent bias stemming from our experiences.”
slj.com
Jacqueline Woodson talks about her National Book Award win, her handling of Handler’s comments, and how she approached the writing of one of the most distinguished memoirs for young readers in recent memory.
On Wednesday, We Need Diverse Books™ advisory board member Jacqueline Woodson–author of the marvelous Brown Girl Dreaming–was one of several authors honored with a National Book Award. As has been reported on various websites, host Daniel Handler made a number of racist remarks during that night, including regarding Jacqueline Woodson. Handler has since apologized and said:
My remarks on Wednesday night at #NBAwards were monstrously inappropriate and yes, racist. It would be heartbreaking for the #NBAwards conversation to focus on my behavior instead of great books. So can we do this? Let’s donate to #WeNeedDiverseBooks to #CelebrateJackie. I’m in for $10,000, and matching your money for 24 hours up to $100,000. Brown Girl Dreaming is an amazing novel and we need more voices like Jacqueline Woodson.
Many people on Twitter have urged Handler to donate to our fundraiser, and we’re glad to see this has had an effect. For twenty-four hours starting at 8AM EST on Friday, November 21, Handler is doubling donations–up to $100,000–made to the We Need Diverse Books™ campaign. If anyone has been intending to donate, we’d like to suggest they do it within this time frame to let their donation count double.
Among many other goals (detailed on the fundraiser page), we intend to use these donations to fund publishing internships for people from diverse backgrounds in an effort to diversify the publishing industry behind the scenes. We believe that’s an important step toward making the industry more welcoming to people of all backgrounds and prevent mistakes like Wednesday’s.
To center this conversation back on National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and her astonishing accomplishment, we have added several special today-only #CelebrateJackie perks to our fundraiser. Donors can choose to receive signed books, including her most recent release Brown Girl Dreaming.
Please spread the word and #CelebrateJackie!
To #CelebrateJackie and her achievements far and wide Daniel Handler, emcee of nationalbook awards, has pledged to donate $10,000 to #SupportWNDB campaign and for the next 24hrs (until 8am EST tomorrow) to match all donations made within that time frame.
So please spread the word, get donations in, and show how much diversity in books and publishing matter!
Applause and congratulations to We Need Diverse Books™ advisory board member jacquelinewoodson for winning the nationalbook award in Young People’s Literature for the lauded Brown Girl Dreaming!
Brown Girl Dreaming was unanimously voted by the judges in this category.
“I love how much love there is in the world of young adult and children’s literature.” -Jacqueline Woodson at National Book Awards ceremony
theconversation.com
There’s a lot of attention right now on diversity in children’s books – or, more accurately, the lack of it. It’s not a new problem. White people have been talking about this issue since Nancy Larrick…
The nationalbook awards are tonight! You can watch the live stream of the awards dinner on National Book Award’s site starting at 7:40pm EST.
