"I hope people will watch this movie and see the hero in themselves. Even if it’s a white person who sees it, if they can see a Black character and identify with them, it changes a little bit about how our society is."-
Chadwick Boseman on Black Panther
"-Not every novel can be everything at once, but it can be many things. Novels dealing with mental health issues can show the power of friendship, the need for support systems and helpful, understanding adults, the positive impact of therapy and medication, and the dismantling of secrets and silence when someone asks for help. These novels have the power to shift perspectives by showing readers that greater self-awareness and healing are possible.
There are young people who face these issues and there are young people who need to witness the reality of these issues so they can open doors of understanding. Our books can unlock those doors.
"
Rocky Callen on writing responsibly about mental health and suicide in children’s fiction
(Source: diversebooks.org)
In 1920, when W.E.B. DuBois, Augustus Dill, and Jessie Fauset published the Brownies’ Book magazine, they created a legacy that 100 years later, is only now truly being actualized. Valerie Williams-Sanchez celebrates the history behind that legacy—and its future.
(Source: diversebooks.org)
Three genres (MG, YA SFF & YA Romance) are becoming hubs for diverse books for younger readers, writes Rachel Werner for the We Need Diverse Books blog.
(Source: diversebooks.org)
Calling Afro-Latinx writers: the RECLAIM THE STARS Short Story submission call is open! One story by an Afro-Latinx author will be selected for publication in the Latinx Sci-fi/Fantasy anthology. Info/Entry & FAQ.
RECLAIM THE STARS is a YA science fiction and fantasy anthology that will be published by Wednesday Books an imprint of St. Martin’s Press and be edited by Zoraida Córdova (Labyrinth Lost). The collection features YA speculative fiction exploring the Latinx diaspora through the lens of SFF, with stories likely included by Elizabeth Acevedo, Vita Ayala, David Bowles, Zoraida Córdova, Sara Faring, Romina Garber, Isabel Ibañez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Yamile Saied Méndez, Nina Moreno, Maya Motayne, Daniel José Older, Claribel Ortega, Mark Oshiro, and Lilliam Rivera. Publication is expected for winter 2022.
(Source: bit.ly)
"No autistic young reader should feel alone or that they don’t identify with how neurotypicals view them; they deserve access to stories of acceptance and empowerment, and perhaps they will become inclusive authors with their own stories to tell."-
"There is just now more space for writers of color in the publishing world to play around with tropes."-
(Source: diversebooks.org)
"I never really saw kids from where I was from who looked like me taking part in adventures and I really wanted to just have like two girls, a Black girl and brown girl on bikes…having these Goonies-like adventures together. I wanted it to be everything that I would have loved to read as a kid."-
Claribel Ortega on her Middle Grade debut GHOST SQUAD, out today!
(Source: diversebooks.org)
"Distinguishing Taiwan as a unique culture would serve as a reminder of the sheer diversity of a continent that contains multitudes."-
(Source: diversebooks.org)
"I didn’t want to follow the familiar paradigm of a d/Deaf child mainstreamed into a hearing school who is bullied and then receives broad acceptance. I don’t know any kid whose life follows that simple path. I navigate between Deaf and hearing culture every day. Deaf kids don’t get to see representation where their lives and language are normalized—and they’re doing fun things like haunting and spying adventures, or even having fights with their besties in sign!"-
Author Ann Clare Le Zotte on her new, #OwnVoices Middle Grade novel SHOW ME A SIGN
Celebrate Trans Day Of Visibility by reading books by trans authors like Walter Award honoree PET by Akwaeke Emezi, CEMETERY BOYS by Aiden Thomas, and FELIX EVER AFTER by Kacen Callender.
“Visibility is not just about being seen, but about seeing authentic and expansive representations of who we are,” Maya Sungold wrote about the importance of celebrating trans stories—and making them accessible to kids and teens.
(Source: diversebooks.org)
Happy Women’s History Month from We Need Diverse Books! Here are books for all ages, featuring girls in historical fiction and famous women in history. What are your favorites?
For more reading suggestions, check out our 100% free, librarian- and educator-curated database of diverse books on OurStory: www.diversebooks.org/ourstory .
𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗦
𝗠𝗜𝗗𝗗𝗟𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗘
𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗧/𝗔𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡𝗦
"-If you’re a supporter of diversity in children’s literature, then you understand the power of story to empower and affirm all identities. But do changes to the smallest bits of those stories—words, format, punctuation, letters—matter just as much? […]
Tiny tweaks to words do have the power to both affirm and include. Recognition of a person’s identity on paper can have a powerful ripple effect on how others view them—and how they view themselves.
"
Andrea Ruggirello, “How Educators Can Talk About Inclusive Language With Young People“
(Source: diversebooks.org)
“I had to reconcile with the fact that books I had access to were not made for me or by me; they did not reflect a person living at very specific and distinct intersections,” medina writes in a personal essay for the WNDB blog as part of Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month.
#DignidadLiteraria, or Literary Dignity, is a national grassroots campaign for greater Latinx inclusion in the publishing industry and a goal to shift the conversation to center on Latinx people and issues. Here are a few ways you can support the movement.
(Source: diversebooks.org)