2011 National African American Read-In

Looking for a community project? Join the 22nd annual National African American Read-In this February. Visit the project's website for suggested books and packet to share your Read-In results.

You can also participate online. Ari (Reading in Color blog), Doret (The Happy Nappy Bookseller), and Edi (Crazy Quilts) are hosting an online book discussion. To vote on the book to be discussed, visit Ari's blog and select one of the following titles:

• Tyrell by Coe Booth
• A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott
• Yummy by G. Neri
• Bleeding Violets by Dia Reeves
• Jumped by Rita Williams Garcia
• When A Black Girl Sings by Bil Wright
  

Enjoy!

African-American Children's Book Writers & Illustrators 1st Conference

African-American Children's Book Writers & Illustrators 1st Conference Apr. 25, 2009, Charlotte NC

African-American Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference provides new and seasoned writers and artists with opportunities to network and learn from expert editors and published authors and illustrators in Charlotte, NC, April 25, 2009.

"I bet I could write or illustrate a kids' book." Has this thought ever crossed your mind? Or are you a published author or illustrator that needs a boost? If so, register now for the history-making African-American Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (AACBWI) conference online at AACBWI.com to be held at the Hilton Charlotte University Place hotel in Charlotte, NC.

AACBWI Provides Writers and Illustrators with Tools for Success According to the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) report, Publishing in 2007, of the roughly 3,000 titles received by the CCBC in 2007 just 150 had "significant African or African-American content." In 2003, the ratio was similar when Charlotte writer Sabra Robinson founded AACBWI as an online forum to provide writers and illustrators with tools for career success. Next year, AACBWI will
celebrate its sixth year of literary service!

AACBWI Historic Conference Open to All
Both AACBWI and its first conference are open to anyone interested in children's book writing and illustrating— not only people of color. To attend the conference, which includes a lunch buffet, all you need are the desires to network, increase your knowledge about the publishing business, and most importantly, strengthen your ability to write and illustrate books for children. You must also pay to register.

Network with Panelists and Workshop Presenters
Conference attendees can learn from and network with the professionals listed below during panel discussions, workshops, critique sessions, and informally. For session titles visit AACBWI.com.

*Sarah Ketchersid—Senior Editor, Candlewick Press
*Eileen Robinson—Former Scholastic Executive Editor and Harcourt
Editorial Manager, now of F1rstPages.com editing service
*Eleanora E. Tate—North Carolina resident and award-winning author of over 15 fiction and non-fiction books for children, preteens, and teens (Celeste's Harlem Renaissance! )
*Don Tate—Award-winning illustrator of over 25 children's books (Sure As Sunrise: Stories of Bruh Rabbit and his Walkin' Talkin' Friends)
*Christine Taylor Butler—Author of more than 40 books (A Mom Like No Other)
*Jacquelin Thomas—Divine young adult novel series author (Simply Divine)
*Kelly Starling Lyons—Picture book author (One Million Men and Me)
*Christine Young-Robinson— Picture book author (Chicken Wing)

Manuscript & Portfolio Critiques
Conference presenters will critique participants' manuscripts or portfolios for an additional fee. Critiques are limited and first-come-first- serve. Register soon, while slots last.

Costs and Sponsorship
The conference ranges from $55 for AACBWI members to $125 for non-members who register early, plus critique fees. Fees for non-members increase after February 1, 2009.

National Book Festival - September 27 in DC

If you're in the Washington, DC area on September 27, do stop by the Library of Congress for the annual National Book Festival - it's Free!

Click here for the list of authors and illustrators who will be on hand for book signings and talks!

Enjoy!

Adjoa J. Burrowes Facilitates Teen Essay Writing Workshops

Adjoa J. Burrowes, children's book author and illustrator, has developed a Teen Essay Writing Workshop aimed at giving teens a leg up on essay writing skills - just in time for those standardized tests in the Fall. If you're interested in the workshops, visit www.adjoaburrowes.com. Enjoy!

New Black Online News Source - TheRoot.com

Check out www.TheRoot.com - a new website by the Washington Post company. This online magazine is targeted to African Americans - with news and commentary on politics and culture as well as tools for researching one's family genealogy. Henry Louis Gates Jr is the editor of TheRoot.com. Lynette Clemetson is the Managing Editor. Check out the site or read article from the New York Times. Let's hope there will be future stories on African American reading and book purchasing trends, author and illustrator profiles! Enjoy!

28 Days Later Calendar! The Brown Bookshelf

The Brown Bookshelf, a group organized to "shine the spotlight on the varied African American voices writing for young readers," announced the featured authors and illustrators for it's first national initiative, Twenty-Eight Days Later, a Black History Month celebration of children's literature. Enjoy!

Feb 1 Christopher Paul Curtis - Elijah of Buxton

Feb 2 Michelle Meadows – The Way The Storm Stops

Feb 3 Dana Davidson - Played

Feb 4 Rita Williams-Garcia – No Laughter Here

Feb 5 G. Neri – Chess Rumble and illustrator Sean Qualls - Phillis’s Big Test

Feb 6 Janice N. Harrington – The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County

Feb 7 Eleanora E. Tate – Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance

Feb 8 Patricia McKissack – The All-I’ll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll

Feb 9 M. Sindy Felin – Touching Snow

Feb 10 Jabari Asim – Daddy Goes To Work

Feb 11 Mildred D. Taylor – The Road To Memphis

Feb 12 Nina Crews - The Neighborhood Mother Goose and illustrator Leonard Jenkins – Sweet Land of Liberty

Feb 13 Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu – The Shadow Speaker

Feb 14 Allison Whittenberg – Sweet Thang

Feb 15 Walter Dean Myers - Game

Feb 16 Tonya Bolden – George Washington Carver

Feb 17 Troy Cle – The Marvelous Effect

Feb 18 Eloise Greenfield – The Friendly Four

Feb 19 Sundee T. Frazier – Brendan Buckley’s Universe and Everything In It and illustrator John Holyfield - Bessie Smith & the Night Riders

Feb 20 Carole Boston Weatherford – I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer

Feb 21 Karen English - Nikki & Deja

Feb 22 Coe Booth - Tyrell

Feb 23 Irene Smalls – My Pop Pop and Me

Feb 24 Stephanie Perry Moore – Prayed Up: Perry Skky Jr. #4

Feb 25 Kyra E. Hicks - Martha Ann’s Quilt for Queen Victoria

Feb 26 Celise Downs – Dance Jam Productions and illustrator Shane Evans- When Harriet Met Sojourner

Feb 27 Valerie Wilson Wesley – Willimena Rules!: 23 Ways to Mess Up Valentine’s Day

Feb 28 Sherri L. Smith - Sparrow

Jabari Asim - author & new NAACP Crisis editor

.........................................
Jabari Asim, former deputy editor of the Washington Post Book World and children's book author, is now the new editor of The Crisis, the NAACP magazine started by W.E. B. Du Bois beginning in 1910. Best wishes! Check out Jabari's children's books:

• Daddy Goes to Work
• Whose Toes Are Those?
• Whose Knees Are Those?

Happy 40th - Third World Press

Third World Press founder Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti recently celebrated forty years as an independent publisher. He said:

“Forty years of success is remarkable for any independent company, and in the book publishing industry it’s nothing less than extraordinary. But we believed that the writers of America’s Black literature needed the support of a Black-owned, culturally specific publishing house as a venue for their work, and that has always been the company’s guiding beacon."

You may be familiar with Third World Press publishers of works by poet Gwendolyn Brooks, novelist Gloria Naylor, and the Tavis Smiley's NY Times Best Seller The Covenant with Black America, which has sold more than 400,000 copies. With this book, Third World Press became the first African-American owned publishing company to have a book on the Times list.

Third World Press has also published children's books, including Gwendolyn Brooks's 1974 story, The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves, a book about tolerance. Congratulations on 40 years!

Black Writers Reunion & Conference - June 2008

The Black Writers Reunion & Conference will be June 19-21, 2008 in Tampa , Florida. Visit www.BlackWriters.org, to learn more or to take advantage of early registration. Topics include:

• The Writer's Journey: From Idea to Finished Draft to Publication
• Writing as a Means of Healing (for Writer & Reader)
• So You Want to Write for Children
• Writing a Play
• Writing Christian Fiction: Ministry vs. Entertainment
• Targeted Technical Writing
• From Writer to Editor: Copyediting Principles That Work
• Pens Down: Time to Market Your Book
• Beyond the Book: Writing for the Digital World
• Proposal Writing

STOLEN - African American Kid's Lit - St. Louis

KSDK News Channel 5 reported on the theft at a St. Louis art studio dedicated to teaching kids. In addition to stolen equipment and art supplies, art studio founder Bob Hansman is most upset about the theft of the collection of African American children's books. Hansman says on the video report:

"I'm very worked up. This is wrong. It would be one thing to steal microwaves or TVs, but to steal children's books that are here to inspire children in the projects that need inspiring and need all the help they can get. They need good role modeling . instead this is what happens," Bob said.It was Bob's dream to have a library in his art studio he founded in 1994 to teach children how to draw self portraits."

You can see the video of the news report at: http://tinyurl.com/2wbfax . The news article provides the phone number to call if you'd like to donate books to the art studio to build back their library.

Lucille Clifton - Poet - $100,000 prize

Congratulations to poet Lucille Clifton for winning the $100,000 US Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, for her lifetime achievements as a US poet. She's the first African American to win the award. Clifton is also the author of 19 children's books, including the Everette Anderson collection.

Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Prize 2007

2007 ABWH Annual Letitia Woods Brown Book and Article Prizes* The Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Prize and the Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Article Prize are awarded annually by the Association of Black WomenHistorians for the best book, anthology, and article about African American women's history.

The competition is open toall books and articles about African American women'shistory published since August 2006, including thosewritten by members and non-members of ABWH. Please send four copies of the entry, a letter of nomination and any supporting material about the book, anthology, orarticle to: A'Lelia Bundles4109 Garrison Street NWWashington, DC 20016. The deadline for nominations is July 15, 2007.

Winners will be announced on October 6, 2007 at the ABWH luncheon during the Association for the Afro-American Life and History Convention in Charlotte, NC. Please direct questions to A'Lelia Bundles at ABundles@gmail.com or 202-363-4191. For more information about ABWH, go to www.abwh.org.

Uncle Tom's Cabin as a Children's Book

The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center and the "Uncle Tom's Cabin & American Culture" project at the University of Virginia will host a two-day conference June 1-2, 2007, at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, CT.

There will be 12 experts presenting including: Patricia Hill (Wesleyan University), "Uncle Tom's Cabin as a Religious Text," Richard Yarborough (University of California, Los Angeles), "African American Responses to Uncle Tom's Cabin," Dr. Violet Harris - in photo - (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), "Uncle Tom's Cabin as a Children's Book," and Dr. Patricia Turner (University of California, Davis) speaking about "The Rise and Fall of Eliza Harris: From Novel to Tom Shows to Quilts." Enjoy the conference ... and the book!

2007 Givens Children's Literature Symposium

If you're in Minneapolis on June 21, take part in the 2007 Givens Children's Literature Symposium. This day-long event is titled: Remind All the Children: Using African American Historical Narrative in the Classroom.

Featured speakers will include: Dr. Josie Johnson, human rights activist and the first African American regent of the University of Minnesota and Dr. Darlyne Bailey, the Dean of the University of Minnesota's New College of Education and Human Development.

The Givens Foundation for AA Literature

Congratulations to the Givens family of Minneapolis for receiving the Denzil A. Carty Family of the Year Award from the Urban League!

Archie Givens, Jr is the president of the Givens Foundation for African American Literature, an organization with the mission to "enrich cultural understanding through programs that advance and celebrate African American literature and writers." It's guiding principles include:

• Literature is a powerful expression of the traditions, beliefs, and identity of a people
• African American literature is dynamic and rewarding to read
• African American literature promotes pride, historical awareness, and resilience
• The genre of African American literature continues to grow in stature
• Connecting individuals to the voices of established and emerging African American authors inspires a desire to read

The Givens Collection of more than 3,000 items is housed at the University of Minnesota.

Check 'em out! The Givens Foundation for AfricanAmerican Literature, 7151 York Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55435. Telephone: 952-831-2555.

Children of the Sun: Smithsonian newsletter

While organizing papers in my office, I came across Volume 1, Number 1 issue of "Children of the Sun: African American Children's Literature Newsletter" published in Fall 2003/Winter 2004 by the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture - Smithsonian. The first issue was developed by Joanna Banks, Education Specialist at the Anacostia Museum, Shauna Collier, Smithsonian Librarian, and Pearline Waldrop, designer. Washington, DC artist Julee Dickerson Thompson provided illustrations for the newsletter. This issue included an article about Eloise Greenfield.

I'm not sure if the Smithsonian continued to publish this newsletter - sure hope so! Does your local library offer a newsletter on African American kid's lit?

Children's Authors' Bootcamp

While it's probably too late to sign up for the Dallas Children's Authors' Bootcamp, keep an eye out for future 2007 dates on http://www.wemakewriters.com. The two-day camp is lead by children's book author, Linda Arms White and Laura Backes, publisher of Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers. You can see the two day agenda here.

I attended a Bootcamp session when I was writing my now published book, Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria. It was the most productive $269 I've spent! Would love to hear from others who may have attended Bootcamp.

23rd Annual Children's Lit Conf - NY

The 23rd Annual Children's Literature Conference cosponsored by Hofstra's University College for Continuing Education and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators will be Saturday, April 28, 2007 ... 9:30am - 4pm. The keynote speaker will be illustrator Brian Pickney. Conference workshop topics include: Writing Picture Books, Illustrating Picture Books, Writing Fiction, Writing Nonfiction (led by Tonya Boden), Reshaping Classic Tales, and Submission Prodecures. For more information, call (516) 463-5993, or email uccelibarts@hofstra.edu.