June 2013

Author Interview with Janine Macbeth

Janine Macbeth has just released her debut picture book Oh, Oh, Baby Boy!. Macbeth is the writer, illustrator, *and* the publisher. Blood Orange Press, “a literary home for diverse readers,” is her newly-founded independent press. The result is gasp-worthy. Truly; I saw this reaction to my review copy from several readers. Oh, Oh, Baby Boy! follows… Read more »

Author Interview with JL Powers

I recently spoke with JL Powers, author of two novels for young adults, The Confessional and This Thing Called the Future. She is also the editor of That Mad Game: Growing Up in a Warzone, an anthology of essays. I first learned about her work when I spotted The Pirate Tree, a blog about social… Read more »

Less than 8 percent

Diversity is a concept with many vantage points. Here is one that is startling: In 2012, only 216 of 3,600 children’s books published in the United States were by authors and/or illustrators of color. Only 271 children’s books had significant content about people of color. That’s only 6 percent of authors and/or illustrators and less… Read more »