By Jennifer Baker My grandma was known to quote verses—“do unto others…” was a fave. As a kid, I listened intently beside my aunt or mother as they read me fairy tales about how generosity and patience was often rewarded over selfishness and greed. These stories served as markers for what’s … [Read more...] about Family Is Often at the Center of Stories
personal essay
The Need for “Window-Mirrors”
By Jennifer De Leon During a recent school visit, a young woman came up to me in the signing line and burst into tears. We had never met before, but I felt that in that moment, that we had a connection. I saw that she was crying for herself, for all that she understood and didn’t yet understand … [Read more...] about The Need for “Window-Mirrors”
The Stories We Tell Are the Futures We Make
By Melissa Blair I was six the first time a peer told me that Native people (they used a much harsher word) didn’t exist anymore. I laughed. It was the only thing my six-year-old brain could think of doing because that child had to be joking. “They’re only in the movies,” is what the little boy … [Read more...] about The Stories We Tell Are the Futures We Make
When a Wish Becomes a Story
By Aram Kim When I was a little kid growing up in South Korea, I thought I would be an artist who writes stories and draws pictures. The very first book I made was in my first-grade notebook. I titled it A Mischievous Adventurer, wrote a story, and drew pictures. In a self-portrait I made as a … [Read more...] about When a Wish Becomes a Story
A Suitcase Full Of Stories: How Stories Shape Elizabeth Agyemang’s Sense Of Place and Belonging
By Elizabeth Agyemang The first time I ever read about a Black character in literature was when I was introduced to Jim from Huckleberry Finn. Likewise, it was only when my English class was assigned to read Heart of Darkness that I experienced a story set in Africa. As a young reader, I quickly … [Read more...] about A Suitcase Full Of Stories: How Stories Shape Elizabeth Agyemang’s Sense Of Place and Belonging
My River, My Syria: The Lost Children of Syria
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is Zoulfa Katouh's debut novel, available now wherever books are sold. A love letter to Syria and its people, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution, burning with the fires of hope, love, and possibility. By … [Read more...] about My River, My Syria: The Lost Children of Syria
A Black Girl. A Black Book. An Accidental Book Shunning.
By Lakita Wilson “Next week, when you go to the library, I want you to come home with at least one Black book in your stack,” my mother told me one random Thursday in the 90s. My dad and I had this ritual. Every Thursday, while my mom cooked dinner, he’d drive me to Fairmount Heights Library … [Read more...] about A Black Girl. A Black Book. An Accidental Book Shunning.
Balancing Authentic and Accessible: A. J. Sass on Autistic Representation in Ellen Outside the Lines
We previously interviewed A. J. about Ellen Outside the Lines here. By A. J. Sass When my proposal for my sophomore novel, Ellen Outside the Lines, sold, I cycled through a mix of emotions. I was thrilled to get to write another book, of course, but I was also nervous. Although I am autistic … [Read more...] about Balancing Authentic and Accessible: A. J. Sass on Autistic Representation in Ellen Outside the Lines
Nepantla and Writing Latinx Characters
Time Villains by Victor Piñeiro is on sale now. By Victor Piñeiro “Dolly was un-com-FOR-ta-ble.” I wasn’t pronouncing it, I was speaking it. Mrs. Brown and the other four students in my kindergarten reading group snickered. “What did he say?” I’d been reading at home since I was three, but … [Read more...] about Nepantla and Writing Latinx Characters
