FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
We Need Diverse Books and Penguin Random House Launch Second-Annual Black Creatives Fund Revisions Workshop
March 7, 2022
Washington, DC — We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) is excited to announce the launch of the Black Creatives Fund’s second-annual Revisions Workshop, underwritten by Penguin Random House. The program supports unpublished Black writers with completed manuscripts and will feature esteemed faculty including award-winning authors and editors from Penguin Random House.
BCF Program Manager, Breanna J. McDaniel, is excited about the upcoming cycle, “Our first cohort was truly amazing! They really soaked up the lessons from the faculty workshops and the Brown Bag lunches. The revisions that they completed showed incredible growth in a relatively short period of time and I credit that all to the dedication of the writers to learning and building their craft with the resources that were so generously provided.”
Twelve writers, including six Middle Grade / Young Adult and six adult writers, will be selected for the workshop. They will have the opportunity to receive technical guidance via writing coaches and peer critique throughout the revision process. All 12 writers will be awarded stipends and two finalists, one adult and one YA/MG, will receive larger grants. Publishing deals for top performers will be strongly considered.
“The Black Creatives Fund is a critical strategic initiative for Penguin Random House in support of our commitment to create new pathways for underrepresented voices and increase access to the publishing industry,” said Claire von Schilling, EVP, Director, Corporate Communications & Social Responsibility, Penguin Random House. “We are grateful to the team at We Need Diverse Books and look forward to kicking off a new Revisions Workshop with them to support and elevate Black creators.”
Applications for the Revisions Workshop open on March 7 at 10 am EST and will close on April 1, 2022, at 11:59 pm EST. For more information and to apply, please visit our website.
WNDB warmly thanks Penguin Random House for providing the donation that makes the Black Creatives Fund possible. On Wednesday, March 9 at 12 pm EST, PRH platform All Ways Black, curated by Bookstagrammer Cree Myles, will host an Instagram Live conversation with 2021 Revisions Workshop finalists to learn more about their experiences with the program and kick off the new application cycle. Follow @AllWaysBlack on Instagram to celebrate Black stories all year long.
About We Need Diverse Books. We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. It is our mission to put more books featuring diverse characters in the hands of all children. You can learn more about WNDB programs at www.diversebooks.org.
About Penguin Random House. Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade book publisher, is dedicated to its mission of nourishing a universal passion for reading by connecting authors and their writing with readers everywhere. The company, which employs more than 10,000 people globally, was formed on July 1, 2013, by Bertelsmann and Pearson. As of April 1, 2020, Bertelsmann is full owner of the company. With more than 300 imprints and brands on six continents, Penguin Random House comprises adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction print and digital English- German- and Spanish-language trade book publishing businesses in more than 20 countries worldwide. With over 15,000 new titles, and more than 600 million print, audio and eBooks sold annually, Penguin Random House’s publishing lists include more than 80 Nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of the world’s most widely read authors.
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Press Contacts:
Breanna McDaniel, breannamcdaniel@diversebooks.org
Alaina Lavoie, alainalavoie@diversebooks.org
