FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

We Need Diverse Books Announces 2022 WNDB Internship Grant Winners

June 13, 2022

Bethesda, MD — We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) is pleased to announce the twenty-five recipients of the 2022 WNDB Internship Grant, a $3,000 grant to support diverse interns during their summer internship with a publishing house or literary agency. After the success of the dual program launch last year—which extended the internship grant program’s focus into the adult publishing space—WNDB will continue awarding grants to both interns in children’s book publishing and adult publishing.

Children’s 2022 Internship Grant Recipients

Graciela Batista Hachette Book Group		Bex Livermore Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Sasha Campbell HarperCollins		José Oscar López Levine Querido
Sophia Chunn Macmillan		Briana Mangum Hachette Book Group
Danielle Emerson Simon & Schuster		Ma Karenina Cristina Francesca Montoya Hachette Book Group
Tatiana Guel Barefoot Books		Gabrielle Rodriguez Gonzalez Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency
April Li Macmillan		Yoon Sung Simon & Schuster
Kathryn Li Barefoot Books		Keng Xiong North Star Editions

“We’re so proud that there are now 83 former WNDB interns working in publishing. And our programming continues to grow in response to the needs of the industry. Kandace Coston, associate editor at Lee & Low and former WNDB intern, is now our Committee Chair and has joined with Senior Program Manager Chelsea Villareal to launch the next stage of our growth—Rise Up, a program aimed at supporting and retaining mid-level publishing professionals. Our ultimate goal, through this program building, is to serve young readers by providing them with greater truth through more inclusive stories of belonging.”

— Linda Sue Park, Honorary Chair, WNDB Children’s Internship Grant Committee

“It’s becoming more and more clear that to truly increase diversity, change needs to happen from the ground up. We have a lot of work to do, not just in publishing but in all areas of our culture, but progress *is* possible, and that every new opportunity makes a difference and carries forward. I’m so proud to partner with WNDB to make entry into the publishing industry easier for diverse candidates, as a step towards making publishing—and books—more inclusive of more voices and experiences.”

— Celeste Ng, Honorary Chair of the WNDB Adult Internship Grant Committee

 

Adult 2022 Internship Grant Recipients

Yasmine AbdeldayemHachette Book Group		Viviann Do HarperCollins
Wynne Au-Yeung Chronicle Books		Lindsay Ito Macmillan
Michelle Capone Simon & Schuster		Margaux Kanamori Hachette Book Group
Iliyah Coles HarperCollins		Sofia Kwon Macmillan
Memphis Cutchlow Hachette Book Group		Lindsay Wang Beacon Press
Nasira Watts HarperCollins

This year, WNDB will again connect grantees from all over the country via a virtual Internship Grant Boot Camp. This two-day event will provide the grantees with tools to confront and disrupt conditions in the publishing industry that have led to a lack of representation for LGBTQIA+ people, Native peoples, people of color, people with disabilities, and underrepresented ethnic, cultural, and religious groups. Our virtual programming will include key stakeholders from both children’s and adult publishing.

In addition to the Boot Camp, the Internship Grant Program will host virtual events where the grantees can discuss topics such as professional development and industry retention with professionals who are active in the publishing field. Grant recipients will also be able to connect with editors, literary agents, creators, and librarians through intimate, focused conversations.

In conjunction with this programming, the grantees will be provided with continued support once their internships have been completed. They will have access to WNDB’s extensive resources and will have the opportunity to join a powerful network of Internship Grant alumnx.

The program’s first seven years have been very successful with over 83 grants awarded. Of the 74 grantees who have graduated, 63 are now employed in the publishing industry, with many of our grantees busy making acquisitions.

Many thanks to the New York Community Trust/LJTJ Fund, Beacon Press, Chronicle Books, The Estée Lauder Companies, IBPA, Federal Farm Credit Banks, Celeste Ng, Laurie Abkemeier, Linda Sue Park, and Suma Subramaniam for their generous contributions to support the adult and children’s internship grants for the 2022 season.

Program Contact
Chelsea Villareal
Senior Program Manager
chelseavillareal@diversebooks.org

About We Need Diverse Books. WNDB 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.

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Press Contact: info@diversebooks.org