Please join us as we kick off the first WNDB Twitter chat of 2015 with authors Brandy Colbert, G. Neri, Renee Watson & Jason Reynolds at 9pm EST/ 6pm PST! Make sure to use the hashtag #WNDBchat!
CCBC’s Diversity Figures
The Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (directed by KT Horning, a WNDB team member) has been tracking diversity in books since 1985, and numbers for 2014 have sparked some hope. Click here to read more about what type of representation has increased… and what has remained stagnant.
ALA Midwinter Recap
This year’s American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in Chicago truly embraced and supported diversity. Congratulations to all the ALA award winners! You can read recaps of the ALSC/CBC Day of Diversity by Sarah Park Dahlen, Edi Campbell, Debbie Reese, and Jason Low. Also check out the video below to watch the Diverse Debuts PopToppanel.
Diverse Debuts at ALA Midwinter Chicago 2015
Winter Institute Follow-Up
Booksellers and authors gathered at the diversity panel at this year’s American Bookseller Association Winter Institute, and discussed what diversity really means, and how to sell diverse stories. Read some wrap-ups here and here, and make sure to check out Elizabeth Bluemle’s post on things that you can do to support diverse books.
WNDB Initiative Updates & Panel Info
Mark your calendars! The Diversity Festival will take place Sunday, July 24, 2016 in Silver Spring, Maryland!
The Walter awards announced their first ever call for submissions. Submissions are welcome for diverse authors with diverse a diverse YA novel. Guidelines are here. (deadline: November 1st, 2015)
WNDB is also accepting submissions for our short story contest until May 8, 2015.
The WNDB Booktalking Kit is in progress in conjunction with SLJ, with a planned release in May.
Come see us! WNDB will have a presence at panels for ABC Children’s Institute, RT Booklover’s Convention, Teen Author Carnival, BEA, and BookCon. For more information, clickhere.
WNDB in the Classroom efforts are underway! Check out some pictures Lamar Giles’s recent event at Kelly Miller Middle School in Washington, DC:
