upcoming SCBWI WWA meeting is going to be a good one, folks. The
fabulous Roseanne Parry will present on “Siblings in Middle–Grade Fiction”
– a subject dear to our hearts. Our main presentation will be a panel
discussion on Inclusion in Children’s Books, which will include a
librarian, a publisher, an artist, and an author. This is such an
important part of doing this work, so if you are a member or in the
neighborhood you should put March 16th on your calendar, make your way
through the blasted traffic, and join us!
Thanks to Jamie Parker for the
swell illustration. –Tina Hoggatt
The specifics! Read on!
“Inclusivity in Children’s Books” will be a panel discussion
moderated by Allyson Valentine Schrier and Lois Brandt.
We all know the
benefits of reading to children from the time that they are very young.
But what happens when children do not have access to books that mirror
their own experience? And what happens in a society in which books only
provide windows into the lives of a dominant culture? How do we, as
children’s writers and illustrators, encourage and participate in
expanding inclusivity in children’s literature, even if we ourselves are
not members of an under-represented culture?
We are
profoundly fortunate to host a panel that includes Philip Lee,
co-founder of Lee and Low Publishing and Readers to Eaters, KCLS
Children’s Librarian Ann Crewdson, Author Kelly Jones, and
Author/Illustrator Liz Wong. Come explore with a panel passionate about this appropriately hot topic. –Lois Brandt
Philip
Lee is the co-founder and publisher of READERS to EATERS, which
launched its publishing program in 2012 with a mission to promote food
literacy. He also co-founded and was the publisher of Lee & Low
Books in New York, with a focus on publishing multicultural literature.
He got his start in publishing working at the college bookstore at U.C.
Berkeley. He then attended the Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course
(Now the Columbia Publishing Course) and then worked for Conde Nast on
magazines such as Glamour and GQ. He got the idea to start READERS to
EATERS when he worked as a radio producer for KBCS on the connection
between good food’s impact on student learning.
Kelly
Jones is a writer and former bookseller and children’s librarian who
lives in Shoreline, Washington. Her debut novel Unusual Chickens for the
Exceptional Poultry Farmer, about twelve-year-old Sophie and her
magical chickens, was illustrated by Katie Kath and published by Knopf
Books For Young Readers. It was named an ALSC Children’s Notable Book
for 2016, a 2016 Mathical Honor Book, a 2016-2017 Texas Bluebonnet
Master List nominee, and a 2016-2017 Georgia Children’s Book Award
Finalist.
Ann Crewdson is a children’s librarian at the
Issaquah and Sammamish Libraries at the King County Library System,
Washington and the former chair of Washington Library Association’s
intellectual freedom interest group. From 2011-2015, she was an active
member of the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee where intellectual
freedom and racial ethics intersect. Currently she sits on ALA Council,
bringing forward her working knowledge from the field. She’s written
articles and reviewed media for School Library Journal and has had over
20 years of experience working in public libraries.
Liz
Wong was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she spent her early childhood
painting and clambering about in mango trees. She began her illustrious
art career at the tender age of five, when she earned the first place
trophy in the school poster contest. This encouraged her to pursue art
instead of a sensible career in finance like the rest of her family. Liz
holds a BFA in Art and a BA in Anthropology from the University of
Washington. She is an author and illustrator, with a focus on
illustration for children. Liz currently resides in the Seattle area.
She creates her illustrations with a combination of watercolor, colored pencil, pencil and Photoshop.