Jamia Wilson: “Young, Gifted, and Black”
KATE SCHATZ: Let’s start with the title of the book—Young, Gifted, and Black. How did you land on it? Did you have the idea for the book and then the title, or vice versa? For older generations (and some especially woke kiddos!) it … Continue reading Jamia Wilson: “Young, Gifted, and Black”
Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith
Cynthia, or Cyn, as most of us know her, has been a dear friend and mentor of mine for several years. She is an amazing New York Times best-selling author of fiction for young readers. Her published books, short stories, … Continue reading Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith
On Book Drives
Lately I’ve been thinking of a challenge that has come along with the many wonderful things that surrounded the publication of Martí’s Song for Freedom. It’s the day-in and day-out confrontation with the inequalities that surround children’s lives. These inequalities … Continue reading On Book Drives
Duncan Tonatiuh: Creative process, migration, pre-Columbian & modern art
Ten years ago I was a young dad going back to school when I met artist Duncan Tonatiuh in class. We were both students at Parsons in New York. Duncan was then working on his thesis project and showing me some of what would … Continue reading Duncan Tonatiuh: Creative process, migration, pre-Columbian & modern art
John Seven & Jana Christy: “We Say No! A Child’s Guide to Resistance”
Interview with John Seven and Jana Christy, author and illustrator of several picture books including We Say No! A Child’s Guide to Resistance, A Rule Is to Break: A Child’s Guide to Anarchy, Gorilla Gardener: How to Help Nature Take … Continue reading John Seven & Jana Christy: “We Say No! A Child’s Guide to Resistance”
Monica Clark-Robinson: “Let the Children March”
AFD: What teacher helped you find your writing voice? MCR: I couldn’t begin to name just one teacher! My ninth grade English teacher, several workshop leaders and speakers at conferences, the women of my critique group, my oldest daughter, my … Continue reading Monica Clark-Robinson: “Let the Children March”
Lyn Miller-Lachmann: “Three Balls of Wool”
Interview with Lyn Miller-Lachmann, translator of Three Balls of Wool (Can Change the World), by Henriqueta Cristina; illustrated by Yara Kono (Enchanted Lion Books, 2017) AG: What’s the story behind the translated edition of Three Balls of Wool (Can Change … Continue reading Lyn Miller-Lachmann: “Three Balls of Wool”
Linda Williams Jackson: “Midnight Without a Moon” and “A Sky Full of Stars”
It’s Mississippi in the summer of 1955, and Rose Lee Carter can’t wait to move north. For now, she’s living with her sharecropper grandparents on a white man’s cotton plantation. Then, one town over, an African American boy, Emmett Till, is … Continue reading Linda Williams Jackson: “Midnight Without a Moon” and “A Sky Full of Stars”
Deborah Kops: “Alice Paul and the Fight for Women’s Rights”
AP: It was such a pleasure to read your new book Alice Paul and the Fight for Women’s Rights. I learned so much about Alice Paul and about the suffrage and women’s rights movements in the US! DK: Thank you, … Continue reading Deborah Kops: “Alice Paul and the Fight for Women’s Rights”
Maya Christina Gonzalez: Self love, activism, and LGBTQ+ Storytelling
Maya and I first crossed paths in the early 2000s. I was fresh out of publishing studies, working at Children’s Book Press* with dreams of starting a publishing house for underrepresented stories told from personal experience. Maya was a veteran … Continue reading Maya Christina Gonzalez: Self love, activism, and LGBTQ+ Storytelling