Malorie Blackman laments the lack of BAME children’s characters. I know – it’s a real battle to get writers of colour publishedMy daughter, like me, is of mixed heritage. She has wildly curly hair, as have I. When she was born four years ago I was given five copies of the same kids’ picture book by well-meaning friends and relatives. It was called Guess How Much I Love You. This book, whose lead characters are rabbits, was a bestseller in the 1990s. Back then it flew off the shelves. What I did not expect when I was pregnant with my daughter was that it would be far easier to find her a rabbit picture book than one featuring a child like her with brown skin and curls.This week Malorie Blackman, author of Noughts and Crosses, told Channel 4 News that of the many books she read as a child “not one of them featured a black child like me”, adding that “it made me feel invisible in the world of literature”. And when, in her mid-20s, she noticed in a children’s bookshop that little had changed, “that’s when I decided that I wanted to write for children ... for the child in me, really, for all the books I wish I could have read as a child”.If we feel disconnected from each other, perhaps it starts in this skewed, unrepresentative vision of the world that begins in our books when we are at knee height Related: Whatever happened to author Dorothy West? Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-17 07:00:41 UTC ]
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Lana Wood’s “Little Sister” offers circumstantial evidence that Natalie’s death might not have been an accident. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-11-10 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers “should stop thinking about BAME talent as fulfilling a school requirement” and “should emphasise the joyful and literary qualities" of diverse books, Arthur Levine, founder of the independent publisher Levine Querido, has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-22 04:07:18 UTC ]
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Faith, Hope and Carnage will reflect on the singer’s experience of grief and tragedy after Arthur, his child, died six years ago aged 15 Nick Cave will share his perspective on the years following his son’s death in a new book, it has been announced.Drawn from more than 40 hours of interviews... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-09-17 08:54:05 UTC ]
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The Authors Guild's virtual panel "Centering Black Voices: Short-Term Progress or Sustainable Change?," held on July 27, offered a wide-ranging examination of the history and potential of the book industry’s continuing struggle to address diversity. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-07-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Bonnier Books UK has acquired independent Scottish publisher Black & White Publishing as part of its long-term strategy for growth. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-27 19:25:22 UTC ]
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The winners of this year's publishing-house awards are based in Tanzania, Switzerland, Iran, the United States, Colombia, and New Zealand. The post Bologna Book Fair Names Its Children’s Publishers of the Year appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-06-15 03:51:41 UTC ]
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Columbia University Press, in collaboration with Howard University and Columbia University, is launching a new Black studies book series, with plans to also recruit and train students for the book industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Some good news: today, Publishers Weekly reported that We Need Diverse Books is partnering with Penguin Random House on a series of programs to get more books by Black writers published. The Black Creatives Fund initiative involves a “Revisions Workshop”; a mentoring program; and marketing... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-17 18:23:38 UTC ]
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A list of nonfiction Black history books you can read this month to learn more about the history of racism and being Black in the U.S., including Men We Reaped: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-02-09 11:31:00 UTC ]
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Indie bookshops Darling Reads in West Yorkshire and Maldon Books in Essex have jointly won the National Book Tokens Newcomer of the Year award for 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-24 15:41:28 UTC ]
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As you may remember, about a week ago, Senator Josh Hawley challenged the results of the election, encouraged the storming of the Capitol, and then complained about Simon & Schuster canceling his book deal, calling the publisher’s decision “Orwellian” (how?) and “a direct assault on the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-19 16:20:57 UTC ]
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Kyle Books has acquired Together, a "gently philosophical and very relatable look at how we have dealt with a difficult year", by artist Luke Adam Hawker. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-14 07:58:34 UTC ]
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In a year dominated by a global pandemic and American politics, some might find it fitting that the library book most likely to be checked out across Ontario was a hopeful memoir written by the former first lady of the United States. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2020-12-31 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Mostly Books has lined up a second series of its podcast, featuring a host of authors talking about their favourite books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-22 12:48:47 UTC ]
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Research shows action is needed to get more kids reading for pleasure – especially those from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2020-11-20 16:53:51 UTC ]
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Check out wonderful picture book biographies of inspiring Black icons, including Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-10-26 10:33:00 UTC ]
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At the Frankfurt Book Fair conference, writer Bernardine Evaristo delivered a forceful keynote on the systemic bias against people of color in the UK publishing industry The post Bernardine Evaristo to UK Publishing: Hire More Diverse People appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-10-14 18:02:09 UTC ]
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While recent efforts are encouraging, publishing needs to establish permanent methods to give people of color more opportunities. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Instead of celebrating myself, I’m going to celebrate the books by black authors that came before meI have a funny thing about winning. I find it overwhelming. I don’t know how to cope or act when things are meant to be “good”. What do I do? Should I be happy? What is that? How many ways can I... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-07-02 07:00:46 UTC ]
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In foreword to report into diversity in publishing, Booker prize-winning author rails against ‘ridiculous’ beliefsBernardine Evaristo, the first black woman to win the Booker prize, has hit out at “ridiculous” and “misguided” beliefs in the publishing industry, where “black and Asian people are... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-06-23 11:06:09 UTC ]
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