Author Neesha Meminger did a guest post at YA YA YA's s that shouldn't be missed.
When I was a teen, all the books I read for fun featured white protagonists. When I think of some of my favourite books in the YA romance genre now, books like those of Sarah Dessen, Megan McCafferty, and Meg Cabot–I doubt that any of the authors were expected to create artful, powerful narratives about social issues. These books are allowed to be pure entertainment because there is a vast plethora of novels showing the full gamut of the white, heterosexual, able-bodied, middle/upper-middle class teen experience. In terms of racial representation, there are white characters in horror, fantasy, romance, historical, and whatever other genres exist on bookshelves, while teens of colour are offered a limited array of options.
Ari just announced COLOR - Coalition of Librarians and Online Readers. A project to support High School librarians
Many of us love libraries and I want to help by sending books to libraries that have been hit hard by the budget cuts. A bonus is that I would like to only send books by/about people of color for children and teenagers, both fiction and non fiction. For now I am focusing on middle schools (6th-8th) and high schools in the U.S. The ideal scenario is to send books about Asians/Black people/Latinos and Native Americans to the library, but to have the majority of the books match the ethnicity of the students.
There is still time to read Bleeding Violet by Reeves, and participate in the online
Diversity YA is a new blog started by YA author's Cindy Pon and Malinda Lo. I did a guest post for Black History Month. My favorite part - the 10 recommendations.
How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen 13yr old Lamar Washington is one of the best bowlers in Coffin, IN. Unfortunately not many people appreciate the sport of bowling, Lamar wants to change that. He also no longer wants to be known as the prankster, so girls take him seriously. Lamar's ready for his first girlfriend.
Last year Lamar and Sergio, his best friend played tricks on Makeda, giving her the nickname fivehead. When Lamar spots Makeda at Strikers he doesn't recognize her. Now Lamar is doing everything can to prove he's a different person and can be trusted.
Lamar's older brother Xavier is a basketball star. Lamar's dad is too busy working and praising Xavier's game to notice Lamar. At home its all about Xavier the basketball hero. Lamar spends most of his time at Strikers Bowling Paradise. Tired of always being broke and borrowing money from his best friend Sergio, Lamar decides to team up with Billy Jenks. Billy is all about himself, making money and is bad news. Lamar's friendship with Sergio suffer after he starts hustling with Billy.
But Lamar likes finally having money in his pockets. He wants to use the money to impress Makeda Phillips buy his dream pro bowling ball, the pro thunder by Bubba Sanders. Sanders is Lamar's favorite bowler and he's coming to town. Before Bubba arrives, Lamar does one last big prank that could get him in a lot of trouble.
I thought Lamar had a very over the top personality. It was a little too much for me. Though there is something to be said for a 13 yr old Black boy with a lot of confidence. I just didn't connect with Lamar the way I would've liked. At times I felt his language was dated.
I do like that the author gives the reader many sides of Lamar. At home Lamar is the silent victim of his brother's violent outburst. With Makeda, he's nervous, doing his best not to say the wrong thing. Its very nice to read a middle grade novel that deals with a first relationship from the boys point of view. One of the books strengths was Lamar's friendship with Sergio. I really enjoyed the back and forth between them.
The story has a lot of funny moments. One in particular that had me laughing so hard it hurt. This was a well rounded story. I think a lot of middle grade readers will enjoy it.
How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba Sized Trophy recieved a starred PW review
I have Oher's publicist, Lindsay Gordon to thank for this quick Q&A with Oher. I did this so people would know from onset that I Beat the Odds which was released today, is a great choice for teen readers . 1. Many people read Michael Lewis's book The Blind Side, in which your story was depicted. Even more saw the movie. When I first heard about I Beat the Odds, was very excited you were telling your story. Since Hollywood tends to distort everything
When did you decide to write I Beat the Odds?
As the movie took off, I started to get a huge flood of mail from people wanting to know what I thought of it and if my life was really the way it looked on screen. I also started getting letters from kids in foster care or from families who had taken in troubled kids, and they all thanked me for being a voice for them. That really made me start to realize the need for someone to step up and speak out about the reality of life for too many kids in America. It seemed to me that maybe God was giving me the opportunity to help people by sharing not just my perspective on the story, but also to try to become the kind of role model I wish I’d had when I was growing up.
2 This is a very personal look at your early years in Memphis and growing up in foster care system. What gave you the strength to remember?
I had gotten as far as I did by trying not to remember – by putting everything behind me and not dwelling on the past. Sometimes, it’s scary to think about looking back because you’re afraid that you might get pulled back into the world you’ve fought so hard to try to escape. But if I was going to write a book about my story, it needed to be as honest as possible. I wasn’t doing this for me; I was doing it for all the other kids out there who were like me, and I wanted to give them something real.
3 What was it like working with Don Yaeger?
He was a lot of fun to work with because he knows how to ask good questions – he got me to talk about some things I’ve never really talked about – and really get to the heart of an issue, but he’s also just a funny guy. We ended up laughing a lot as we were working on things.
4. Chapter 17, On Raven's Wings begins with a great Cinderella* reference. How much grief will your teammates give you for that?
If anyone wants to give me grief about it, we can settle it by arm wrestling.
5. It was clear you were dedicated to your academics. In your sophomore year at Ole Miss, you made the Dean's list Did you like reading in college? Any favorites?
I really enjoy poetry. I would encourage young people to branch out and read poetry, short stories, novels, essays, non-fiction. You might be surprised by what appeals to you.
6. For those who may doubt the purpose and need of I Beat the Odds. You quickly set them straight in the prologue. At one point you said "In many ways, book is a guide to life, a look at how I made it to where I am today." Who did you write this guide for?
The guide is for anyone who is looking for advice about how to beat the odds. That might be a young person coming from a bad home life, or it might be a teacher or coach who wants to help that kid, or it might be a family who is looking around their community and trying to figure out who they can help. The numbers are stacked against kids growing up like I did, and I really wanted to provide a tool for any person who is committed to trying to change the future of even just one kid.
If it can give some perspective to an adult as to how better reach a troubled child, that’s great. If it can give the child some hope that he or she has the strength to overcome the odds even without a family coming to the rescue, that’s even better. It’s really for anyone who sees the problem and wants to do something about it.
Oher has several tour dates coming up. Including stops in NYC, Baltimore, Mississippi, Memphis and Atlanta.
* People like to talk about "Cinderella stories," but Cinderella didn't get her happy ending without lifting a finger. She had to show up at the ball, be charming and smooth, and win over the prince. Of course she had help along the way, but ultimately it was up to her to make the fairytale ending happen.
I Beat the Odds by Michael Oher Oher just completed his second full NFL season with the Baltimore Ravens. Even if you don't watch football you've probably heard of Oher. He's the football player featured in Michael Lewis bestselling book the The Blind Side. It was also turned into a movie. Hollywood endings are nice but unedited and unscripted ones are even better.
In I Beat the Odds: from homelessness to the Blind Side and Beyond, Oher gives his story. The early years growing up poor and in the foster care system in Memphis, to being one of the first in this family to go to college, then playing in NFL. The prologue begins with Oher going to Department of Children's and Service office in Memphis to visit his former caseworker. A lot people can take something away from Oher's story. It has a lot of cross over, teen appeal. I really appreciated Oher's honest and straight forward approach.
Tomorrow I will be posting a Q& A with Oher. I've linked this post to nonfiction Monday. This week's roundup can be found at Wild About Nature.
Usually on Tuesday, I list children's and young adult new releases with kids of color or featuring a diverse cast. I had to skip last week because I had already listed what came out on Jan. 18th, the week before. This week I only found one new release.
I know there are new middle grade and young adult new releases that feature diverse casts, but unless someone tells me or I've read the book, I won't know. Since it's just one book, I was tempted to skip this week as well. Though I decided not to for two reasons. 1) the book has a great trailer, 2) This feature ties in will with a small new project author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich has started.
The Patchwork Collective for Writers of Color is accepting applications for its Virtual Mentoring Program! If you are a writer of children’s literature looking to improve your craft and get a better understanding of the children’s publishing industry, read on.
A great list of children's and young adult authors will be participating.
Mentors include authors Kelly Starlings-Lyons, Y.S. Lee, N.H. Senzai, Ebony Joy Wilkins, Jerry Craft, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Neesha Meminger, Christine Taylor-Butler, Jennifer Cervantes, Crystal Allen, and Rachel Renee Russell.
When asked if I could help spread the word about this, of course I said yes. Though I wanted to do a little more, so I quickly sent off a few questions.
Hi, Gbemi - This is a great idea. When did you decide to start Patchwork Collective Virtual Mentors? And Why
I thought of it last autumn, just as part of thinking of ways that people of colour in the industry can support each other, take responsibility for one another, and move ourselves forward in the industry.
How long did it take you to put it together?
It took a couple of months to figure out. These wonderful authors have been so gracious and generous with their time, and I wanted to do my best to structure it in a way that was manageable and effective. It helped to start this way, as a very small pilot.
A lot of great author's have signed on to be mentors. Were you surprised by your peers willingness participate in something so new?
Not at all -- I had a good idea of how fabulous they are! :D I'm so grateful for their kindness, talent, patience, and serious generosity. And I know some other amazing authors and professionals who I will be asking to participate in scheduled group chats/discussion.
How will you gauge the outcome of the program?
I'll start with feedback from the participants, on both sides
(I thought I'd ask a few questions apsiring authors might have. )
Can I submit my work if I write children's nonfiction?
Yes, but remember that there are a limited number of mentors, and I will do my best to make the most appropriate matches.
Can I sumbit my work if I have a great idea for a story, and an outline?
Sure, just send that along. I won't be evaluating or critiquing your work initially. We just want an idea of the genre/age group you've been working in, in order to make the best matches, and a good sense of where you are in your pursuit of a career in children's lit -- listservs, groups, organizations, conferences, courses, etc.
Will not having a Web Site, count against me?
No, but an online presence also helps me to verify your identity. If you use a social network, etc. you can include that information.
I am familiar with the works of many of the mentor authors. Can I list one or two authors, I would like to be matched with for the program?
You can, but I will be matching according to genre first.
How often will I discuss my WIP with my mentor or the group?
Mentors have agreed to a time commitment of up to one hour a week. You can submit work for critique ONCE during the session (10 pages or 1 picture book), and I expect that participants will be respectful of others' time and space (i.e. ten emails in one day will not be a good look).
How do I know no one will steal my idea?
As with the submission process in general, you don't. I don't think anyone will. But if that's a big concern for you, you may not want to apply.
What is the start and end date of this program? Feb 7th - April 1 Submissions are from Feb 1-4th. Send ASAP!
Why is this only for children's Writers of Color?
It's just a small way of doing something to help increase our presence and the multitude of stories that we have, in the children's publishing industry. I so appreciate the encouragement and sound advice that I've gotten from so many in the kidlit community; this is not easy work, and can be isolating. I think it's vital that we work collectively, and take the lead in addressing the challenges that we face.
When I was a teen, all the books I read for fun featured white protagonists. When I think of some of my favourite books in the YA romance genre now, books like those of Sarah Dessen, Megan McCafferty, and Meg Cabot–I doubt that any of the authors were expected to create artful, powerful narratives about social issues. These books are allowed to be pure entertainment because there is a vast plethora of novels showing the full gamut of the white, heterosexual, able-bodied, middle/upper-middle class teen experience. In terms of racial representation, there are white characters in horror, fantasy, romance, historical, and whatever other genres exist on bookshelves, while teens of colour are offered a limited array of options.
Diversity YA is a new blog started by YA author's Cindy Pon and Malinda Lo. I did a guest post for Black History Month. My favorite part - the 10 recommendations.
