When authors write about POC, the very last thing they should be worrying about is what word to use to describe a character’s skin color. (or the slant in the eyes, the shape of the nose, etc.) Once an author has elaborated on the exact skin hue … well, exactly what do readers really know […]
Chocolate or Coffee? Read More »
On Feb 9, 2018, I was among thousands of librarians attending the 2018 American Library Association Midwinter conference in Denver, Colorado. Patrtisse Cullors, one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter network, presented the opening keynote for the conference. Cullors is a performance artist, organizer, and freedom fighter. As a child, she believed her
Patrisse Cullors – BLM co-founder & Social justice warrior Read More »
Kid Lit Nation (http://kidlitnation.com/) is hosting a webinar on 1-31-18 featuring debut picture book author Baptiste Paul and illustrator Jacqueline Alcantara. For more detailed information about the event, click this link – KIdLitNation Webinar You can register for the webinar via this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_exnq2R34Q1mdvJ4lBsqALw
KidLitNation Webinar on 1-31-18 Read More »
I can’t count the number of times I have heard that word used by agents and editors at a writers conference I attended in the fall. Prairie Writers and Illustrators day is a yearly one-day affair by the Illinois chapter of SCBWI. The conference is hosted at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois every fall. During
Voice and Ownvoices Read More »
I gave myself an extra special holiday gift this year. Was it expensive? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Again, a resounding yes. Will I do it again? Read further and see the answer. What was this present – well, a little background first. As a professional author with a host of short stories and three
The Gift of #Ownvoices Read More »
You never know how the things you experience today can prepare you for an opportunity tomorrow. Likewise, you also never know how a person you met yesterday can influence your five year outlook. Let’s just say life is a puzzle and it’s up to notice the pieces and put them together. I vividly remember the
PWID 2016 Scholarship winner – Nabeeh Bilal Read More »
As I sit here thinking about how I am going to explain what this opportunity means to me, I get flooded with emotions and I feel my heart start beating a little faster. I have always believed that I have to trust my instincts and intuition, and that things will work out the way they should in
PWID 2016 Diversity Scholarship Winner Khannie Dastgah Read More »
Fellow African American children’s author, Urania Smith, teamed with me, B A Binns, to sponsor three diverse authors to attend the 2016 Illinois SCBWI conference, Prairie Writers and Illustrators Day (PWID) coming up on Saturday, November 5 at Harper College in Palatine, Ill. Urania and I both want to see ways to see more authors
Diverse authors/illustrators at the Illinois SCBWI conference Read More »
B A Binns & Nancy Goodfellow The Illinois Library Association, ILA, held it’s annual conference in Rosemont, Il on October 19 and 20. On Wednesday, Oct 19, I spoke at a session titled Using Diverse Books in Library Programs. Along with my co-presenter, Nancy Goodfellow, a member of the National Association for Down Syndrome, the
Using Diverse Books in Library Programs – ILA 2016 Read More »
For the record, the title of this blog is meant to be a hook. Authors know what I mean, that thing good novels use to capture a reader’s attention. In reality, the contest I am going to tell you about had lots of entries. Entries that shared more than a few things in common. Last
What if you gave a contest and nobody came? Read More »