On The Brown Bookshelf: Me, Mitzi and Our Hotlanta Series!

I simply can not sing enough praises for The Brown Bookshelf, an incredibly rich resource for lovers of children’s books written for and by African Americans. The site showcases the rich selection of books for kids every age from picture books for infants to novels for young adults, plus a fine list of publishers, imprints, and book review organizations dedicated to multicultural children’s literature.

Last year, I told MyBrownBaby readers about The Brown Bookshelf’s “28 Days Later” campaign, a showcase of 28 under-promoted or little known authors and illustrators of color one for each day of Black History Month. In the past, the campaign has featured authors like MyBrownBaby favorites Derrick Barnes, Andrea Pinkney, Deborah Gregory, Jacqueline Woodson, and Sharon Draper and illustrators London Ladd and Nicole Tadgell. Each profile features an extensive Q&A with each author and illustrator, giving readers VIP access to black authors and illustrators we would otherwise have had little chance to read about or meet.

I’m SO very excited to tell you all that my writing partner Mitzi Miller and I were featured just this past weekend as part of The Brown Bookshelf’s third annual “28 Days Later” campaign. Site co-founder Paula Chase Hyman, a fantastic children’s book author in her own right, interviewed us for the feature, which focuses on our three-book young adult series, Hotlanta, our writing process, and our thoughts on the state of the publishing industry as it relates to books for black teens.

I encourage each of you to check out our feature HERE. To see the other incredible authors featured in the “28 Days Later” campaign, including Nikki Grimes, Sharon Bell Mathis, Janet McDonald, and a host of others, CLICK HERE. If you’re so moved, please do leave a comment not just for Mitzi and I, but for the folks behind The Brown Bookshelf, who have given an extraordinary amount of time and energy to bringing us thoughtful, quality information we need, want, and deserve.