This week, SCBWI hosts a workshop featuring major creators of color; Cambridge Public Library offers a different kind of takeout; Epic Reads authors participate in a virtual panel; and Tiffany Rosenhan has a careful launch.
Let’s Talk About Racism
Earlier this month, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators hosted a workshop called “Sticks and Stones and the Stories We Tell,” in which renowned authors and illustrators shared how they channeled experiences with racism into their art and answered questions from the audience. Pictured here: (top row, from l.): Shadra Strickland, Lisa Yee, Pat Cummings, and Lamar Giles; (middle row, from l.): Rafael López, Crystal Allen, Floyd Cooper, and Meg Medina; (bottom row, from l.): Christian Robinson, Linda Sue Park, and ASL interpreter Vania Mollinedo.
Kidlit Carry-Out
Adapting in the face of Covid-19 closures, the Cambridge Public Library in Cambridge, Mass., has launched an outdoor pop-up initiative called Kids Books to Go. The initial event (pictured here) was held on July 16 at the Central Square branch, and the latest pop-up took place on July 22 at the O’Neill Branch Library in North Cambridge. Each child in a household was able to grab a bag of 3–5 books, selected by librarians and divided into categories ranging from picture books to children’s graphic novels to teen titles (a mix of fiction and graphic novels). To make it contactless, no library card was needed, but families were asked to return the books when they are finished reading them. A Kids Books to Go event is planned for each branch in the system.
An Epic Quartet
On July 16, Epic Reads hosted a Virtual Meetup on Facebook Live. Co-hosted by White Whale Bookstore in Pittsburgh, Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis, and Barnes & Noble in Akron, Oh., the panel drew nearly 4,000 viewers. In a conversation moderated by First Draft Pod podcast creator Sarah Enni (Tell Me Everything) (top l.), authors (pictured clockwise from top c.) Lyla Lee (I’ll Be the One), Sarah Mlynowski (Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe), Katie Cotugno (You Say It First), and Kelly Yang (Parachutes) discussed their new novels, as well as inspiration, identity, parents in literature, and more, and answered questions from the comments section on Facebook. Guests also had the opportunity to win a $100 gift card to one of the bookstores.
Drive My Car
On July 21, debut author Tiffany Rosenhan (Girl from Nowhere, Bloomsbury) held a socially distanced drive-through launch party for friends and family in Salt Lake City. Ice cream and a stepback for photos were provided for guests. Pictured here, Rosenhan poses with her husband and four daughters, who are holding copies of the book.
