Okay, teeensy little confession: I don't actually read the School Library Journal. Not teaching at present, not a librarian, so it just doesn't come up under my radar too often, with the hundred and twenty other teens and literature blogs I read on a daily basis. I can't do all the journals regularly too, and get anything done: just can't. Now, I read Bets' blog, because Da Bird is a blog friend, and I "knew" her when she was just an insane shoe-loving librarian and non-journal-affiliated, but I hadn't really wandered past any of the other bloggers.
I've been missing out.
Especially because this summer, SLJ blogger Amy Bowllan, along with Dr. George Edward Stanley and hopefully Attorney General Eric Holder, declared W.A.R..
Writers Against Racism is an ongoing series of blog posts by writers, readers, professors, librarians, booksellers, illustrators and artists who are passionate and articulate about books and equality, humanity and ethnicity. Poet and author Dr. Zetta Elliot came up with the questions and invited the artists to participate, and is herself featured with a *lesson plan.* Those are gold nuggets on the ground around this time of year, so teachers, check it out!
I'm completely late to the party, and am reading weeks back to the beginning of August -- and commenting. Amy Bowllan is probably wondering who the heck this person is who feels the need to come along two weeks after a post is up and say something -- but I think this is a really neat way of continuing the discussion about race and ethnicity and literature and language. Plus, our friend Laura Atkins, a lecturer at Roehampton University, is interviewed, and talks about growing up Caucasian in multiracial Berkeley. Her recently presented paper, "Reflections on White Privilege in the Publication of Children’s Books" discusses how race impacted her work in publishing at Lee & Low. Some interesting stuff, there.
And though I admit that I'd heard about this project without it settling into my brain, it finally came through when Dr. Elliot emailed me. I'm also honored to have been asked, this past week, to participate, along with several other authors and bloggers in the kidlitosphere, so you can look forward to more interesting and revealing discussion on Bowllan's Blog at the School Library Journal.
X-Posted at Tanita's blog
4 comments:
That is excellent on all counts! I look forward to checking out the posts myself (and probably putting up some belated comments of my own), as well as taking a look at Laura's paper.
You MUST tell us when your post goes up!
woah, i've been missing out too! Thanks for the heads up!
Thanks for the shout out, Tanita! We're looking forward to seeing you in the spotlight.
Well it's a good thing I'm reading your blog now so I can go back and read through the last month there too. Thanks for letting us know and be sure to tell us when your post is up.
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