Cynthia Leitich Smith - Writing Across Identity Elements

Cyn invited the audience to examine their own
identity elements as well as those of
the characters they create.

Cynthia Leitich Smith is a NY Times bestselling and award-winning author of fifteen books for children and teens. She also serves on the core faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Cynthia welcomed everyone to the workshop and shared some truths about the workshop's topic right away. She offered that some would be uncomfortable with this topic, but stated that "some discomfort comes with the territory. This is an area for learning." She reminded the audience that all of us are required to stretch beyond what we know and continue growing.

Cynthia posited that "we're all specific, multifaceted individuals. So are our characters. So are the children we write for. We can do better. We must do better."

She then requested the audience to take a moment to ask themselves and record, "What are my identity elements?" She reminded them that identity elements "don't define who we are, but inform. They help us connect and understand each other."

After this, she continued with over a dozen questions for them to consider, including their knowledge base and what information/research they need to make their characters three-dimensional and authentic. Some of the questions she posed:

• Am I reading like a writer?  Read 100 books from the identity element I want to write whether I share that identity element or not.
• How reliable is my education and research? Err heavily in case of primary sources. 
• Is the situation or character more nuanced than my ability to represent it? 
• How will represented children feel about my character/content? 
• Do I need a professional reader? Remember to never use a professional readers' names without permission or as human body shields for errors or misrepresentations in your work. 

For more information about the writer and book sources Cynthia mentioned, visit her website and follow her on Twitter.

Agents Panel: Adriana Dominguez, Jennifer Rofé and Alexander Slater

Literary Agents
L to R: Adriana Dominguez, Molly O'Neill,
Beth Phelan, Jennifer Rofé and
Alexander Slater 

Literary agents Adriana Dominguez, Jennifer Rofé, and Alex Slater started out discussing trends (what is popular in a given timeframe), evergreens (universal, timeless feel) and how to sell your book in today's market. Jen cited Merci Suarez Changes Gears as an evergreen book with its focus on a child claiming agency and changing family dynamics.

Concerning trends, Jen warned that "you have to be careful with trends because you'll never catch one. Those deals, those books were sold years and years before they come out on the market."

Alex shared that he recently sold a middle grade horror novel, but he knows that by the time he tries to do another one the trend will be elsewhere.

When asked about nonfiction, the panel offered a number of noteworthy responses.

Adriana says she is not a trend chaser and sees nonfiction is an evergreen. The subject, the way the story is told is more important. We're in a moment of reckoning in the country. Fresh perspectives get us looking at things in new ways. There's less resistance now to stories about people and events that have not been as well known compared to five or six years ago.

Alex responded to the question about diverse books and how they "unearth little known points of history" is a privileged view. He attended the SCBWI OK conference this spring and learned about Tulsa Race Massacre. There are many stories that people know and have been impacted by these events, so there needs to be a focus on these stories.

Jen shared that We Need Diverse Books is less a movement, but a correction. It's what should have always been happening.

Adriana said that some of us (agents) have always been focused on this and the numbers are increasing. But it's still so small compared to books being published with characters who are animals and inanimate objects. She does feel that editors are doing better at listening to diverse authors and illustrators as they bring their stories and art to books.

The agents also offered stories of how they help manage their clients' work and when it's best to submit. As business partners with creators, they are committed to helping the creators best position themselves in the market.

For more information about Adriana, visit her website and follow her on Twitter.

To find out more about Jen Rofé, head over to her agency website or Twitter.

Learn about Alex by visiting his website and Twitter.

Diversity Social at #LA17SCBWI

Did you check out the Diversity Social at #LA17SCBWI?

The Diversity Social began with remarks about We Need Diverse Books by Sona Charaipotra, Miranda Paul, and Linda Sue Park, followed by greetings from some of WNDB's founding members and SCBWI faculty support.

I loved hearing about the successes of their mentorship programs and advocacy programs -- from partnerships with the Scholastic Book Club to measurable results of WNDB's mentorship program. 

An attendee asked how they can support diverse authors if they are not from a diverse background. The committee suggested:

• Buy and read diverse books, and support those authors.
• Talk about diverse books; promote those authors and their books.
• Advocate for diverse voices to be represented at events or programming you're involved in.
• Write and illustrate characters from diverse backgrounds. Pat Cummings asked: do your characters default to a specific ethnicity or background?
• Mentor with WNDB, if applicable. (generally looking for authors with multiple books published in a particular genre.)

After the Q&A, there was time to mingle. I enjoyed chatting with first-time conference attendees / authors Traci Sorrell, Lindsey Metcalf, and Madonna Bock [from the KS/MO chapter]; agent Stefanie von Borstel of Full Circle Literary; Executive Art Director Cecilia Yung at Penguin Random House; and many others at this thoughtful, relaxed gathering.

You can sign up for the WNDB mailing list to be notified when mentorship applications are available.

Check out WNDB's new book discovery app called Our Story

Books For and About Diverse Kids: John Parra, Don Tate, Lisa Yee, Stacey Barney, and Pat Cummings

Right to Left: Pat Cummings, Stacey Barney, John Parra, Don Tate, and Lisa Yee

In this discussion-based breakout session, we have multiple perspectives from different parts of the children's literature community:

Pat Cummings, author/illustrator of over thirty-five books for young readers (and Board member of SCBWI, the Authors Guild, and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, among others.)

Stacey Barney, Senior Editor at Penguin/Putnam Books for Young Readers

John Parra, Golden-Kite winning illustrator.

Don Tate, author and illustrator, winner of the Ezra Jack Keats Award.

Lisa Yee, author of 16 books and winner of the very first Sid Fleischman Humor Award.


Some highlights:

Stacey Barney:
"Write organic stories." Sometimes she finds that it's almost as if writers are checking off boxes for diversity with their diverse cast of characters, but "character shouldn't feel like categories."

John Parra:
"Be respectful. Show it to others who are part of those communities. Make sure authentic is how it's portrayed."

Don Tate:
"Study. Research. Vet. ...Make sure you're not exploiting the topic."

Lisa Yee:
You can write outside your experience "but you have to get it right."

The panel are telling us fascinating stories, like Lisa sharing how her Millicent Min (in 2003) was the first middle grade book with a photo of an Asian American kid on the cover.

Don shares about doing a school visit when he was asked by a 5th grade class if he only illustrates Black people, and how he asked the two African American boys in the class if they felt like they've read books that represented them - and they said no. So he turned to the rest of the class and explained that he's made it his mission, he's built his whole career, to create positive portrayals of people that look like those two boys… and the whole class clapped.

Stacey tells us about teaching (elementary and preschool and high school), and reading picture books to the kids, and how she made an effort to choose picture books that reflected their experience. "Kids are kids."

Pat speaks of her school visits, and how kids pick up books out of curiosity. She shares how she was asked once by a British author why she only does books with Black characters. Pat countered, asking the British author why they only created books with British characters…

John speaks of how he sees diverse books being published, but the awards and reviews and the best lists of the year aren't that diverse. After they've published, how do they get recognized and supported?

They cover editorial staffing (and the importance of diversity in staffing across departments, including marketing, publicity and sales), being vetted by additional experts, and much, much more.

Research Tool: Writing Outside of your Diversity

We Need Diverse Books™team members Miranda Paul and Nicola Yoon presented an enormously informational session on writing outside of your own diversity. Paul, who is married to a black African man, wished for more books featuring characters that looked like her biracial family—particularly when her daugher questioned why so many books featuring characters that looked like her were about slavery. Yoon also comes from a biracial family and shared her concern. Here are a few things to think about when writing outside of your own race, background, experience:

• Honest Reflection. 
Consider your own motivations, biases, ignorances for writing a particular story. What is your connection to the topic?

• Collaborate

Identity experts with whom you might work with or co-author a book. They can help you to realize things you didn't realize you don't know. 

• Observe

Make research trips, take notes, watch, listen (Cavet: You are still an outsider at this phase)

•Recognize

Be honest with your reader, explain literary choices, share your research process, extend beyond the book

• Tell the truth
Write characters, not caricatures. If you’re writing a stereotype, you’re not telling the truth. All Asians are not good with math. All black girls aren’t sassy. People are complicated, create complex characters. Know what makes your character tick— What do they love? What do they want

• Diversify your life
Include more types of people in your own life, it will not only make you a better writer, it will make you a better person.

For more information, see the We Need Diverse Books™ website.

Joe Cepeda: Diversity in Children's Books panel

As per their website, We Need Diverse Books™ is a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. #LA15SCBWI  tackled the issue today with a panel of esteemed writers and illustrators. Illustrator Joe Cepeda was one of the speakers.

Cepeda is the illustrator of numerous award-winning picture books that feature diverse characters, such as Nappy Hair, From North to South: Del Norte al Sure, Swing Sisters: The Story of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, and so many others.

Years ago, however, Cepeda illustrated a book that became an issue: Nappy Hair. Some people were offended by the use of the word “nappy,”  and Cepeda wasn’t aware of the baggage the word carried. When the book published, there was somewhat a media outcry. “If we had more books that featured diversity,  things like this wouldn't be an issue,” said Cepeda.

After college, Cepeda did what many illustrators do: he went to New York, where he was discovered by none other than Arthur Levine. He's been working consistently ever since. The first manuscripts offered were mostly stories about people of color—Chicano or African American. Starting to feel boxed in, he voiced his concerns to editors. "The result was more diversity," Cepedia said, holding up his books featuring hamsters as the main characters, to which the audience roared in laughter. 

“I’m proud to be a Chicano,” he said, “but I’m an illustrator and I want to be able to illustrate everything. 

Brandy Colbert: Diversity in Children's: Challenges and Solutions

Brandy Colbert is the author of POINTE, winner of the 2014 Cybils Award for young adult fiction, and was named book of 2014 by Publishers Weekly. Her next book LITTLE & LION will be published by Little, Brown in spring 2017.

We Need Diverse Books

Brandy says that there are so many different experiences in each group. Treat the characters as human first and do the research from there.

Brandy's book POINTE tackles many issues. She didn't realize there was a lot going on until people told her. She didn't look at it as a barrier, just as a book she was proud of and wanted to submit.

Brandy wrote three books before POINTE and queried for 4 years. She wondered if she should mention the race of her character in the query. She doesn't believe she did. She believes now, she probably shouldn't have worried about it. The book came out right around the time We Need Diverse Books came off the ground and she's very grateful for it.

When writing POINTE Brandy wanted to be as honest as possible.

Lunch time chat: Let’s talk diversity

We need diverse books—of course we do! So during a lunch time chat,  a group of #LA15SCBWI conference goers discussed that topic. We Need Diverse Books™ team members, Miranda Paul,  Jim Averbeck, and Don Tate led group discussions. 

Pictured below, writers discuss why it is important for children to see themselves in books.

From left to right:

A. E. Marling spoke to the importance of all people from every background seeing themselves included in fantasy, which is why he includes characters of color in his stories. "Books can portray that everyone has a place," Marling says.

Judy Goldman spoke about how seeing yourself in a book generates self respect, and she lamented the fact that most of the  people seen in books are white and surbarban. "If you don’t recognize youself in a book, you won’t identify. You won't know that you are important." 

Cassie Gustafson writes books for teenage adolescent girls. "The more you know about someone else, the less they are other," she says.

Michelle deBaroncelli spoke about the importance of white readers seeing diverse characters in books, "to help remove seperation and otherness."

Far right, writer Liz Pratt was a bit quiet. Totally understandable. Expressing youself on the topic of diversity is not an easy, especially when you are in the minority. 

Miranda Paul discusses the We Need Diverse Books initiative and goals.

Jim Averbeck leads an enthusiastic discussion