I’m not much of a traveler so when I heard BEA was moving to Chicago I had no plans of going. But at the start of the year I had a change of heart and decided going to Chicago would be a bit of an adventure
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BookCon
Dispatches From BookCon: #WeNeeDiverseBooks
Last weekend Kat and I made the trip to attend the inaugural BookCon . The one day event offered panels, autographing and chances for fans to connect. We had to see it for ourselves so here is our account of BookCon 2014
For the uninitiated, #WeNeedDiverseBook is a movement that refuses to be a trend. In response to the disparity of minorities in children’s and YA literature, Ellen Oh and 21 other authors worked together to create the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign that ran for 3 days in May.
We participated here on Books and Sensibility and the fact that there was going to be a panel at BookCon was one of the reasons we wanted to attend BookCon.
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| So many phones went up ! |
We arrived 30 minutes early and the room was already packed. It was great to see so many people excited about diversity and books. For me it was so cool to see a panel full of authors of color. Seeing so many different people really shows how problematic representation is in YA and children’s fiction.
As the authors talked about how they dealt with identity in their reading lives, I found myself nodding along to some of their experiences.
Ellen Oh announced the future of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign and she is in it for the long haul. Here are some of the highlights :
- #WeNeedDiverseBooks will work with NEA’s Read Across America to promote diverse books and authors.
- Announcement of the second Lee and Low BooksNew Vision Award.
- WNDB is developing a 2016 Diversity In Children’s book Festival in Washington, D.C.
Can I say how excited I am about the book festival ? D.C is in my backyard so I hope I can attend/volunteer.
If you missed the panel you canread the transcript here orlisten to the audio !
Dispatches From BookCon, The Bright Spots
Last weekend Kat and I attend the first ever BookCon in NYC. The one day event offered panels, autographing and chances for fans to connect with publishers. We had to see it for ourselves, so here is our account of BookCon 2014. Based on my experiences here is who I think shined at BookCon.
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