Under Construction, but Coming Soon!
Resources for "Power and Attention"
Links for Works Cited within the Essay
Adichie, Chimimanda Ngozi. “The Danger of a Single Story.” Published on YouTube in 10/2009.
Ireland, Justina. “Writing Past Your Shit 101.” Published 8/20/2015.
Older, Daniel José. “12 Fundamentals of Writing ‘the Other’ (and the Self).” Published on Buzzfeed 1/15/2014.
Shawl, Nisi. “Appropriate Cultural Appropriation.” Published 10/2004. Shawl is also the co-writer (with Cynthia Ward) of an entire book on this topic, Writing the Other, which I highly recommend.
Additional Resources (under ongoing construction)
- Rudine Sims Bishop's “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors.” This article is a foundational text for diversity in children’s literature, and the terms of the title come up frequently in discussions of the topic.
- "Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Sexism and Racism." This list, originally published by the Council on Interracial Books for Children in the 1980s (I believe), is still an excellent guide for anyone involved in bookmaking.
- Mitali Perkins’s “Ten Tips on Writing Race in Novels” and “Writing Race: A Checklist for Writers,” both available through www.mitaliperkins.com.
- Writing with Color: A Tumblr “devoted to writing and resources centered on racial and ethnic diversity,” including a critique service.
- American Indians in Children’s Literature: A blog dedicated to the study and critique of Native Americans in children’s and YA literature, run by the Nambé Pueblo writer and librarian Debbie Reese. If you plan to write about or even reference Native Americans, you should study this blog. See also Doris Seale and Beverly Slapin’s A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children (Altamira Press, 2006). Debbie also offers a critique service for authors writing about Native peoples.
- Disability in Kidlit: A website and Tumblr that discusses “the portrayal of disability in middle grade and young adult literature . . . always from the disabled perspective.” This includes reviews and resources on both physical disabilities and mental atypicalities.
- Malinda Lo’s Guide to Avoiding LGBTQ Stereotypes in YA Fiction: an extremely useful introduction.
- Daniel José Older’s Twitter feed: a running commentary, frequently both passionate and hilarious, on culture, justice, and writing, illustrated with great GIFs and cat photos.
- This graphic of "the cultural iceberg" is a useful reminder that culture extends far beyond what can be seen.
- "Black and White and Read All Over: Diversity and Inequity in Children's Publishing": a 2010 speech by me on the whys of inequity in children's publishing, and what needs to happen to change the numbers. See also "In Defense of CBC Diversity, and on the Complexities of Publishing Diverse Books."
- Writing in the Margins, a site coordinated by Justina Ireland that "facilitates emerging authors from groups historically marginalized by society," including a mentoring program and query contest. It also offers a service matching authors with sensitivity readers.
- Author Justine Larbalestier on "How to Write Protagonists of Colour When You're White."