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Resources for Pre-Published BIPOC/Minority KidLit Authors and Illustrators

Resources for Pre-Published BIPOC/Minority KidLit Authors and Illustrators

Posted on June 30, 2021February 6, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

I wanted to do a round-up of resources for BIPOC/Minority pre-published KidLit authors and illustrators. It’s exciting that there are so many organizations, both new and long-established. Many of these organizations offer mentorship programs or programs to help get published.

If you are going to attend one, just one,  children’s book conference, I would recommend Kweli. I attended an in-person conference and it was fabulous!

Resources for Pre-Published BIPOC/Minority KidLit Authors and Illustrators

Kweli: The Color of Children's Literature Conference

Kweli: The Color of Children’s Literature Conference

Kweli has entered its second decade! Can you believe it? We continue to honor the legacy of Walter Dean Myers with a conference that celebrates and supports our unique voices, our nuanced stories, our truth. Our spring conference is an excellent opportunity for BIPOC writers and illustrators to learn, get inspired, and network with others in the industry.

The program runs in four tracks:
Publishing, Community & Culture—with panels on solidarity among creators of color, developing an authorial platform, and submissions.
Novels & Memoir —including workshops on the crafts of character, plotting, contemporary world-building, and fantasy world-building.
Picture Books and Nonfiction—where experts will offer insights into picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, and nonfiction.
Intensives—with in-depth sessions on craft and form for picture book authors and YA novelists.

Throughout the day, writers and artists will have the opportunity to get their work seen, considered, and critiqued by the many agents and editors attending the conference — a useful step for creators who want to develop their craft and make connections within the industry. Join us, and lift up underrepresented voices.

 

 

Prepublished LGBTQ+ writers of middle grade novels!

Queer KidLit

Pre-published LGBTQ+ writers of middle grade novels! Apply to the #QueerKidlit mentorship program: a free, 3-month mentorship with amazing middle grade authors. Apply here.

 

 

Las Musas mentorship program

Las Musas

We are the first collective of women and non-binary (identifying on the female spectrum) Latinx middle-grade (MG), picture book (PB), chapter book, and young adult (YA) authors to come together in an effort to support and amplify each other’s debut or sophomore novels in US children’s literature.

The Latinx community is an incredibly vast and diverse group of people that includes Afro-Latinx, Indigenous Latinx, Asian Latinx, white Latinx, and any and all combinations of race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation. Latinx is not tied to any specific race but is rather a classification term referring to people with cultural ties to Latin America. Las Musas represent Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay, just to name a few.

We are not one voice, but many.

They have a mentorship program.

 

Diverse Voices, Inc.

Diverse Voices, Inc.

DiverseVoices, Inc. was established to empower and advocate for minority, underrepresented, and other marginalized groups of writers, illustrators, and other book creators. In furtherance of this goal, our mission is to support and increase the number of book creators in publishing who self-identify from marginalized communities. Through DiverseVoices, Inc., we aim to assist self-identifying marginalized book creators in the growth and development of their craft, educate them on the book publishing industry, and foster a community and network among them and publishing professionals.

Mentorship program here.

 

We Need Diverse Books mentorship program

We Need Diverse Books

The Mentorship program aims to support writers and illustrators by pairing them with an experienced professional in the field.  Our mentors work one-on-one with a mentee and their completed draft of a manuscript over the course of a year, offering advice to improve craft and to better understand the publishing industry.

 

 

KidLit in Color
KidLit in Color

@KidlitInColor

KidLit in Color is a group of traditionally published BIPOC creatives. We nurture one another, amplify diverse voices, and advocate for equitable representation in the industry.

Our work includes picture books, chapter books, and middle grade fiction and nonfiction.

 

#BlackCreatorsInKidLit

#BlackCreatorsInKidLit

@BCinKidLit
Bridging the gap. Increasing Black representation in kid lit. A community of Black authors and illustrators. Run by @DeniseLit4Kids and @bernardkmensah. 

Website is coming.

 

Asian Author Alliance

Asian Author Alliance

A group to celebrate Asian Kidlit and the diversity of stories that originate from the Asian Continent! We boost and support books by and for us! Website here.

 

 

Oyate

Oyate

Oyate is pleased to provide resources that can help the Native peoples and the community at large. We strive to provide resources that teach respect for Native peoples and help parents and educators to provide their children with historically accurate, culturally appropriate information about Native peoples.

“Teaching Respect for Native Peoples” workshop

In this workshop, Oyate trainers guide participants through the murky world of “children’s books about Indians.” Using role-plays, improvisations, skits, readings, rewriting, group discussions, and group work, Native and non-Native participants together learn how to evaluate children’s material for honest portrayals of Indian peoples, and how to select and where to find authentic and respectful materials. Participants examine their own values and come to a greater understanding of how their behaviors influence children whose worldviews may be different from their own.

 

 

Diversity in KidLit Resources from KidLit 411.

Diversity in KidLit Resources from KidLit 411.

 

p.s. Related posts:

Taking a Children’s Book Writing Class

My First Picture Book Submission: Sumo Joe! #AmWriting

Meeting My Editor for SUMO JOE

SUMO JOE Illustrator Nat Iwata

Sumo Joe makes Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year list!

Sumo Joe Skype Author Visit

Thank you everyone! SUMO JOE on 2nd printing!!!

Sumo Joe at Newton Family Fun Day 2021

Storytime at Aquent with Sumo Joe!

My Sumo Joe event with Historic Newton!

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