Author Gene Luen Yang Among 2016 MacArthur 'Genius' Grantees - NBC News

my article for NBC Asian America

Five Asian Americans were among the 23 "geniuses" named 2016 MacArthur Fellows today: Gene Luen Yang, Ahilan Arulanantham, Subhash Khot, Manu Prakash, and Jin-Quan Yu.

Author Gene Luen Yang Among 2016 MacArthur 'Genius' Grantees - NBC News

"Dumpling Days" by Grace Lin

Saw an AAPI 5th grader reading "Dumpling Days" on a streetcorner today and told her Grace Lin was a White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Champion of Change. She even looked up from the book one moment (while crossing street) to say tell Grace Lin it's a great book! #weneeddiversebooks

Star of 'Samurai Bike Messengers' Is Smart, Female, and Digital - NBC News.com

My article at NBC News Asian America:

“Rather than creating Mona as a superhero,” said Pop-Post founder and CEO Kathleen Hiraga on her main character in "Samurai Bike Messengers," “I wanted to address the idea that everyone has untapped strengths to pull from, and that a girl on a bike who uses strategy and teamwork to save NYC from a Guzzle Thug takeover – never underestimate her!”

Star of 'Samurai Bike Messengers' Is Smart, Female, and Digital - NBC News.com

Books: An interview with poet David Mura on his latest work, "The Last Incantations" | Hyphen magazine - Asian American arts, culture, and politics

WORD. I was just thinking this and how to create a safe space for writers of color between the coasts. Ok. Will start writing again. soon. today. Thx David Mura and Hyphen magazine:

Still, let’s keep things in proportion. The refusal of so many white people on the right and left to deal with race is a far larger problem than any clichéd language or intellectual tics that writers and intellectuals of color may exhibit. And, as I’ve said [in this interview], sometimes writing anything with a white audience in mind can actually work to the detriment of the quality of one’s work. It’s hard to write well if you’re writing to an audience whose ignorance you cannot cure. And who do not want a cure.

See more at:http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2014/06/books-interview-poet-david-mura-his-latest-work-last-incantations#sthash.gtuXJFiN.dpuf

Books: An interview with poet David Mura on his latest work, "The Last Incantations" | Hyphen magazine - Asian American arts, culture, and politics

Bookbound on #WeNeedDiverseBooks

From my friend Megan Blackshear at Bookbound Bookstore in AnnArbor Michigan. You can reach them at www.bookboundbookstore.com and www.facebook.com/bookboundbookstore:

#WeNeedDiverseBooks

Over the last few weeks, there has been some controversy about the lack of diversity in the book world, from the skin color of characters in children's books to the authors represented at major industry events. Discussions have been sparked on Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere in recent days. We believe this is a very important conversation to have, although we've struggled with trying to fit our thoughts into a 140 character tweet.

We need diverse books because otherwise we wouldn't be doing our job as a community bookstore. Simply put, we are in a very diverse neighborhood and we want our books to reflect our customers' varied interests. We want everyone to feel comfortable and welcome in our store.

Many people read to feel connected - to a character, an idea, an emotion, an identity - and to know they are not alone. Too many folks are marginalized and underrepresented, are struggling with identity, or just 'feel different'. Knowing that someone else, somewhere, sometime, felt this way too and managed to survive and thrive can make a real difference in one's life.

Books are a vital source of education and information. We can learn about people and places that are different from ourselves in terms of nationality, race, class, religion, gender orientation, sexual preference, and overall life experience. We can read about ideas that challenge the mainstream. Books give us a chance to walk a mile in someone else's shoes if we are open to it. They allow us to relate to 'the other', and to realize we may have more in common than we thought. Perhaps they can help us navigate this world with curiosity and appreciation for diversity rather than fear of the unknown.  

Books can have a profound impact. They matter. We need diverse books.

Further reading:

Twitter: #WeNeedDiverseBooks   

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Goes Viral - Salon  

Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books? - New York Times

BookCon-troversy: Uproar Over Lack of Diversity at BEA's Consumer Day - Library Journal

InCultureParent | Why Diversity in Children’s Books Matters

thanks to InCultureParent.com for bringing back an article I wrote just in time for #weneeddiversebooks

I recently received an e-mail from a Caucasian reader in Pennsylvania whose gifted seven-year-old daughter would rather be normal than smart. We think we have come such a long way; her father struggles to convince her that there are lots of other smart kids around the world who do well in math, yet this seven-year-old girl already knows.

The ache to be normal does not necessarily follow lines of color or culture or class.

Books are one way to expand the definition of normal beyond that presented in the mainstream. Through books, we can peer into another world, appreciate another point of view, find resonance where we did not expect it.

InCultureParent | Why Diversity in Children’s Books Matters

btw, today is the last day of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks virtual campaign going on may 1-3 on Twitter and other digital spaces that was triggered when

"BEA’s Bookcon recently announced an all-white-male panel of “luminaries of children’s literature,” and when we pointed out the lack of diversity, nothing changed..."

https://www.facebook.com/events/745853242132100/