Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. Today we are featuring MY FATE ACCORDING TO THE BUTTERFLY by debut author Gail D. Villanueva. When a giant black butterfly lands on her, Sab knows her life is over. Black butterflies are an omen of death according to … Continue reading Featured: MY FATE ACCORDING TO THE BUTTERFLY
Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. Today we’re featuring The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. Fifteen-year-old Xiomara longs for the simple relationship she had with her mother before she became a curvy Afro-Latina, turning neighborhood boys’ heads despite wanting to be invisible to them. … Continue reading Windows & Mirrors: The Poet X
Welcome to Windows & Mirrors where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. Today we’re featuring Grandma’s Purse authored and illustrated by the amazing Vanessa Brantley-Newton. I fell in love with Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s art the first time I laid eyes on it. Her illustrations are always bustling with energy and … Continue reading Windows & Mirrors: Grandma’s Purse
The phrase “windows and mirrors” has become a catch-phrase of the movement for more inclusivity in children’s literature. Borrowed from a scholarly paper written more than twenty-five years ago by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, the words remind us why children need to see themselves, and others who are not like them, in books: Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real … Continue reading Introducing Windows & Mirrors
Welcome to The Winged Pen, Kara! Thank you for taking the time to talk with us about Writing About Native Americans. I know many readers/writers in my circle are eager to learn more about this topic. Tell us a little about yourself and your passion for Native American Literature, especially for children. Kara: I’ve been a Literacy Coach and Reading Specialist in the public schools … Continue reading Writing About Native Americans: A Diversity Conversation with Kara Stewart
Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss prewriting and drafting a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last week, we talked about the Power of Metaphor. This week, we’ll discuss writing “other” characters. What is writing “Other”? It simply means writing characters that are not like yourself. Some writers are terrified to try this. If you’ve ever witnessed arguments about … Continue reading MYC: Writing “Other” with Sensitivity
This month, The Winged Pen’s own Michelle Leonard and Julie Artz were lucky enough to attend Madcap Retreats‘ Writing Cross-Culturally Workshop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Not only was it a blast to finally meet up face-to-face, but the long weekend was packed with great information and resources. We’d like to share a peek at what we learned with our readers. Highlights We were surrounded by many … Continue reading Writing Cross-Culturally
