Presented to you by Candlewick Press in collaboration with Red Clay Educators, hosted by Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul.
In this educator-focused series highlighting the work of Black authors and illustrators, Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul, best-selling author, founder of Red Clay Educators, and cofounder of the Institute for Racial Equity in Literacy, leads discussions with children‘s book creators about their work and the powerful ways their books can live in classrooms.
Join us for Season 4!
Each discussion in the series will also be made available in our podcast archive page, as well as in the following platforms
Season 4
Christine Platt
Christine Platt is an author and advocate who believes storytelling is a tool for social change. Her engaging first chapter-book series, Frankie and Friends, is a refreshing portrayal of Black women in journalism in which her young protagonist, Frankie, explores big ideas such as racial injustice and activism with her supportive family.
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Phoebe Sinclair
Through writing, organizing, and facilitating, author Phoebe Sinclair strives to create space and opportunities for people to listen deeply, speak from the heart, and feel heard. Featuring zines crafted by award-winning illustrator Theodore Taylor III, her debut novel, Confessions of a Candy Snatcher, relates an emotive, reflective story about the wonder—and mess—of growing up.
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Monique James-Duncan
Born in Britain and raised on the tiny island of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Monique James-Duncan is passionate about writing literature with mirrors so all children can feel seen. Her publishing debut, Mommy Time, illustrated by Ebony Glenn, is an ode to mothers—particularly the largely unseen African American stay-at-home mother.
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Carole Boston Weatherford
Carole Boston Weatherford is a New York Times best-selling author and poet of award-winning books for children. Her picture book How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee, illustrated by the talented Frank Morrison, is the story of young spelling champion MacNolia Cox’s groundbreaking achievement in the face of discrimination.
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Shade Lapite
Shade Lapite is British-Nigerian and has drawn on her heritage to create the world of her debut young adult novel, Goddess Crown, the first in a thrilling Afro-fantasy series set in the lush, opulent kingdom of Galla.
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Joseph Coelho
Ten-Word Tiny Tales is UK Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho’s magnificent compendium of twenty stories, each illustrated by a different artist and each just ten words long—as much a work of art as an invitation to budding writers. His young adult novel in verse, The Boy Lost in the Maze, is a spellbinding blending of the ancient myth of Theseus and the Minotaur with the quest of a modern-day teen in search of his father.
Arlène Elizabeth Casimir
Arlène Elizabeth Casimir is an educator, consultant, healer, herbalist, and writer. Her debut picture book, Back Home: Story Time with My Father, illustrated in lush, enchanting colors by artist Ken Daley, is a love letter to her parents’ birthplace and to the ways storytelling can bring us together.
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Jamel Campbell
Early childhood educator Jamel C. Campbell addresses a common fear that children all over the world experience at the start of a new school year in his debut picture book, Olu’s Teacher. This sweet, reassuring story is paired with the gentle, welcoming illustrations of Lydia Mba.
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