Rethink the way you approach writing in this "honest, useful craft book that all fledgling writers need" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) from fourteen diverse authors that demystifies craft and authorship based on their experiences as writers of color--perfect for fans of Fresh Ink and Our Stories, Our Voices. So, you're thinking of writing a book. Or, maybe you've written one, and are wondering what to do with it. What does it take to publish a novel, or even a short story? If you're a writer of color, these questions might multiply; after all, there's a lot of writing advice out there, and it can be hard to know how much of it really applies to your own experiences. If any of this sounds like you, you're in the right place: this collection of essays, written exclusively by authors of color, is here to encourage and empower writers of all ages and backgrounds to find their voice as they put pen to page.
Perhaps you're just getting started. Here you'll find a whole toolkit of advice from bestselling and award-winning authors for focusing on an idea, landing on a point of view, and learning which rules were meant to be broken. Or perhaps you have questions about everything beyond the first draft: what is it
really like being a published author? These writers demystify the process, sharing personal stories as they forged their own path to publication, and specifically from their perspectives as author of color.
Every writer has a different journey. Maybe yours has already started. Or maybe it begins right here.
Contributors include: Julie C. Dao, Chloe Gong, Joan He, Kosoko Jackson, Adiba Jaigirdar, Darcie Little Badger, Yamile Saied Méndez, Axie Oh, Laura Pohl, Cindy Pon, Karuna Riazi, Gail D. Villanueva, Julian Winters, and Kat Zhang.
Julie C. Dao is the critically acclaimed author of many books for teens and children. Her novels have earned starred reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly; won recognition as Junior Library Guild Selections and Kids' Indie Next List picks; and landed on multiple best-of-year lists including YALSA and the American Library Association. A proud Vietnamese American who was born in upstate New York, she now lives in New England.
Chloe Gong is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels, as well as the Flesh and False Gods trilogy. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and have been featured in the New York Times, People, Cosmopolitan, and more. She was named one of Forbes's 30 Under 30 for 2024. Chloe graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English and international relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, she is now located in New York City, pretending to be a real adult.
Joan He was born and raised in Philadelphia but still will, on occasion, lose her way. At a young age, she received classical instruction in oil painting before discovering that storytelling was her favorite form of expression. She studied psychology and East Asian languages and civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania and currently splits her time between Philly and Chicago. She is the bestselling author of The Ones We're Meant to Find, Descendant of the Crane, and the Kingdom of Three duology.
Kosoko Jackson is a digital media specialist, focusing on digital storytelling, email, social, and SMS marketing, and a freelance political journalist. Occasionally, his personal essays and short stories have been featured on Medium, Thought Catalog, The Advocate, and some literary magazines. When not writing young adult novels that champion holistic representation of black queer youth across genres, he can be found obsessing over movies, drinking his (umpteenth) London Fog, or spending far too much time on Twitter. He's the author of Yesterday Is History and I'm So (Not) Over You.
Adiba Jaigirdar is the award-winning, critically acclaimed, and bestselling author of The Henna Wars, Hani & Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating, A Million to One, and The Dos and Donuts of Love. A Bangladeshi/Irish writer and former teacher, she has an MA in postcolonial studies from the University of Kent, England, and a BA in English and history from University College Dublin, Ireland. She is the winner of the YA Book Prize 2022, the KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards 2021, and was a finalist for the 2022 Lambda Literary Awards. All her writing is aided by tea and a healthy dose of Janelle Monáe and Hayley Kiyoko. When not writing, she is probably ranting about the ills of colonialism, playing video games, or expanding her overflowing lipstick collection. She can be found at AdibaJaigirdar.com or @Adiba_J on X (preivously known as Twitter) and @Dibs_J on Instagram.
