Katura J. Hudson

 I usually live tweet diversity workshops/events I attend. I didn’t for the Building Cultural Competency in Children’s Publishing Symposium at @Highlights Foundation.  I wanted to be fully present. Even handwriting notes seemed a bit intrusive. Yes, it was that deep. My biggest takeaway was that we all need to come to the page with questions - whether you’re a writer, reader, illustrator, editor, librarian or teacher.  -Who’s centered in the story? -Who’s silenced or misrepresented?  -Is the story upholding stereotypes?  -What are YOUR identities and how do they shape what you’re writing, reading or suggesting that others read? Then, take action.  That might mean #booktoss for biased books or deciding you are not the best author to write a particular story.  And it should always mean supporting more #ownvoices books and getting more of them onto shelves & into kids’ hands, Examining our books & ourselves is hard & necessary ONGOING work. Th...

I made my second trip to Cuba this February, as part of a delegation of Black publishers & writers. The purpose of our visit was to participate in the Havana International Bookfair. But given what’s important to us, Cuba’s history & the deep roots we share - the trip was even bigger than books.  Our delegation was 23 strong - Black publishers, writers, academics, and book lovers, and our visit  included support of other Cuban literary, cultural, and community institutions. We visited Casa de las Americas, a cultural institution founded in 1959 that promotes and supports Latin American and Caribbean arts and culture. There we spent time with Zuleica Romay Guerra, its program director, who talked about their work and Cuba's need for books that reflect Black people. Our group donated lots of our books to the organization. In the third photo below, we're surrounding Zuleica in a circle of love and support. We also went to Edicione Vigia in Matanzas, where they hand make bo...

Creativity was a big focus for me this year. I wanted to step up my support of Black creatives in particular, and invest more in my own creativity.  So I was beyond geeked that I had an opportunity to write in Langston Hughes’ Harlem home, thanks to I, Too Arts Collective. A ‘space to create’ was just what I needed.