Writing in Color

August 1, 2023

Gr 6 Up-A selection of contemporary authors of color-including Chloe Gong, Adiba Jaigirdar, Darcie Little Badger, Gail D. Villanueva, Julian Winters, and more-relays their experiences in the writing world, infusing personal stories with advice on craft and breaking into the publishing world. Featuring 16 essays, the collection is broken into two sections, the first focusing on craft and the latter on industry specifics. The authors echo a history as avid readers and the need to draw from the greater world around them. Additionally, the themes of authenticity and agency, the ability to tell one's own story on one's own terms, weave throughout the narratives. While the advice and recommendations can be vague at times, there are a plethora of questions for young writers to ask themselves and get them started in writing. The second half of the book focuses on the somewhat dismal publishing world, frequently unkind and negligent to writers, particularly writers of color. The essays do not sugarcoat the grueling process, but offer hope and inspiration for aspiring writers with the message that marginalized voices desperately need to be heard. Scattered throughout the shop-talk are intriguing and warming stories from the authors' own lives, almost like mini-memoirs. VERDICT Never patronizing or minimizing, the authors' guidance offers young writers a solid road map for entering the publishing world. This how-to collection by writers of color is a necessity in the genre, and may likely appeal to non-writers who are fans of the authors for insight into their craft.-Kaitlin Malixi

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Starred review from June 1, 2023
Grades 8-12 *Starred Review* Seasoned YA writers of color impart their experiences in a profession that's still dominated by white people in this anthology of personal essays. This collection, created for teen readers and budding authors, is divided into two main sections--on the craft of writing and on the writer's journey through querying and publishing--with related topical essays building and expanding each section. The collection, however, is not meant to be a writing or publishing how-to guidebook in the purest sense; rather, it's a nurturing guide for exploring one's own literary path by reading about BIPOC authors who are actively paving the way. Whether it's Axie Oh's emphasis that writers of color shouldn't feel pigeonholed into writing about their own culture, Chloe Gong's support for breaking rules and not always adhering to the cultural majority, Cindy Pon's acknowledgement of pain when marginalized writers are told their stories are not "relatable," Adiba Jaigirdar's recognition that the weight of writing stories of the kind many Americans have never seen before feels heavy to writers of color, or Julian Winters' admission of developing impostor syndrome, the essays offer validation and inspiration. An introduction to the writer and their body of work starts off each essay, while affirming thoughts and statements ("You can choose the shape of your story.") close the personal reflections. An important anthology that ensures BIPOC teens feel seen and included.

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Starred review from June 1, 2023
A guide to the craft, business, and life of writing by popular and successful YA authors who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color based in the U.S. and around the world. New releases include more diversity than ever, yet writers from marginalized groups, telling stories that matter to them, continue to be underrepresented. The community of voices gathered in this volume reaffirms the importance of these stories and guides aspiring authors as they navigate a writing life, with a particular emphasis on writing YA. The book is divided into two parts. The first compiles essays about craft: Among other entries, Joan He discusses what agency might look like for a character from a collectivist society, Chloe Gong addresses when and how to break Western-defined writing rules, and Laura Pohl describes the experience of writing in English when it is not your first language. The second part focuses on the business of publishing and presents a mix of instructive personal histories--for example, from Adiba Jaigirdar and Darcie Little Badger--and how-to guides for authors once their manuscripts are completed. Julian Winters addresses coping with imposter syndrome, and Julie C. Dao describes holding onto the joy of writing post-publication. The authors, whose names will be a draw for fans of YA literature, present different approaches to creating literature that negotiate the space between White Western culture, perspectives, and expectations and their own. The honest, useful craft book that all fledgling writers need. (Nonfiction. 14-adult)

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