DuEwaWorld News! by DuEwa Frazier

Book People in Austin, TX presents: WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS ! And we need them NOW! Join us this afternoon as five YA authors are here to discuss diversity in YA literature. I. W. Gregorio, Natalie C. Parker, Sona Charaipotra, Dhonielle Clayton and Marike Nijkamp will all be here to talk about their novels, their writing processes, and why we need more books that reflect the big, beautiful, dynamic world we all share. Austin author Cynthia Leitich Smith will moderate the conversation. We Need Diverse Books™ is a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. We're honored to host an official WNDB event and cannot wait to welcome these fantastic authors to BookPeople! After the public event, the authors will host a writing workshop here at BookPeople. Space for the workshop is limited. RSVP as soon as you can....

The New School MFA in Creative Writing Program , my alma mater, has cultivated a cadre of talented children's writers who have stopped at nothing to be leaders in the genre of young adult and middle grade fiction.  Within this list of talented and prolific children's writers who are alums of the New School Writing for Children program include: Tonya Hegamin, Jenny Han, Caela Carter, Coe Booth and now Cake Literary founders Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton (class of 2012).   I met both Sona and Dhonielle at The New School during a children's literature workshop we took with YA author and Scholastic editor, David Levithan. Sona and Dhonielle have done much to bring issues in children's publishing to the forefront in recent years, particularly within the We Need Diverse Books movement. The duo is now set to release their first project, a young adult novel TINY PRETTY THINGS, after founding CAKE Literary , a literary development company.

 The Winter 2014 edition of SORMAG – Shades of Romance Magazine is dedicated to children’s and young adult authors and their works!  I am featured in an interview on page 8 of the issue.   I discuss my latest book, a young adult novel, Deanne in the Middle !  Download or order a print edition of this issue here! ~ DuEwa  Follow DuEwa on Twitter @duewafrazier1

2014 Harlem Book Fair Saturday, July 12, 2014    2:10pm - 3:15pm   Countee Cullen Library - Conference Room B 104 W 136th New York, NY 10030 The Next Chapter: Black Geeks, Heroes, Heroines & Bullies in Middle Grade & Young Adult Books Panel Discussion Featuring: Zetta Elliot ( The Deep, Bird ) Jerry Craft ( The Offenders, Mama’s Boyz ) and DuEwa Frazier ( Deanne in the Middle, Ten Marbles and a Bag to Put Them ) Moderated By: Nina Angela Mercer ( Gutta Beautiful, Gypsy & The Bully Door ) Today's young adult and middle grade market is saturated with stories of vampires, girl cliques, coming of age stories, and teenage redemption. But how do these stories include diverse characters written by authors of color who present themes for "alternate" groups of young readers, ie. Geeks, punks, nerds, sci-fi fans and the like? These diverse, award-winning authors write on a variety of themes which speak to the inte...

Rhymes, Views & News Talk Radio is all new on Sunday, November 17th @ 6pm EST featuring young adult author Danette Vigilante !  Danette will discuss her first young adult novel, Trouble with Half a Moon and new forthcoming book, Saving Baby Doe (March 2014).  Listen live or call in to give a comment at (646) 716-9474.  Hosted to DuEwa Frazier .

Notable young adult fiction author, L. Divine releases her fifteenth installment of the highly acclaimed DRAMA HIGH series.  Street Soldiers by L. Divine is now available from Ebb & Flow Publications.   Set against the backdrop of contemporary Los Angeles, the DRAMA HIGH series follows the continuous struggles of Jayd Jackson, a seventeen-year-old high school student who seeks to simply live a drama-free existence while attending South Bay High, a.k.a. Drama High. DRAMA HIGH has the best of both young adult worlds: keep-it-real drama with a touch of the supernatural, and specifically highlights the multifaceted nature of today’s multicultural youth.       Visit www.dramahigh.com and connect with L. Divine via Twitter.com/DramaHigh for more information.  

Author Feature: Danette Vigilante The Trouble with Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante DF: Your first book about a teen girl named Dellie titled The Trouble with Half a Moon , has received great reviews. What inspired you to write this story? What has been the response from your teen readers? DV: As a kid, my heart had been broken by a little boy who was very similar to Corey, the neglected boy from Trouble. I carried that little boy around with me all these years and though I didn’t know exactly what I was writing when I finally sat down to write The Trouble with Half a Moon , I knew I wanted to give that little boy a chance for a good life. I realized right away that I needed someone brave enough to step up and help Corey and that’s where Dellie came in. Not only is she courageous but she was able to reach beyond her own hard times in order to help save him. The response from my teen readers has been goose bump inducing! The greatest thing I’ve heard from several students was ...

Audrey is a teen who writes YA book reviews for Write4Kids ! and for her own blog Audrey Reads and Reviews.  I've come across a few of Audrey's tips for YA writers over the last several months.  Check out Audrey's new tip for writers: No Perfect Characters, Please!  

2011 NYC Teen Author Festival Schedule Monday, March 14 - Saturday, March 19th The 2011 NYC Teen Author Festival kicks off Monday, March 14, 2011 from 6-8pm at the Chatham Square Branch of the New York Public Library.  Featured authors and moderators include:   David Levithan, Cathleen Bell, Jen Calonita, E. Lockhart, Holly Black, Libba Bray, Barry Lyga, Rita Williams Garcia, Philana Marie Boles, Maryrose Wood and many, many other Young Adult Author *Rock Stars*.  Panels and book signings will take place at NYPL, Barnes & Noble, Books of Wonder, Bronx Library Center and other venues. Visit the NYC Teen Author Festival Facebook page for the complete author line-up, schedule and venues! 

The ALA - 2011 YALSA Quick Pick Nominations for Reluctant Young Adult Readers are in! Here are the titles that I personally dig, on this fabulous YA list ( shout out to author Matt de la Pena who visited my MFA Lit class last semester to discuss his work )! de la Pena, Matt. I Will Save You . 2010. Delacorte, $16.99 (978-0385738279). Kidd ran from the group home and is living on the beach. He has friends and love, but can he ever escape from the past? Divine, L. Drama High: Culture Clash . (Drama High Series). 2010. Kensington/Dafina, $9.95 (978-0758231116). Jayd gets multicultural by forming an African Student Union and falling for Emilio, the new Latino boy. LeFlore, Lyah. Can't Hold Me Down . 2010. Simon Pulse, $8.99 (978-1416979647). Blue was living the dream, but then he lost it all. What will it take to get it all back? Myers, Walter Dean. Lockdown . 2010. HarperCollins/Amistad, $16.99 (9780061214806). Reese has been sentenced to Progress Juvenile L...

I generally skim through the New York Times online once a day, to find out if there's anything that suits my interests in the books, arts, health, or style section. Reading through the articles in this week's book section I came across a review of a wonderful new young adult (YA) book titled Zora and Me by Victoria Bond & T.R. Simon . Can I just say my mouth dropped open when I saw the cover illustration, it's absolutely beautiful! I love all things Zora Neale Hurston and it's so timely that the authors crafted a story depicting Zora as a young detective. Can't wait to get my hands on the book to add to my collection of children's books. The authors would have been perfect for last month's A is for Anansi: Literature for Children of African Descent conference at NYU last month. Visit the official website for Zora and Me for more information.

Young adult author, playwright and poet, Zetta Elliott will discuss her latest book A WISH AFTER MIDNIGHT during a live interview on Rhymes, Views & News Talk Radio hosted by DuEwa Frazier on Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 5pm EST. Zetta Elliott will discuss the themes within A Wish , her writing life and outreach to young readers. Tune in to listen LIVE and CALL IN with your questions for Zetta at (646)716-9474. Visit http://www.blogtalkradio.com/duewafraziershow for more information on this and other author interviews!

The 2010 Harlem Book Fair Presents "Jumping Off the Page: Young Readers, YA Books, and the New Literacy" Young Adult Book Panel Discussion Young adult authors discuss the impact their books have on young readers. The authors will share the ways in which they both educate and entertain today’s teen readers. The authors will give a signing immediately after the panel in the mezzanine area of the library. Moderator: DuEwa Frazier Saturday, July 17, 2010 from 11:00am - 12:00pm Countee Cullen Library 104 West 136th Street (near Lenox Ave.) New York, NY 10030 Trains: 2,3 to 135th Street Contact: 800-796-4369 duewa_frazier@litnoirepublishing.com or 212-490-2070 Web: www.qbr.com and www.nypl.org/locations/countee-cullen