Children's book author
Anna McQuinn
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Articles about writing, publishing and the importance of representation
These are pieces on writing, publishing and inclusion. Click on the title to read the original piece or on the links to read on the websites that commissioned them. I'm gradually adding articles I've written in the past, so check back for more later - and don't forget to hit the refresh button!

NEW!! A long piece about Kanga - an East African fabric that has been inspiring us.

Writing & Publishing

Articles about Writing
Picture a Story - an author's story about letting go -
The challenge authors have when handing over a text for an artist to interpret and illustrate: for
National Share A Story Month 2017
The Federation of Children's Book Groups

Anna McQuinn writes about gardens and she takes Lola with her
for Unabridged -
Charlesbridge Publishing's Author & Illustrator blog:
Anna McQuinn writes and Gardens and she takes Lola with her - July 2014

Storytelling in a multi-lingual setting
In Books for Keeps No 180 -

What inspires me to write & publish inclusively
An article commissioned by CLPE as part of the
Reflecting Realities and Representation Study


Articles about Publishing

An Inadvertent Publisher - Alanna Books 10 Anniversary
interview with Books for Keeps 2016

Random Ramblings of a Small Independent Publisher
interview for The Letterpress Project 2016

Sales of the Lola and Leo books hit $1million in the USA in 2016. Read all about it in the Bookseller by clicking here.

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Gendered Marketing of children's books
It's NOT what kids want!

Books for Keeps
No. 203, Read the original here.

 Inclusion & Representation

Who gets to hold the Purple Plastic Purse?
Beyond inclusion in children's books

In Write4Children, Vol IV, Issue II
Winchester University Press


Why inclusive picture books need to think about class and poverty An article commissioned by BookTrust

If I were in charge of the World
10 Rules for Inclusive Publishing
blog for Barrington Stoke 2015


Stories for everyone and naturally including childen with disabilities.

An interview with Alex Strick for Booktrust -
click here to read on  the BookTrust website


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Ebb and flow: The advances and retreats in the battle to make children’s books more inclusive and diverse
IBBY Conference, key note speech 2015

or read on my blog here

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On reviewing books which are marketed
in a very gendered way
-
a response to an article in the Independent newspaper.
Read the original here.


Articles and blogs

I've written articles for Books for Keeps, Carousel, Write-4-Children and IBBYLink and I've blogged about Gender, Play
and children's books here and here
I'm happy to do 'virtual' interviews - see here


BookTrust
Let's have a world full of books for everyone
Interview with Alex Strick

Books for Keeps - links to articles
   An Inadvertent Publisher - Alanna Books
   BfK No. 218 (May 2016)

   Gendered marketing of children’s books -
    It’s NOT ‘what kids want’
   BfK No. 203 (November 2013)


   Storytelling in Multi-lingual settings
   BfK No. 180 (January 2010)

Federation of Children's Book Groups
If you want to support and encourage your own or other children in reading, if you want to learn more about children’s books or set up a family reading group, if you are a teacher or librarian who would like to share your passion and expertise about books with your local community, the Federation of Children’s Book Groups offers you the opportunity to do all of these.
Picture a Story - An author's story about letting go
- for National Share-a-Story Month

Write-4-Children - Winchester University Press
Vol IV, Issue II - Diversity, Inclusion & Equality
Who Gets the Purple, Plastic Purse? Beyond inclusion in children's books

Here Wee Read -
At Here Wee Read, I find and share the very best diverse and non-diverse books that I read aloud with my two children.  
I am dedicated to shaping our family culture around books
and a love for shared reading.
Author Interview

KidLit 411 -
A one stop information shop for children's writers and illustrators
Author Spotlight

The Letterpress Project
At the Letterpress Project we believe that there is something very special about reading books...Our project has been established to help spread an important message – that books can change everyone’s life.
Publisher Interview

RibbonFish -
Innovative Solutions for Publishing & Media
Publisher Interview about Alanna Books

IBBYLink
No. 48 Spring 2017 - Marvelous Imaginations -
Extending thinking through picture books
Interview about What Are You Playing At?

Charlesbridge Blogspot - Unabridged
A Red Thread
Ask the Author - Lola blog tour
Anna McQuinn Writes and Gardens and She Takes Lola with Her

Barrington Stoke Blog - If I were in charge of the World
10 inclusive children's books laws

Author Interviews

On writing Lola & Leo,
Must-have Children's Books, Literacy Rituals and things parents can do to support children's reading

with the wonderful site
Here Wee Read 2017

Author Spotlight
2017 interview for KidLit 411 a
one stop information shop for children's writers and illustrators

Interview
with speech-language pathologist Jeanette W Stickel and her kindergarten students on her blog SpeakWell, ReadWell

Author blog
for Charlesbridge Unabridged -
Charlesbridge Publishing's Author & Illustrator blog:
Ask the Author - December 2011


Articles by other people - my favourite pieces on various topics

Natual Inclusion
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I care passionately about children's right to see themselves in books for no reason at all - this is called all sorts of things. I like the expression 'natural inclusion' best. The articles below explore the topic...

We Don’t Only Need More Diverse Books. We Need
More Diverse Books Like
The Snowy Day.

One of my favourite articles which really says everything I've ever wanted to say on the subject of 'natural inclusion'
By Rumaan Alam in Slate Magazine:

28 Black Picture Books that are not about Boycotts, Buses or Basketball
by Scott Woods
The first in a series on
Scott Woods Makes Lists

School Library Journal articles

How Cross-Racial Scenes in Picture Books Build Acceptance
by Krista Maywalt Aronson
& Anne Sibley O’Brien:
here

Diverse Books:
Don't Categorize as "Special Interest"

by
Ellen Oh: here


Colorblind?
When you say you 'don't see race', you're ignoring racism
by Zach Stafford
in The Guardian - here

7 Reasons why 'Colorblindness' Contributes to Racism
by Jon Greenberg in
Everyday Feminism
- here

Colorblind Ideology is a form of Racism
by Monnica T Williams
in Phychology Today - here

Diversity  in Publishing

Reflecting Realities
an amazing series of reports
developed at CLPE

Reflecting Realities and Representation
My article as part of the series is here.

A Place at the Table
A fabulous starting point for anyone interested in diversity from
CBC Diversity

A video interview with
Rudine Sims Bishop, Ph.D.
Ohio State University

Writing Past The White Gaze
As A Black Author

by LJ Alonge
Super super article

Diverse Books: Don't Categorize as "Special Interest"
by Ellen Oh in
School Library Journal

Guest Post by Patrice Lawrence:
Understand. Support. Challenge.

Jennifer Baker:
When It Comes to Inclusivity in Publishing, Editors Also Play a Role
Strong Women -
it's complicated...

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Sophia McDougall
I hate Strong Female Characters

OR

Tasha Robinson
We’re losing all our Strong Female Characters to Trinity Syndrome

Mwangi
The myth of the STRONG BLACK WOMAN

Aqsa Sajjad
I am not Someone’s Sister, Mother, Wife or Daughter: I am Someone, all on my Own

Roxanne Feldman
Diverse Thinking from Diverse Folks About Diverse Books

Best explanation for why
'All Lives Matter' is not an appropriate response to
Black Lives Matter

by Geek Aesthete

Kindness is not Justice
Teaching Kindness Isn’t Enough
Teaching kindness is a staple of elementary practice, but that isn’t the same as teaching justice
by Brett Turner in Learning For Justice

Kindness Is Not The Solution to Racism
by Alicia Sprague at Colorado State University

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