Diversity in YA Fiction Tour has some news for you!

Head on over to the Diversity in YA blog and find out who they are taking on tour with them! Dates for this tour will be coming soon and I for one being local to Cindy Pon and Malinda Lo hope to get to a few of the signings. I just looked at their list and seriously guys I am fangirling over here. If you care about diversity then please visit this blog and support the authors on tour. Here is some info from the Diversity website:

Diversity in YA Fiction is a website and book tour founded by two young adult authors, Malinda Lo and Cindy Pon, to celebrate diverse stories in YA.

DIYA is a positive, friendly gathering of readers and writers who want to see diversity in their fiction. We come from all walks of life and backgrounds, and we hope that you do, too. We encourage an attitude of openness and curiosity, and we welcome questions and discussion. Most of all, we can’t wait to have fun sharing some great books with you!

Cindy Pon is the author of Silver Phoenix (Greenwillow, 2009), which was named one of the Top Ten Fantasy and Science Fiction Books for Youth by the American Library Association’s Booklist, and one of 2009′s best Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror by VOYA. The sequel to Silver Phoenix, titled Fury of the Phoenix, will be published in April 2011. Visit her website at CindyPon.com.

Malinda Lo is the author of Ash (Little, Brown, 2009), which was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, and named one of the Kirkus Best Young Adult Novels of 2009. A companion novel to Ash, titled Huntress, will be published in April 2011. Visit her website at MalindaLo.com.

Elle Whitewashes beautiful Bollywood Actress

It's not just book publishers who sometimes get it wrong. Elle recently white washed the beautiful Bollywood Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who is best known for being Miss World.

What can we do? Visit Change.Org and signe the petition. Thanks to April at Good Books and Wine for tweeting this.

Here is some info from Change:

It looks like Elle had quite the white Christmas.

Bollywood actor and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is featured on the cover of Elle Magazine looking far paler than she is in real life. Most fans are up in arms and an appalled Ms. Bachchan is considering a lawsuit against the magazine.

Consumers have long been inundated with ads that use prominent Bollywood actors to promote skin-lightening products. In a country that produces gorgeous women of color, it is sad that Ms. Rai-Bachchan, who is relatively light-skinned, is one of the very few with some cross-over appeal. To see magazines like Elle further enforce the color hierarchy of crossover appeal by making Aishwarya appear lighter-skinned is a slap in the face.

This is the second racial debacle surrounding Elle. The American version was criticized for its October 2010 issue, which featured actress Gabourey Sidibeon on one of its four celebrity covers with noticeably lighter skin than her natural complexion.

Lets tell Elle Magazine to make a commitment to moving away from using white as a standard for beauty, and demand a public statement and apology.

Lee & Low Books Acquires Tu Publishing, Brings Diversity to Fantasy and Science Fiction

LEE & LOW BOOKS, the respected independent children's book publisher specializing in diversity, has acquired Tu Publishing, an independent press focusing on multicultural fantasy and science fiction for middle grade and young adult readers.
 

New York, NY (PRWEB) March 9, 2010 -- LEE & LOW BOOKS, the respected independent children's book publisher specializing in diversity, has acquired Tu Publishing, an independent press focusing on multicultural fantasy and science fiction for middle grade and young adult readers.

“This is a natural fit for us,” says LEE & LOW publisher Jason Low. “Our customers have been asking us for years to publish stories for older readers. Tu represents an excellent way for us to bring diversity to a whole new audience.”

Recent controversies over whitewashing have brought widespread attention to the dearth of people of color in fantasy and science fiction stories, although avid fans of these genres have long acknowledged the problem.

Tu Publishing founder Stacy Whitman began the press in 2009 to address the need for more books featuring diverse characters and inspired by non-Western cultures, a need that she had seen as both a reader and an editor of fantasy and science fiction.

Supporters met Whitman’s project with great enthusiasm and donated funds via the online organization Kickstarter to help launch the company. Through many small donations, Tu Publishing surpassed its $10,000 goal, catching the attention of LEE & LOW.

“The fact that Tu was able to raise so much money indicates that there is a real need for this,” says Low. Since Tu will now become an imprint of LEE & LOW, all money will be refunded to donors.

“The outpouring of support on the Kickstarter project and from children’s book professionals validates my mission, and the opportunity to join forces with LEE & LOW, with its vast experience publishing diverse children’s books, will allow me to accomplish my goals even beyond what I could have expected,” Whitman explains.

Whitman will join LEE & LOW as editorial director of the new imprint, which will undergo a slight name change to Tu Books. Several manuscripts are already under consideration for possible acquisition, with hopes of releasing the first books under the new imprint in 2011.

**Press release courtesy of PRWeb. Thank you to Miriam for bringing it to my attention!

Big Giveaway at Lee and Low Books

Lee and Low Books is an independent children's book publishing company that focuses on diversity. The books they have in their lineup are wonderfully multicultural and fun.

In celebration of Black History Month, Lee and Low Books is giving away a bunch of books! On their main site, you can enter to win one of three copies of Janna and the Kings by Patricia Smith (ends on Feb. 28). And on their blog, The Open Book, they are giving away three sets of six books (also ends on Feb. 28). Such great giveaways, and great ways to read and celebrate black history all year long!

Just thought you might like to know! :-)