From: Elizabeth Bluemle <ehbluemle_at_gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2012 11:12:54 -0400

Hi, Nell et al.

Thanks so much for your comment:

'I like this phrasing very much, race "not being a driving force of a story" is very important to know, and much more realistic than saying "race is not an issue."'

It took me a while to figure out how to articulate that, because of course race is an issue (unless you're in a position not to ever 'need' to look at it, limited/stunted reality though that would be).

Expressing thoughts around this topic can be so tricky, can't it?

I'm not sure if this has come up on the listserv yet, but the Children's Book Council has created a Diversity Committee . That dedicated group of publishing folks has formalized the conversation at an industry level, which is a crucial step, and they're doing it thoughtfully. They also host a blog with all kinds of great discussions, interviews with diverse people in publishing, and conversations about some of the thorny conventions and habits and limitations we are trying to get past. Five people in the field wrote posts, for example, on representations of diversity on book jackets. (I was invited to contribute one. It's called "Who Will Create the New Normal? ")

Anyhow, it's definitely worth checking out, as is Mitali Perkin's fantastic blog, Mitali's Fire Escape: A Safe Place to Think, Chat, and Read about Life Between Cultures .

Cheers, Elizabeth

Elizabeth Bluemle Owner, The Flying Pig Bookstore 5247 Shelburne Road, Suite 102 Shelburne, VT 05482 802-985-3999 www.flyingpigbooks.com

Check out our PW blog at www.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker. For my author website, visit www.elizabethbluemle.com.
Received on Sat 20 Oct 2012 11:12:54 AM CDT