Some Things You Should Know About (Pub) Job Recruitment

Hey-o, friends! 

Well, that whole monthly blog post goal did not go as planned this year. I needed to follow my own advice on scribing more posts ahead of time. Noted. 

Anywho, I’ve received various inquiries as of late and figured I’d do a short(ish) post about job recruitment at book publishers. While this may come in handy for various folx, I think those in the entry-level phase of their careers could find it particularly helpful. Please note: I use the word “may” throughout this post because certain procedures/processes differ. In general, a lot of this may apply mostly to Big 5 publisher recruitment with the understanding that recruiters and hiring managers come to their own decisions based on particular needs and positions. 

Over the past several years, one of my big goals for the MiP podcast has been to interview someone from human resources to talk candidly about recruitment and the hiring process. That is still on the agenda(!), especially if folx are open to going on the record. We don’t have to get too saucy, but we can get informative! Until then, I’m offering some points based on experience (as applicant and the person hiring) and conversations (with recruiters and hiring managers).

Preface

If you weren’t already aware, editorial assistant positions at book publishers can receive as few as 150 submissions and as many as 1,000+ in the United States alone. At various publishers, recruiters may weed these down to a dozen or less and forward them to hiring managers. This number will vary based on the publisher or institution (say a university press), but ultimately a recruiter shares these submissions with the hiring manager(s) in batches. For example, if there’s only 10 applicants they may send all 10 or they may filter based on the specifications a hiring manager provided, which could bring that number down to 5. 

When it comes to very popular positions where less (specific) experience is required (i.e., entry-level/early career) and more people may be keen on it as a step towards a publishing career, there’s a ton more applicants. This is when further distinctions are made and batches are sent. If the hiring manager wants to review more applications or has a specific number that meets their bandwidth, they’ll request as such. These are decisions made prior to a position being posted.

Things to Remember:

1. You have to apply! (Sorry for the exclamation point, but this one is important!) This might be one of several items that seem obvious, but isn’t based on recent correspondence I’ve had with prospective applicants. Big companies that have particular processes need you to submit an application. The same goes for colleges/universities. Unless the job posts a specific email address to submit your materials to, make sure to go to the company’s Careers page and apply for the job there. Hiring managers cannot review your application and move it forward if you aren’t in the company’s recruitment system. Even if you have several people recommending you . . . you have to be in the system! For a recent entry-level role I got a lot of recommendations, but not everyone applied, so they cannot be considered. 

2. Apply Early: Especially for entry-level positions (see Preface above). An editorial assistant position may be open for all of a 1 week. (Yup, I said one week, as in 7 days.) Sometimes roles are kept up until filled, which means a role that’s been up for weeks or months may be in interview mode by the time you see it, yet still accepting applications. As soon as people start to apply, recruitment begins to filter through applications to send to the hiring manager(s). For entry-level this filtering could happen within a day or two of the position being open. Reviews may happen for a week or longer, or for some roles reviews are rolling. The hiring manager(s) will decide how many applicants they want to send assessment to and/or set up an interview with based on the amount of batches they agree to review and number of applicants they feel fits their needs for the role. This review can happen fast (as in within a week) for more of the early career positions (meaning 1-3 years of experience) due to demand. In the midst of this, a hiring manager may also receive many recommendations, which may be flagged to recruitment to pluck from the applicants and send in a batch to the hiring manager(s). So, yeah, applying early is great, and make sure to meet a deadline especially if you have someone advocating for you. 

3. I Wouldn’t Use AI: I know AI is proliferating all over, especially in college environments when folx may come to rely on tools like Grammarly—a program that’s often boasted about its AI platform. However, if I see you used AI in your cover letter or resumé then it’s an automatic rejection for me. (Keep in mind that AI is even more identifiable in a cover letter.) You’d be surprised how easy it was to spot and also how glaring it was in the usage, especially when it came to incorrect information, bad grammar/punctuation, and overstuffed sentences. If you’re relying on AI when applying for a job where I need you to establish strong writing and critical reading skills as well as an attention to detail, then I don’t think we’ll be a fit. 

4. Get Help Reviewing Your Resumé/Cover Letter: Typos, bad formatting, not updating the imprint/company name, mentioning literary fiction when the job posts commercial nonfiction, or mentioning books as part of my imprint (when they aren’t) may show that you used AI and/or aren’t detail oriented and/or doing a cut & paste for every job you apply to. A core component of any publishing job is being good at details. This is particularly crucial in roles like editorial, production, design, contracts/legal, etc. Even as you are beginning to build on your experience, this is a first impression on a person who is hiring. Make sure to cross your Ts and dot your Is, friends! 

5. Be Distinct In Your Cover Letter: Believe it or not, recruiters and hiring managers do read cover letters. For entry-level positions, particularly in editorial, we see a lot of the same statements over and over. And as someone whose professional and personal/creative work is about advocating for underrepresented communities, I see the same mission or admiration for said mission noted as a source of intrigue for applicants. (Great!) Outside of that, though, what else draws you to this position? (See #4 about cut & paste.) If you’re applying for every and any job, I get it, but some positions speak more to you than others, right? Make that known in the cover letter why this imprint, what your reading interests are and why they correlate for this position. Also, don’t be afraid to have a voice in your cover letter. A professional tone is great and necessary, and getting a sense of who you are is wonderful, too! 

6. Noting Other Career Goals: Some people may disagree with me, and I welcome disagreement because it’s healthy. I found it interesting when people applied for a particular job and in their cover letter, then said their dream was to do something totally different yet correlated to the job in terms of literature. No matter the level of the position, imagine how it sounds to tell a potential manager that this is a full-time job you want to ultimately take you to another career, not that you want to grow here and see where this role takes you. My own resumé reflects a variety of positions, so believe me when I say I get seeking opportunity elsewhere! On the flip side, whenever I’ve applied for a job, my intention was to stay and grow there. Circumstances usually led me to recognize a job (or the company culture) would not be a fit for the long haul. And I never said to a potential employer in my application or during an interview, “Hey, I want this manager position here, so I can ultimately be a manager over there.” Do what you will with this info, but just flagging for those who may want to review what they’ve sent out for positions. 

Alright! That’s all I got. I welcome additional suggestions to share here or on the interwebs. And feel free to let me know how your recruitment processes may differ for others to consider as well. Sending good energy to all, especially if you’re in the midst of a job search. 

Fave Reads of 2023 (#Bestof2023)

I got to read for pleasure again in 2023! What a concept, y’all. And I am hoping to do more pleasure reading in 2024. Since 2020, my reading has been impacted due to (a) pandemic, duh; (b) not traveling to an office job during the week, which is where I did most of my reading; and (c) job stuff—be it acquiring/editing full-time and/or teaching. And one cannot forget the release of my own book at the end of last summer as well as judging for the PEN Awards from the end of 2022 to the beginning of 2023. All said, I decided to keep my reading goals on the low side. For me that meant 40 books. I ended up reading 44, maybe 45 or more if you count the books I didn’t quite finish but made a good dent in by the end of the calendar year. Yet again, one of my biggest regrets reading-wise is that I didn’t get to read as much poetry as I would have liked. I did binge a few graphic novels the last two months. I love me some graphic novels; they’re a great way to learn more about pacing and storyboarding for one’s own work. As I often say, you can learn from every genre

Now, do I have stacks upon stacks of books all around me in my home office? Absolutely! Will I be buying even more books in 2024 on top of the stacks piling up that need homes on shelves? You’re damn right, I will, because: solidarity and this is my brand, after all. 

If you’ve read some or all or most of these books, I’d love to hear your thoughts (and recs)! Below are my fave reads of 2023, in no particular order:

• If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie (2023) - This is such a sweet campus love story between two gals who aren’t always the best communicators when it comes to relationships, especially since they’re both new to them. Momo and PG have their meet-cute a couple times before descending into a deep friendship that’s more than that. If You’ll Have Me has laughs and a lot of tender moments, especially with how Eunnie illustrates the main characters’ past heartbreaks leading to their present actions. 

• Mexikid by Pedro Martín (2023) - I was laughing SO much when I read Mexikid on my way back from NCTE this year and gobbled it up as soon as I landed. Martín creates such a layered story of a family trip encompassing a learning experience for the characters, namely about one another, as well as how a big family shows love in different ways while coming to understand more about their heritage. If you follow Martín’s IG account (mexikidstories) you’ll see that he has mini comics about his childhood as well, so this graphic novel is a great culmination of what readers have been introduced to online. 

• Blackbirds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert (2021) - Colbert’s award-winning nonfiction account of the Tulsa Massacre is a great book, not only for young readers but those of us at every age. Colbert doesn’t spare the details and provides a wealth of facts around how white supremacy led to the slaughter of hundreds of Black people and a Black town. Building the story from a lot of pieces that constitute the whole to the glaring omission of this massacre from not only local but national discussions, makes this an essential read. Particularly with what we’re seeing in our news media and globally now, Blackbirds can help articulate to younger readers current discussions of occupation, colonization, and persecution, in addition to the bias in media that can skew stories with even a headline.

• Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (2020) - Not only was, am, I on a graphic novel kick, I’m also digging the rom-coms! I was in Chicago this summer and a wonderful bookseller at Unabridged Bookstore suggested Alexis Hall to me when I mentioned I was eager for a book that was along the lines of Casey McQuiston’s work. Boyfriend Material didn’t disappoint! Now the premise may seem a little Hallmark (no shade) though the execution is completely hilarious and sweet. Luc is dealing with straight up homophobia at his job along with his former “bad boy persona” due to a jerkwad ex who sold bits of their story to the tabloids—something that continues to haunt Luc. (His dad is a famous rock musician, by the way.) So he enlists a handsome guy he hates, and thinks dislikes him, named Oliver who is the creme de la creme of partners. What ensues is shenanigans! And there’s a follow-up to this one so you can figure out how it ends, but the journey is one you wanna be on the ride for.

• I’m From by Gary R. Gray Jr. & Oge Mora (2023) - You’re gonna see a few picture books on this list and Gary R. Gray Jr & Oge Mora’s collaboration, I’m From, is one of the most endearing and celebratory (picture) books I had the chance to read recently. I’m From gives testament and love to the small things like getting a nice shape up to the food and community that makes us who we are. It’s Black joy personified! Pick this one up if you haven’t and listen to Gary’s podcast, It’s Personal. As a fellow podcaster I have a lot of admiration for anyone who has a job, creates, and provides space for creators to talk about work.

• We the Animals by Justin Torres (2011) - Alright, it took me a while to read this one solely because it was in one of those TBR stacks! Newly minted National Book Award winner, Justin Torres’ debut is a taut and teachable (I love using it for workshops) book with such strength in it’s depth and conciseness. Each chapter feels like a complete scene and a full-fledged moment building to the next, and the shift in POV is also something to learn from. To master such a story of a young man, let alone a family, in less than 200 pages??? Sir! (slow clap) It will not take me a decade to read Torres’ latest Blackouts. The experimental style he brings to his current book is a model for authors to see there are no bounds to our stories. 

• Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (2020) - Back on the rom-com train! I’d been hearing about Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters series and wanted to dig in. So I was delightfully enchanted with the sexual energy between Danika Brown and hunky former rugby player Zafir. Little does Dani know Zafir has had a thing for her for a while, and little does Zafir know, Dani has some commitment issues—due to, you guessed it, a jerkwad ex! Anywho, similar to Boyfriend Material the two act as a couple to help Zafir earn some visibility (and donations) for a charity he runs. And, as you can imagine, things get salacious when they let their true feelings float to the surface. A super funny and spicy read. 

• BIG by Vashti Harrison (2023) - I will be shouting from the rooftops how much I love Big! When I first heard about Harrison’s new picture book I thought it was about a young Black girl growing up. Well, it is and isn’t. This is about how a young Black girl’s body can start to be policed and at such a young age based on problematic societal expectations. Big is sparse in words, so this may be great for reading time and an opportunity to explore with younger readers the impact of each page/spread. On IG, Vashti explains a bit about her methodology & intention especially with the use of colors like “husky gray.” As I noted with Torres, sparseness can be impactful in so many ways. A book like Big is one you have to take in each page slowly to see how every aspect builds the whole, which is what you should do with any illustrated work, and yet in this one it feels even more potent. Ten-ten recommend! 

• Tangled Up in Mayhem by Merrill Wyatt (2023) - I got an early read of this one and I thought it was so fun! (See a theme this year?) This is a middle grade mystery series where two besties, Sloane and Amelia, are trying to up their YouTube docuseries game. (They have an account where they record the cases they solve.) They get hired by one of their foes’—yes even tweens have foes—parents to try and find a valuable artifact in an amusement park. Of course trouble ensues when the girls find out there’s more than meets the eye with this job. Tie in some grandma’s with klepto tendencies, their foes unexpected arrival at the park, some creepy figure bumping around in the night, and you have a quirky series with twists, turns, and characters’ building deeper family connections. 

• Dyke (geology) by Sabrina Imbler (2021) - I was introduced to Imbler’s work because they’re one of this year’s recipients of the National Book Award Science & Literature prize. And Dyke has that lovely and brilliant duality of merging the personal with the geological and environmental–much like Imbler’s current book, How Far the Light Reaches, that you can also hear me gush about on the Literary Arts podcast, The Archive Project (TAP)! In some ways, Dyke reminds me of Mean by Myriam Gurba with the direct correlations, research, and confrontation of feelings and societal “norms” and others expectations as we build on our own. Imbler’s voice deftly weaves so much into a chapbook that you can read it over and over again, absorbing the potency of each line. I behoove you to pick this one and How Far the Light Reaches up.  

• The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (2020) - The hype is real with this one. Good Indians was one of those books I heard about nonstop in 2020, especially since it won so many awards. When I had a chance to read it for a Center for Fiction reading group, I made sure to add it to the list. And it did not disappoint. Character and voice are some of my biggest go-tos and this novel had it all with A LOT of creepy stuff in-between. A haunting impacts four friends who reside on or have left their reservation. One-by-one they’re impacted in ways you wouldn’t expect. By the end of Jones’ novel you’re wondering who will be left standing and what this means for the legacy these characters were trying to carry on in the first place. I’d love to write more, but I want you to come into it cold just like I did so you can experience it all first-hand. So please go read and then come talk to me about it! 

• Shutter by Ramona Emerson (2022) - Longlisted for the National Book Award and a finalist for a PEN Award, Emerson’s Shutter is another title I was completely absorbed by and am teaching whenever I get the chance. One of my favorite parts of Emerson’s novel is how she builds parallel storylines until they meet, reflecting the past (in the types of doodads she uses to take photos) to the present mystery of a woman who was killed but won’t leave forensic photographer Rita Todacheene alone. As in, Rita is not getting any peace thanks to her ability to communicate with the non-living, so factor that in for years with her gift and you have a lot of stuff going on. Much is at stake for Rita from her sanity & health to her job to potential corruption within the ranks of her police department. This is not only a top-notch thriller, it’s a nuanced exploration of how much follows us when we refuse to face the truth.  

• The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi and Loveis Wise (2021) - Yay picture books! Zoboi and Wise collaborated on this immersive and vivid picture book on Black history as well as how the tenets of Kwanzaa have always been crucial parts of Black culture. From the Kingdom of Dahomey to the impact of the Voting Rights Act to the election of Barack Obama and ongoing protests for Black lives, The People Remember is a testament to thriving, fighting, and loving ourselves and our community. 

And of course this list wouldn’t be complete without some additional book recommendations of some wonderful titles! So make sure to check out: 

John Manuel Arias’ Where There Was Fire, Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender Is the Flesh, Huda Fahmy’s Huda F Cares?, Scaachi Koul’s One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, Glenis Redmond’s The Listening Skin, Ari Tison’s Saints of the Household, and The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela.

Fave Reads of 2018 (#Bestof2018)

Well, this has been in my queue for a good year so I guess no better time then the present. I had said the only reliable post I do for my blog is an annual reading one and apparently that’s a big ole lie. Or at least it was the year an anthology I edited was published (which is quite good if I say so myself). Anywho, here you have it! Of the 60 books I read in 2018 there was a lot of fiction and nonfiction and, sadly, not as much poetry. So once again I made a vow for the upcoming year to read more poetry (spoiler: I do read more!).

Here they are in no particular order. You may have read many of these already, and I’ll note that not all were published in 2018 (a couple pubbed in 2019 and I had access thanks to ARCs).

Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi (2019) - This was my first foray into Oyeyemi’s writing and may I say it is wonderful! Her writing! Her characters! Her/Their wit! Just so freaking good. I found myself laughing out loud and staying up late (since I wasn’t able to sleep in Marrakech). When I got a chance to speak to her about this book I found Oyeyemi to be increasingly personable and kind. So yeah I’ll be reading ALL her books. She has another one on the horizon in a couple years.

Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob (2019) - One of the best books of 2019 (you’ll see the lists) and it’s completely warranted. Whenever I discuss this book with anyone they are hands down enamored with the execution and also relating to the tangible ways Jacobs conveys a lot of emotions that conflict and also combine to make us human and, hopefully, more aware. Such an essential work and I hope it continues to get as many accolades as it deserves. I was so glad to speak to her about this book pre-pub. Also give it as gifts this holiday season! Lord knows it’ll help or at least serve as an entrypoint for some tough conversations.

Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018) - I was gifted a copy and the opportunity to hear Obama speak at Barclay’s end of 2018 so I’ll just say I was smitten! Ghostwriter or not this sounds like Michelle Obama from the first to the last page. Her experience and the weight of it, the way she and Barack Obama first met, her trajectory as wife, mother, and soon First Lady. Wow. We get to see her as her and it’s a gift to do so.

Can We All Be Feminists? edited by June Eric-Udorie (2018) - I ended up loving this collection and the thought/care Eric-Udorie put behind it as an editor. She and I also spoke about editing an anthology and doing one around feminism in a time when it feels like the interwebs constantly discusses feminism in ways that are helpful (and hurtful) is a huge task. It is not easy at all. And Eric-Udorie adds a lot of elements of dissection, privilege, and awareness throughout of what we need to be thinking of when it comes to intersectional feminism, not solely feminism. Highly recommend this one to all.

Forget It by Anastascia-Renée  (2017) - Poetry! I had the pleasure of meeting Anastascia-Renée during a tour stop in Seattle where she hosted and I got her book which is WOW. Incisive and so damn insightful when it comes to the growth of self beyond relationships as well as in the midst of a break up. This is the book I recommend to those going through a hard time or having gone through it to feel that kinship. That’s what the best books do.

Saga Volumes 8 & 9 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (2017 & 2018) - All I have to say is GODDAMN it how could it end like this and then go on hiatus??? HOW DARE THEY! That is all…for now.

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life: Essays by Samantha Irby (2017) - I’m mad I waited to read this one. It was a splurge by at my local indie since I had heard so much and really wanted some humor in my life. I usually don’t love humor books but I loved this one! Funny and not saccharine sweet. Irby gets real to the point her and her feline get into it even as it says it’s goodbye. Irby has more to come in 2020 so buckle up y’all.

Junk by Tommy Pico (2018) - Hearing Pico read this in-person is its own experience. One I highly recommend. Reading it yourself, with Pico’s voice ringing in your head, is also beneficial to absorb how relationships, sense of self, and junk it’s most tangible form are part of our lives always. His trilogy ended this year with FEED (so I am gonna make a plan to read/re-read these all in one to get the full effect).

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon (2018) - Laymon’s most personal book to date is mostly in 2nd person and it works to really get you in there. The heaviness of Heavy exudes the many facets of what we carry with us and how over time. It’s hard to sum a book up like this beyond saying it’s crucial reading and something you don’t forget. You cannot, and hopefully in the analysis and remembrance we grow as people to learn more about those around us and ourselves. Kiese and I also had a heavy (no pun intended) convo about this book and writing “truth.”

The Reckonings by Lacy M. Johnson (2018) - The titular essay is what got me seeking this book out. I heard Johnson read it at a conference and I immediately knew I had to read this all. Privilege, justice, feminism are all thematic elements but Reckonings is so much more than the idea of themes, it’s about what’s affecting people and how. We can all relate to the material and there are hard things to hear within these essays, it’s all essential and it’s all candid and beautifully written. I cannot recommend this book enough. You can read me gush a bit about it in an interview with Lacy last year.

She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore (2018) - I got the chance to read Moore’s book twice for conversations last fall and it’s even better on the re-read! The ways Moore ties in an intraracial story with speculative elements, slavery, and the how privilege (there’s that word again) comes into play in and out of cultures is expansive and really detailed. The stories come together in ways that are not predictable and you want to continue this journey with everyone far beyond the ending.

Love War Stories by Ivelisse Rodriguez (2018) - Viva la short story! A finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Prize earlier this year I am a huge fan of Rodriguez’s debut collection. I mean wowza, the range in voices, perspectives, and scope. Love War Stories really does have love as the thruline in all it’s iterations from the beauty of it to the pain and fear that comes with it. I heartily recommend this collection to all. One of the best of 2018.

Maid by Stephanie Land (2019) - Land’s memoir would become a NYT best seller at the very beginning of 2019 and deservedly so. It’s a close-up view to poverty that not a lot of people know about. Myself included in these days. The ways that the system really screws you and how poverty is defined by state/federal levels. People are struggling even when employed, so let’s look more at our systems and less at the people just trying to make it day by day.

Black No More by George S. Schuyler (reissued 2018) - Bring on the satire! I had not read Schuyler before and actually assigned this book as part of a Harlem Renaissance reading group I lead this fall because it' deserves to be read/discussed! It goes there in a way that definitely has a definitive mission and, at the same time, has a lot to say about race relations and the ways in which Black people navigate the world of privilege and the ways in which power and hierarchy are always present even when we’re “on the same playing field.”

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2014) - I’m late to reading this Pulitzer Prize winner but the writing itself is so intricate and so spare. Some chapters are as short as one page and not a detail as lost! I do not know a lot about WWII beyond the perfunctory teachings from school. But this world that he provides and the people encapsulated within a true tragedy bridges something really necessary in seeing/feeling details and recognizing how much was lost.

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai (2015) - I teach this book as much as I can because the voice is tremendous! So funny! So sweet! So snarky! I love it! A trip to Vietnam brings about a lot of family discoveries, not necessarily secrets but an appreciation for history and culture that the protagonist learns being a privileged American and not knowing enough about their heritage and how much it means to her gram who is on a journey for some answers post-war.

You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino (2018) - You may notice a trend in me admiring these books around privilege but that doesn’t mean they’re heavily “message-y”. Gino’s Jilly P! is fun, sweet, and humorous as well as serious when it counts. Jilly has a lot to learn, as does her family. With a new baby on the way who is hearing impaired Gino wants to look at race and ableism and ally-ship for middle graders. This is just the book that doesn’t talk down to them because it’s constantly engaging them.

Tradition by Brendan Kiely (2018) - So happy to read the latest from Kiely which looks at privilege in a boarding school from a place of patriarchy and financial status among other things. I love how Kiely approaches privilege from two perspectives and how he doesn’t dismiss those who helped people learn along the way. This is a story that doesn’t sugarcoat how the world works, sadly. So expect some real honesty here, and that’s something young people need.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (2018) - The Poet X pretty much won every award there was to win in 2018 to 2019 (including the first POC to win a Carnegie Medal for Children’s Lit). Acevedo’s debut really stems from the personal connection and the lyrical style (it’s a novel-in-verse) and because poetry is her home base as a slam poet it certainly carries the strength and power within each poem to have us totally engrossed in Xiomara’s life and wants and struggles as a teen. It feels urgent because it is.

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky: Stories by Lesley Nneka Arimah (2017) - Wow. Stunning. Arimah’s debut collection, as she mentioned at a writer’s conference, is actually very feminist and reading it with that broadened awareness helped me see the limitations I, and others, may put on the scope of work that is conscious socially and politically. There are speculative elements to some stories and much of it is contemporary. From hair babies to family discord this is a collection I consistently recommend to folks and one I want to emulate in it’s poignancy.

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde (reissued 2007) - Got to read this for a convo with the great Min Jin Lee and what a collection! I needed this book as an undergraduate and wish I had read it several times over in my 20s to my 30s. But now is as good a time as any to get into some Audre Lorde. Re-read her as often as you can!

Don’t Touch My Hair! by Sharee Miller (2018) - This was such a fun picture book and I’m so glad I got an advance readers copy. The journey is really well rendered for young people and my co-worker’s, now 5 year old son, loves this book! It helps teach kids about boundaries and I love Miller’s approach to doing so as a little girl wants people to stop touching her hair.

Other titles I very much enjoyed in 2018 include: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée  Watson, Pride by Ibi Zoboi, A Lucky Man by Jamel Brinkley, and For Every One by Jason Reynolds.

Spoken Black Girl Mag's #BlackVoices in Publishing Panel

Yesterday evening I had the pleasure to be part of the first Spoken Black Girl magazine Black Voices in Publishing Panel at Civic Hall. We had a great time and it was livestreamed on Facebook (see the Source link below)! I have come to learn that I use many many hand gestures when I speak. Never have to worry about that on my podcast, so we learned something.

Anywho, thanks to all involved especially Tamika for doing the AV, Rowana for organizing, Driadonna and Raquel for being brilliant and all who attended. Hope to see more of these to come to encourage PoCs in publishing!

Time to Get Realistic (My #2018Goals)

We're midway into January, folks, which means some of us are still making a go of our "New Year/New Rules" and others have already dispensed of those lofty goals. 

I used to make annual goals in a thick spiral notebook. At the end of every year I'd look at said goals to see I accomplished a very small amount or simply forgot an abundance of what I had planned for myself. That's when I tried to minimize my aims on a quarterly basis. That also didn't work because for one, things happen. New opportunities, different places to focus my energy, and of course the unexpected be it my health or other things outside of my control.

I've always kept in mind Tayari Jones' post about realistic goal setting years ago on her blog. This post in opposition to or maybe a complement of #NaNoWriMo. What Tayari proposed was not setting ourselves up to fail. What are the most realistic intentions you can set for yourself without breaking the bank and looking back as though you're a failure? 

Much of the time I ignore my own health in the interest of getting things done (usually for other people). So far every year I have lessened and/or made firm demands on my time. I've quit volunteer positions that soaked up too much time & energy. I've flat out told people I will be paid for my time, especially if it means taking time off of work or leaving the city of New York. Even if I could use the money I have said no to jobs that I know would be emotionally taxing. And I can tell you I don't regret quitting unpaid jobs or saying no to instances when I'm not compensated/respected. 

Things aren't going to get easier in life. Yeah, I'm less stressed in ways than I was during my divorce though other stressors arose and expectations from other areas have come financially as well as time-wise. As me and many others have learned: No one is going to swoop up and save you. So it's time for us to save ourselves.

For one month, starting on MLK day, January 15th. I'm setting daily goals for myself that are attainable as long as I keep myself accountable and focus my attention & efforts. It means parsing out what is important and limiting what isn't. I'm partly writing it here for accountability. I came up with this several days ago, but realized if I attempted to do a one-day turnaround I was again setting myself up to fail. I took a few days to consider what I wanted and when I would start and to commit to this for 1 month before making this a new life change situation. 

Here goes:

• Write for 1 hour a day (minimum)
• Meditate for 10 minutes a day (minimum)
• Do some form of exercise/movement (duration can vary)
• Write at least 1 reason to be grateful in journal friend gave me
• Always remember to breathe
• Do not get on social media first thing in the morning
• No social media on weekends
• Read a poem every day

Wish us all luck in meeting our goals. I'll post again on February 16th to note how I did and where I may have flubbed. No stress and no excuses.