Independent Publishing and Decolonizing

Hello Friends and Family!

I was invited by Professor Melissa Moreno of the Woodland Community College to discuss Sawaga River Press' publishing journey through a decolonizing framework.

This was a very welcomed change of pace for me as I usually present at events geared towards younger children, not adults, and I don't get to delve into issues like the lack of diversity and equity in children's literature and the overall push for more inclusion. Even more rarely do I get to talk about independent publishing and how it advances the decolonization efforts that many of us are pushing for on all fronts.

I also got to share with the class the books of the other awesome independent publishers in the Bay Area with whom I network. [We're still working on our group name :) ] We're definitely growing in numbers and gathering strength.

Books by local authors: Laurin Mayeno, Innosanto Nagara, Maya Gonzalez, Laura Atkins, Stan Yogi, Janine Macbeth, Melissa Reyes

It was also great to hear from some of the college students, some of whom already have plans to create their own children's books. An hour was definitely not enough.

Thank you, Prof. Moreno! I hope to be back in your classroom again, hopefully with more books to share. 

Until the next post!