Want to Create LGBTQIA+ Picture Books? Learn from Luminaries in the Field!

Ever wanted to write or illustrate a children’s book with LGBTQIA+ characters or themes? Created one before, but want to improve your skills? I know some—perhaps many—of my readers can answer “yes”! Learn from two of the most prominent authors in the genre, Rob Sanders and Lesléa Newman, along with rising writer and entrepreneur medina, at an upcoming workshop hosted by the Highlights Foundation.

Writing the Rainbow: Crafting Picture Books with LGBTQIA+ Themes, will be held October 27 to 30, 2019, at the scenic Highlights Foundation campus in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. The workshop is open to all writers and illustrators of all levels. The Foundation tells us that attendees will:

• Understand the needs of the diverse LGBTQIA+ community
• Discover the importance of mirrors and windows in children’s books
• Analyze current and historical picture books with LGBTQIA+ themes and topics
• Identify topics that need to be addressed in LGBTQIA+ themed picture books
• Explore tools of storytelling for both fiction and nonfiction picture books
• Examine how to turn story ideas into books that children will love
• Learn tools for revision
• Hear from an editor about the submission process and LGBTQIA+ needs in the market
• Receive critique on a full picture book manuscript

The faculty are:

• Lesléa Newman, best known as the author of the classic Heather Has Two Mommies, but also the author of 70 books for readers of all ages, including the middle-grade novel Hachiko Waits, the teen novel-in-verse, October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard, and the picture books Sparkle Boy, Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story, and Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed;
• Rob Sanders, an author and elementary school teacher whose books include Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag, Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights, and most recently, Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution, as well as numerous other award-winning books;
• medina, who identifies as “a nonbinary queer transracial Honduran adoptee with Cerebral Palsy” and whose work has appeared in: Into, The Establishment, Them, Bustle, and Catapult. They are also the founder and editor-in-chief of inQluded, an indie literary magazine and platform for/by people who are queer, trans, intersex, Black, Indigenous, and persons of color.

The campus you’ll be at is the former home of the founders of Highlights for Children, publishers of the popular children’s magazines. The magazine created the foundation over 35 years ago in order to help support and mentor creators of children’s literature. Highlights (the publisher) has gradually expanded the LGBTQ inclusion in its publications; this year, they tweeted out a happy Pride message and linked to a post about books that celebrate a variety of family types and identities, including LGBTQ ones. They also recently issued a strong statement against the U.S. government’s practice of separating immigrant children from their families. I’m delighted to see the Foundation also supporting the creation of even more LGBTQIA+ children’s stories.

The cost of the workshop is $1,099, which may seem like a lot—but it’s all-inclusive, which means they provide transportation to and from the airport, lodging, and all meals. Add that to the expert teaching you’ll receive, and that feels like a fair price. That may still, however, be beyond the means of some who wish to attend, so Sanders and Newman have launched a fundraiser in order to provide full or partial scholarships for one or more participants. “The more money we raise, the more voices we can empower,” Sanders writes. “Please give what you can. Any amount will help and every penny will go to the Highlights Foundation to use for scholarships for this event. When I say any amount, I mean any amount–$5.00, $10.00, $50.00, or more.”

Whether you attend the workshop or not, I hope you’ll go read this conversation between Newman and Sanders for some of their thoughts on their own work and LGBTQIA+ representation in children’s literature more generally. If you do attend, please leave a comment to share your experience with others here (and send me a review copy of anything you publish as a result)!

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