Year: 2017
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New Intellectual Freedom Bloggers For 2017
The Intellectual Freedom Blog has a new lineup of contributors for 2017. Founded in 2007, the blog has a history of top-notch, quality writers, and the Office for Intellectual Freedom …
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Utilizing Senstivity Readers: A Conversation with Becky Albertalli
Contributed by Becky Albertalli, Author
Tell us about your upcoming (and hotly anticipated!) novel.
My second novel, The Upside of Unrequited (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, April 2017), is a loose companion to my debut, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. It’s about a chubby, anxious, seventeen-year-old Jewish girl named Molly, who’s falling in love after a long line of unrequited crushes.
Although this is an Own Voices book, you worked with twelve sensitivity readers on the manuscript. Can you share a bit about that experience?
Upside is very much an Own Voices book (a term derived from a hashtag created by author Corinne Duyvis to denote when an author belongs to the same marginalized community/ies as their character). Like Molly, I’m Jewish and chubby/fat, and I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. So much of Molly’s story was inspired by my own teen experience.
That said, I took great care when fleshing out Molly and her diverse community, which includes many POC and lesbian/bi/queer/pan characters. Many writers have shared advice for writing thoughtful, well-researched characters from marginalized communities they don’t belong to (my favorite is this piece in Writer Magazine by Nic Stone, author of the forthcoming Dear Martin).
For me, one of the most rewarding parts of this process was my work with sensitivity readers. The term sensitivity reader refers to a hired reader who belongs to the same marginalized community as your character, who reads with an eye toward critiquing the representation of that marginalized group. The author or the publisher pays the reader for their expertise, though it’s not uncommon for two authors to reciprocate sensitivity or beta reads instead of exchanging money. Authors and sensitivity readers often connect via word of mouth, but there are also resources for finding readers (for example, author Justina Ireland’s Writing in the Margins database).
For Upside, I had the opportunity to work with multiple sensitivity readers who belong to the same communities as my marginalized secondary characters. I also sought out a few second opinions on fat representation, Jewish issues, and anxiety, even though I was writing from personal experience on these three points. These readers gave me both broad and specific feedback, which I consolidated and addressed in revisions.
I found that it was particularly valuable, when feasible, to hear from more than one member of any given community. Sometimes these readers would catch the same issue. For example, two readers gave me a similar note about a factual error I’d made with respect to historically black colleges and universities. In that case, I was able to make a quick, straightforward change.
However, my readers often highlighted different moments in the text, and sometimes would even disagree on certain points. This is completely normal, and should be expected – every community includes a range of perspectives. Typically, I was able to find solutions to address the issues, even when they initially appeared contradictory. For example, one reader noted that a particular character’s ease connecting with romantic partners felt unrealistic in the context of my story. Another reader appreciated the romantic arc and felt it accurately reflected their own experiences. Ultimately, I was able to flesh out this character’s environment in a way that made her romance feel more organic.
Overall, the marginalized characters in my book felt richer and more complex after I addressed the notes from my sensitivity readers. I’m incredibly grateful for their feedback, and I encourage anyone writing outside their lane to seek similar input.
Becky Albertalli is the author of the acclaimed Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, winner of the William C. Morris Award and longlisted for the National Book Award. She is currently at work on her third novel.
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Three Debuts on the Indie Bestseller List
The following books made the list: Children’s Illustrated Moana (Little Golden Book) by Andrea Posner-Sanchez, illustrated by Griselda Sastrawinata-Lemay (Random House Disney) Early & Middle Grade Readers Hidden Figures (Young Readers’ Edition) …
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Barnes & Noble Launches Seventh Annual “My Favorite Teacher Contest”
NEW YORK, NY — Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the nation’s largest retail bookseller and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced the start …
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National Ambassador Gene Luen Yang on Honing His Craft
Yang found success through his own determination and through the support of his peers, including fellow graphic novelist Derek Kirk Kim and other Bay Area artists that came together to form a …
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The Children’s Book Council Partners with Educators to Present the Best STEM Books
The First Children’s STEM Book List New York, NY – January 18, 2017 – The Children’s Book Council (CBC) has announced the first-ever educator-vetted Best STEM Books list, a joint …
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New Workshop: Creating Inclusive Storytimes For All Children
CHICAGO, IL — ALA Editions announces an exciting new workshop, Creating Inclusive Storytimes for ALL Children with Carol Morrone. This workshop will last 90 minutes and take place at 2:30pm Eastern/1:30 …
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The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Announces the Spark Award Winners
The SPARK award recognizes excellence in an independently-published children’s book in the previous calendar year. The SCBWI is proud to announce the winners of the 2017 Spark Award, an annual …
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Debut on the NYT Children’s Best Sellers Lists
Middle Grade Hardcover: Dog Man Unleashed by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic)
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Celebrate Multicultural Children’s Books on January 27
4th Annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day Kicks-off With Free Diversity Book Giveaways on Twitter @MCChildsBookDay with #readyourworld January 12, 2017 — The brainchild of two wonderfully diverse women, bloggers and …
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Library of Congress Launches New Software to Simplify Download of Braille and Audio Reading Material
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), part of the Library of Congress, today released BARD Express, a Windows-based software program that will aid in the …
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ALA Nepal Library Relief Fund Donates $2,500 to a Community Library in the Himalayas
CHICAGO, IL — The American Library Association (ALA) has donated $2,500 from its Nepal Library Relief Fund to the READ Global (Rural Education and Development) Center in Tukche village in …
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First Book and the Guru Krupa Foundation Provided More Than 20,000 Books to Kids in Need in 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. — First Book, the nonprofit social enterprise, distributed 21,338 books and educational resources to kids in need this year in collaboration with the Guru Krupa Foundation, a private foundation that …
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Applications Sought For 2017 Coretta Scott King Book Donation Grants
CHICAGO, IL — Underfunded libraries, schools and non-traditional organizations that provide educational services to children are invited to apply to receive one of three Coretta Scott King Book Donation Grants. …
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Three Debuts on the Indie Bestsellers List
The following books made the list: Children’s Illustrated A Greyhound, a Groundhog by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Chris Appelhans (Schwartz & Wade) Early & Middle Grade Readers Word of Mouse by James Patterson, …
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Disney and ABC Invite Families to Read Together During Fifth Annual “Magic of Storytelling” Campaign and Second Annual Disney Reads Day
GLENDALE, CA — Today, Disney and ABC announced it will donate up to one million books to First Book, a nonprofit that provides new books to educators and organizations serving children …
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CBC Announces Winners of Publishing Staff Scholarships for ABA Institutes
New York, NY – Tuesday, January 10, 2017 – Natalia Remis, an assistant editor at Scholastic, is the 2017 CBC Diversity Scholarship Winner and will be attending the Winter Institute …
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Thousands to View ALA Youth Media Awards Results Live
CHICAGO, IL — The American Library Association (ALA) will reveal the next classics in children’s and young adult literature and media during its Youth Media Awards at 8 a.m. ET, Jan. 23, …
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Solebury School Takes on the Reading Without Walls Challenge
Leading the way, Solebury’s head of school has pledged to read a book that students feel will expand his reading horizons. Here he is reading their selection: Harry Potter and the …
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Scholastic to Publish Updated Edition of J.K. Rowling’s ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ By Newt Scamander
NEW YORK, NY — Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, will publish an updated edition of the bestselling and collectible companion book to the …
