In-Person Event: Leah Johnson, Black Girl Power

Date and Time for this Past Event

• Tuesday, Nov 12, 2024  7pm - 8pm

Location

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Details

East City Bookshop welcomes Leah Johnson to celebrate the release of Black Girl Power, a powerful middle grade short story collection, in conversation with fellow contributors Dhonielle Clayton and Roseanne A. Brown

ABOUT BLACK GIRL POWER

A vibrant, heartwarming collection of 15 middle grade stories and poems that celebrates the joy, strength, and experience of Black girlhood, including stories from Ibi Zoboi, Sharon M. Draper, and Leah Johnson, as well as cover art from Caldecott winner Vashti Harrison.

Black girl power is…

Bringing your favorite stuffed animal to your first real sleepover. . .
Escaping an eerie dollhouse that’s got you trapped inside. . .
Making new friends one magical baked good at a time. . .
Finding the courage to dance to the beat of your own drum. . .

And more! From 15 legendary Black women authors comes a dazzling collection of stories and poems about the power we find in the everyday and the beauty of Black girlhood.

Contributors include: Amerie, Kalynn Bayron, Roseanne A. Brown, Elise Bryant, Dhonielle Clayton, Natasha Diaz, Sharon M. Draper, Sharon Flake, Leah Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Janae Marks, Tolá Okogwu, Karen Strong, Renée Watson, and Ibi Zoboi

LEAH JOHNSON is an eternal midwesterner and author of award-winning books for children and young adults. Her bestselling debut YA novel, You Should See Me in a Crown, was a Stonewall Honor Book and the inaugural Reese's Book Club YA pick. In 2021, TIME named You Should See Me in a Crown one of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time. Her debut middle grade, Ellie Engle Saves Herself, was published by Disney-Hyperion in May 2023. When she’s not writing, you can find her at Loudmouth Books, her Indianapolis-based independent bookstore that specializes in highlighting the work of marginalized authors and uplifting banned or challenged books.

DHONIELLE CLAYTON is a New York Times bestselling author of The Conjureverse series, The Belles series, Shattered Midnight, co-author of Blackout, Whiteout, The Rumor Game, and of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, a Netflix original series. She hails from the Washington, D.C. suburbs on the Maryland side. She taught secondary school for several years, and is a former elementary and middle school librarian. She is COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books. She is the President and founder of Cake Creative and Electric Postcard Entertainment, IP story companies creating diverse books for all ages where she’s concepted and sold over 55 books, including the Tristan Strong series, Promise Boys, Love Radio, the Love Sugar Magic series, and more. She’s an avid traveler, and always on the hunt for magic and mischief.

ROSEANNE A. BROWN is an immigrant from the West African nation of Ghana and a graduate of the University of Maryland, where she completed the Jimenez-Porter Writers' House program. Her debut novel A Song of Wraiths and Ruin was an instant New York Times Bestseller, an Indie Bestseller, and received six starred reviews. The first book in her middle grade series, Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting, came out Fall 2022 with Rick Riordan Presents. She has worked with Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney among other publishers. You can visit her online at roseanneabrown.com or on Instagram and Threads at @rosiesrambles.