Come find us! ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
MN BIPOC Kidlit Creators

August 2026

NEW BOOKS | EVENTS | APPEARANCES

COME FIND US!

Want to know more about our members or join the collective? Visit us online at www.mnbipockidlit.com

August 2026

BOOK NEWS

Mélina Mangal's latest book will be out on August 25th. Ants Work Together is Book 6 in the Outside Our Window board book series.  You can pre-order here and join cousins Kamali and Josiah on their latest nature adventures in the city!

Rosemond Sarpong Owens’ book Adinkra Wisdom From Our African Ancestors was a MIPA Finalist in the Humanities category. A well-deserved honor for this powerful book!

Gloria Muñoz’s cli-fi novel written in prose and verse was named a Hal Clement Notable Young Adult Book by the American Library Association’s Core Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction program. This is the Year also just landed an International Literacy Award for young adult fiction! Congrats, Gloria!

Revolutions Are Made of Love: The Story of James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs by members Sun Yung Shin and Mélina Mangal is on this year’s Bank Street Best Books list as one of the best children's books of the year!  Check it out here. 

Revolutions Are Made of Love was also featured on Minnesota Public Radio with Angela Davis as a recommended book for summer reading.  You can listen to the discussion here. 

INTERVIEWS

The season one finale of the Read Minnesota Books podcast featured an interview with Shannon Gibney! You can find out more and listen here.

WRITING RESOURCES

Sign up for Sun Yung Shin’s amazing newsletter here!

EVENTS

Join Mélina for a special Book Club experience for August sponsored by Read With Me MN!  You can find details here. 

On August 1st Sarah Warren’s nonprofit Picture Book Parade will host local kid lit authors at the Midtown Farmers Market including special guest Meenal Patel! Meenal will do a story time at 10am. The first 10 attendees will get a free signed copy of her new book Where Do Stories Live?

Join Derek Francis, Crown Shepherd, Sarah Warren, and Dr. Artika Tyner at the Rondo Block Party. In addition to all the festivities, you can enjoy story strolls and books for sale! Visit the event website for details.

Shannon Gibney, Derek Francis, Jocelyn McQuirter, and Sarah Warren will be at the Midwest Black Book Fair selling books and sharing story strolls! Find out more and get your tickets here.

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO

Shannon Gibney had the opening keynote at the University of Munster American Studies Conference at the end of May. Sharing excerpts from her YA novel/memoir The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be, she presented her thoughts on “the kinship of loss,” and how adoptees forge family connections.

She and her two kids then spent two and a half weeks on book tour at universities and high schools throughout Germany, discussing the craft of writing speculative memoir, 21st century African American literature, connections between the Minnesota resistance to the ICE invasion and the George Floyd uprisings, and more.

Sarah Warren, Sun Yung Shin, Karen Latchana Kenney, and new member Janet Nelson shared free books, meet and greets, a story stroll, and a story time at the Midtown Farmers Market.

Find Out More About Thuba Nguyễn!

Three things about…Thuba Nguyễn!

What inspired you to write your book? 

My inspiration comes from wanting to build literacy and confidence in young readers, with a special focus on representation. I wanted to celebrate the beautiful bond between a daughter and her dad that transcends where they call home. It was also important to me to support the social-emotional development of identity, self-confidence, and self-expression by providing positive affirmations that celebrate who children are and leave them feeling empowered.

What do you hope readers will take away from your book? 

I hope readers feel seen and empowered, and that they know their stories matter. All families are worthy of being celebrated, and I hope this book gives them the space to explore conversations about their own history—finding meaningful ways to uplift their loved ones.

What is the best writing advice you've ever received?

Just write. Let it all out. Don't worry about misspelled words or if it 'makes sense', just write until there is nothing left.

Check out Thuba’s work at https://www.mnchildrensbookauthor.com and find out about her run for Coon Rapids mayor at https://thubaforcoonrapids.com!

Check out our calendar to find us out in the wild. Want us to come to you? Members are available for school visits, book clubs, panels, conferences, and speaking engagments. Need funding to hire an artist to visit your school? Explore this website to access classroom grants.

Press this magic button to connect!

 Here we come! 
MN BIPOC Kidlit Creators

310 East 38th Street #206, Minneapolis, United States

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