Congratulations to African Canadian author Afua Cooper whose 2009 MG novel, My Name is Phillis Wheatley, has just won the 2012 Beacon of Freedom Award!
The Beacon of Freedom Award is presented annually to a book that introduces American history, from Colonial times through the Civil War, to children in a historically-accurate and engaging manner.
WRL is proud to welcome Afua Cooper, the 2012 recipient of the Beacon of Freedom Award. Ms. Cooper will accept the award at Friday, October 12 at 7 p.m. in the Williamsburg Library Theatre. A book sale and signing will follow.
I just taught June Jordan’s essay on Phillis Wheatley yesterday, and am proud to see an African Canadian author winning recognition for her work. Jordan’s essay considers the lasting power of white authentication, calling it a “miracle” that black authors manage to get their work published when so many literary conventions work against us…
So I booked my flat in London for Christmas but I’m once again thinking of visiting Germany. Nyla grew up on a US military base in Germany and I really need to go over there to do some research. It helps that my novels have been selling well in Germany; Ship of Souls was Amazon.de’s Daily Deal yesterday and now that the deal is over, the book is *still* in the Top 100 on the Kindle Store (peaking at #14)! Wish also got a 5-star review, which I’m hoping to translate this morning…Danke, German readers, for giving my work a chance! (ETA I *just* got a query email from an agent in Germany!)
