Kickstarter for 2016 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide
I have a story accepted for the 2016 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide, and the Kickstarter campaign went live today. First time I've been involved in a Kickstarter. There's pledges to sponsor a donated copy to a school library, which I think is a great goal. And I'll be in a ToC with Nany Kress! And a whole bunch of other cool writers. Anyway, info here:
2015 Young Explorer's Adventure Guide Kickstarter
It’s time for us to get ready for the 2016 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide! Once again, we have a great collection of stories and authors.
Nancy Kress
“The Aliens and Me”
Beth Cato
“Red Dust and Dancing Horses”
Cori Cunningham
“Cool Things That Happen On Venus”
Deborah Walker
“The Worms Won’t Feed Themselves, You Know”
Curtis C. Chen
“Laddie Come Home”
Elliotte Rusty Harold
“Blood Test”
Maggie Allen
“Lunar Camp”
Brad Hafford
“Clockwork Dancer”
Pam Wallace
“When Hope Dies for Esperanza”
Ralan Conley
“Child of Luna”
Eric Del Carlo
“Warboots”
Jessi Cole Jackson
“The Rum Cake Runner”
Anne E. Johnson
“Leafheart”
Michael Barretta
“The Beach”
Amy Griswold
“Walk, Run, Fly”
Angeline Woon
“Luckless Tin Elephant”
Brigid Collins
“The Sugimori Sisters and the Time Machine Conflict”
Wendy Lambert
“The Hope of Astraea”
“When I was a child, the school library had a Girls’ Section, which included fairy tales, and a Boys’ Section, which included all the science fiction. Things have changed, of course, but not enough. There is a strong need for science fiction, as opposed to fantasy, aimed at girls, especially in the middle grades. This anthology is an important contribution to the effort to fill that need, and I’m delighted to be a part of it.”
~ Nancy Kress, winner of six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award
There is no doubt that things have been getting better.
In the last year alone, huge strides have been made as parents and other concerned adults have spoken out against the unnecessary gendering of children’s books and toys, as well as the importance of representation and diversity in the media children consume.
Increasingly, people are realizing that these “rules” about boy things for boys, girl things for girls have no basis in reality, or even kids’ preferences, but in out-dated traditions.
Earlier this year we published the 2015 Young Explorer’s adventure guide - a collection of 24 science fiction stories aimed at middle grade readers with a focus on diversity and representation. Girls and boys of all skin tones are the heroes here. Our authors ranged from Hugo and Nebula winners to relative newcomers in the field.