I know I haven’t blogged in ages, but I have a good reason to come back. I’ve been writing for children, and my agent sold Honeysmoke, my debut picture book about a little girl who discovers her color, to Imprint/Macmillan Children’s. Geneva Benton will illustrate, and publication is scheduled for Fall 2018. I am beyond […]

It’s not every day that you hear a 3-year-old deliver his version of Martin Luther King’s speech. If he can do this at 3, there’s no telling what the future holds for this child. Enjoy.

I’m shocked — simply shocked that children of prominent Republicans are marrying people of color. The nerve. In May, Lindsay Boehner, daughter of House Speaker John Boehner, married Dominic Lakhan. The groom was born in Jamaica and sported dreadlocks at the ceremony. A few days ago, Jack McCain, son of Sen. John McCain, married Renee Swift. I […]

So cute on so many levels. I haven’t seen it on television but look forward to it.

When we sent Simone and Nadia to school last August, we were so proud we had a second-grader and a kindergartener. Our girls were excited to meet new teachers and friends. Simone walked through the doors with confidence, and Nadia barged in right behind her. All was well with the world. Then the torrent that […]

Parents are apparently raising a nation of wimps. The mental state of students is now so precarious for so many that, says Steven Hyman, provost of Harvard University and former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, “it is interfering with the core mission of the university.” I’m trying my best not to raise […]

It’s been quiet in these parts because I’ve been working on my picture books. Yes, there are two, and I’ve been trying to get one of them polished and shiny enough to send to an agent, who requested some revisions. There aren’t many second chances when it comes to literary agents. That means I better […]

  “If you guys ever decided you’re going to get a tattoo, then Mommy and me will get the exact same tattoo in the same place. And we’ll go on YouTube and show it off as a family tattoo.” President Obama, addressing what he will do if his daughters get a tattoo, on NBC’s Today […]

It’s been a rough week. There has simply been too much bad news — Boston, ricin, fertilizer explosion — and not enough good. I really need a sweet puppy video or something else to make me smile or laugh. All is well in our home, but there is danger and fear and hate just outside our […]

  What’s a code switch? Well, I do it when I talk to older black folks. They are my elders, and I get all sing-songy when I talk to someone who deserves my respect. I often don’t know these people well, but I treat them a lot like I would treat my grandparents. I didn’t […]