Hello, Story Sunbirds!
We hope you’re having a restful summer. In today’s newsletter, we’re sharing information about the upcoming Sunbirds Hour, our first Virtual Summit, and highlighting author Autumn Allen.
Join us on Saturday, October 4th, 2025, for our inaugural Story Sunbirds Virtual Summit, which will double as a fundraiser for Palestinian mutual aid groups in Gaza. We will convene and grow around making books for children and our shared values during a full day of panels and spaces for community connection. More details about the Summit forthcoming. We hope you can join us!
During the last few Sunbird Hours, we advocated for the ‘Libraries are Havens’ fundraiser in May, discussed the current direction of children’s media in June, and took much needed time to vent our frustrations with the state of the world in July.
Our next Hour is on August 21. In that meeting, we’ll be leading a creative writing session. We’ll start with prompts, then share more details about our upcoming Summit and how you can get involved. For now, you can register to stay in the loop.
As a heads up for September’s Hour on the 18th, we’ll be hosting a book club! You can get started in advance by purchasing, checking out, or borrowing from your local library: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad.
There are quite a few of us so we’re meeting Sunbirds each newsletter!
Next up, we have a Q+A with Autumn Allen, a young adult and children's author (and picture book editor) from Massachusetts.
I was a homeschooling mom with a master's degree in education, and I had a difficult time finding children's books that were culturally relevant and affirming for my Black Muslim family. The "classics" that were recommended on homeschool sites did as much damage to my children's self-concept as any unwelcoming school environment might have done. When I found out that Simmons University had a graduate program in children's literature, I immediately knew I wanted to apply. I studied children's literature and writing for children, and graduated in 2018 with a bunch of messy manuscripts for picture books and YA novels that I then spent years revising (and sending out too early) before I succeeded with submissions to editors and agents!
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO, my YA debut in 2023, centers two young Black men on historically white campuses trying to connect with national movements for Black liberation. Kevin, a student at Columbia in 1968, joins a student protest after Dr. King's assassination that shuts down campus for a week. Gibran, a senior at a Massachusetts prep school in 1995, protests when his school denies his proposal to honor the Million Man March with other Black students.
In my forthcoming YA novel (summer 2026) YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, Zakiyyah, a Black Muslim teen and animal-loving spoken word poet, records her 2012-2013 Get Free Plan and journey, which starts with leaving high school, takes a turn as she decides to look for a husband, and may or may not become a love story.
STEP ON BOARD: SCULPTING A MEMORIAL TO HARRIET TUBMAN (Knopf, 2026), illustrated by Ekua Holmes, tells the story of the making of Boston's first monument to a woman, which was built by my mother, the late sculptor Fern Cunningham-Terry.
ANSWERED PRAYERS (Knopf 2027), illustrated by Charly Palmer, is an ode to Muslims of African descent in the Americas.
In my day job, I'm an editor of picture books and board books at Barefoot Books, a small, independent publisher in Concord, Massachusetts. Some books I've been honored to work on include:
AYO'S ADVENTURE: ACROSS THE AFRICAN DIASPORA FROM AFRO TO ZULU
EVERY BODY MOVE, a singalong celebrating disabled kids and the tools that help them access their world
I can't overstate the importance of building your supportive writing community. Be a good literary citizen, look for and stay in touch with like-minded (or complimentary, or inspiring) writers and creative people. Celebrate each other. Comfort each other. You need to know where to go for encouragement and advice on this long journey. Books help, but people are priceless.
It feels like a dangerous time to be writing, speaking up, and putting ourselves out there, but that means our stories and words are more necessary than ever. Our words are our tools in the fight to protect every living being from the destructive forces of greed and oppression. Write! Create! Resist! We are here!
She loves camping, boating, biking, and hiking.
Autumn used to be a Girl Scout troop leader, and has taken many girls and families on camping trips and other outdoor adventures!
She believes that connecting with nature is both a necessary act and a human right.
She is a volunteer on the Story Sunbirds’ education committee!
Thanks for joining us, Autumn!
Looking to be the next Sunbird we can meet? Have a nomination of a friend in mind? Please email us or message on Instagram.
Do you want to win a prize or get published? Take a look at these upcoming opportunities and on-going resources.
The Associates of the Boston Public Library have opened an Illustrated Children's Book Fellowship, available to U.S. citizens or green card holders living in New England! Submit before August 15, 2025.
Gaza Creative Allies is looking for poetry, visual art and articles for their next edition of Gaza Verse.
On August 18th, the ‘We The People’ Summer Fundraiser will take place, benefiting #KidLit4Ceasefire families who are in dire need of help, with a portion going to immigrant and trans rights collectives. You could win critiques, signed books, or mentorships!
The People of Color in Publishing Mentorship Program is a volunteer-based initiative that aims to create mentorship relationships between entry-level and experienced-level POC industry professionals. They are accepting applications for the 2026 Mentorship program until September 15, 2025.
Not interested in these? Galleyway and Creative Capital have lists of opportunities for artists updated every month.
See you next time! Feel free to let us know your thoughts or questions on anything in this newsletter.
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