Huge thank you to Kaiya Little from @TexasMonthly for sharing this lovely write-up on Heartdrum! 🪶❤️ To read the full feature + interview with Heartdrum's curator @CynLeitichSmith, follow the link below (🔗 also shared in our bio!) 📰 bit.ly/TMHeartdrumFea…
“[@CynLeitichSmith] isn’t just using her own voice: she’s also the curator of Heartdrum, a HarperCollins Publishers imprint that features Native authors and their works centered around Indigenous characters for young audiences.” — @TexasMonthly
“According to statistics from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, less than 2 percent of children’s books are about Indigenous characters. In Smith’s experience, that representation gap continued into author spaces.” — @TexasMonthly (📷 Image from CIRCLE OF LOVE by @ltldrum)
“Smith and Ellen Oh, CEO of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books, began to discuss the logistics of creating an Indigenous imprint (a subbrand housed within a publishing company) to fill the void in children’s publishing.” — @TexasMonthly
“...Since its debut, Heartdrum has more than doubled its initial publishing goal of four books a year as the imprint has steadily grown in readership.” — @TexasMonthly
“Heartdrum, named after the pounding drum sounds at powwows and the thrumming heartfelt connection between intertribal Native communities, currently features a range of stories that showcase both urban and reservation life.” — @TexasMonthly
“As part of their core values, Heartdrum and WNDB believe children’s books are a key aspect of the conversation about representation and visibility for Indigenous and non-Indigenous readers.” — @TexasMonthly (📷 Image from ANCESTOR APPROVED ed. by @CynLeitichSmith)
Thank you to our Heartdrum publishing partners at @HarperChildrens and to all of our wonderful Heartdrum authors and illustrators—past, present, and future!—for their incredible work in helping to share Native stories and voices 📚💕 📰 bit.ly/TMHeartdrumFea…