I'm Anne Vally, on the left. I'm a maker, knitter, and artist. Kathy Clark, a fellow knitter and children's librarian is on the right. We are passionate about books, making things by hand, and anti-racism.
The Little Skein book club is about creating community among diverse makers and expanding how we understand, empathize with, and create more justice and equity for Black, Indigenous and People of Color and all others who are marginalized by the dominant, white-centered culture — which may be ourselves, our friends, our communities.*
LET'S READ KIDS' BOOKS TOGETHER
Kathy and I are particular enthusiasts of children’s literature, a genre that contains some of the most beautiful, moving, and elegantly told stories. In this book club, we read diverse books written in #ownvoices for middle grades and young adults.
Why kids' books? Because there are so many good ones being published! There is a powerful movement to publish diverse books within the children’s literature field and, as a result, there are so many new, creative, and compelling books by authors of color at the middle grade and young adult reading levels.
Why diverse books? We believe that reading diverse books is important not just for children and teens of color, but for everyone. Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop explains in her seminal article,Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors, children's literature can "help us understand each other better by helping to change our attitudes towards difference ... (books) act as both mirrors and windows for all our children." Dr. Bishop makes a powerful case for why white people need to read diverse books, too: "People from dominant social groups ... need books that will help them understand the multicultural nature of the world they live in, and their place as a member of just one group, as well as their connections to all other humans.”
LET'S GET INSPIRED TOGETHER
We believe that reading diverse books is a critical way to become more informed and brave about race and racial justice. This is precisely what we hope to inspire in you, as we read diverse books together.
Monthly dues are $10. We also have a pay what you can tier ($1+), and a yarn tier where you receive a coordinating skein of yarn created by a dyer of color ($45).
*You'll notice that I am white and Kathy is a woman of color. Because this club provides foundational work for anti-racism, my role is administration only. Kathy provides our club's intellectual leadership. You can read more about revenue-sharing, transparency, our guiding values in our public posts on Patreon.
