Writing With a Broken Tusk
Writing With a Broken Tusk began in 2006 as a blog about overlapping geographies, personal and real-world, and writing books for children. The blog name refers to the mythical pact made between the poet Vyaasa and the Hindu elephant headed god Ganesha who was his scribe during the composition of the Mahabharata. It also refers to my second published book, edited by the generous and brilliant Diantha Thorpe of Linnet Books/The Shoe String Press, published in 1996, acquired and republished by August House and still miraculously in print.
Since March, writer and former student Jen Breach has helped me manage guest posts and Process Talk pieces on this blog. They have lined up and conducted author/illustrator interviews and invited and coordinated guest posts. That support has helped me get through weeks when I’ve been in edit-copyedit-proofing mode, and it’s also introduced me to writers and books I might not have found otherwise. Our overlapping interests have led to posts for which I might not have had the time or attention-span. It’s the beauty of shared circles—Venn diagrams, anyone?
Process Talk with Jen: Archaa Shrivastav on Families
[Posted by Jen Breach for Writing with a Broken Tusk]
The Stonewall-Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award and Honors are “given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience”. When We Are Little Feminists: Families won the award in 2021–the first and to date only board book winner or honoree–the committee wrote:
“Beautiful photos of real-life families showcase all the wonderful forms of family, while poetic text builds both vocabulary and family connection. Families helps families and educators celebrate gender and ethnicity at home and in the classroom. Understanding queer identities and representation can be this simple.”