I don't know if non-SCBWI members can access the SCBWI Bulletin (their publication). But hopefully you can through this link.

I was happy to read an article focusing on diversity (or the lack of diversity) in terms of who is writing children's books and getting published in the US, but also SCBWI's intention to increase their efforts to attract more diversity in terms of their members. In the article, Suzanne Morgan Williams sites the CCBC annual statistics showing how many books have been published by, and about, people of color. According to the CCBC, 95% of books published in the United States in 2010 were written by white authors, while 91% were about white main characters. The SCBWI article compares this to census figures that show that almost 40% of people in the US are from ethnic minority backgrounds - so there is a clear mis-match. American president of SCBWI, Stephen Mooser, is quoted as saying, "SCBWI is dedicated to being an important advocate not just for diversity in books for children but of diversity in those who aspire to write for young audiences.”

Suzanne Morgan Williams states that she has been carrying out interviews with colleagues from diverse backgrounds to get their input on this issue. She writes,

So far, the responses are as different as the people answering them. But there are some common themes. 1) They were avid readers as children. 2) They want to write what they want, without being restricted by their race or ethnicity, although many choose to write about their own backgrounds. 3) They have concerns about the publishers needing to make profits to stay in business, and yet they see this as limiting the viability of books that aren’t about white kids. 4) Some feel that when books about nonwhites are published, they may not get the exposure that other books do.

These answers resonate with much of what was said at a recent round-table discussion I ran (along with Pop Up and the Runnymede Trust) with a group of diverse published authors and artists in the UK. I will be further working through what was said at this gathering, as well as interviews I've carried out with authors in the US, the UK, and Canada - in preparing for my presentation at the Race and Publishing Conference to take place in Aix-en-Provence, France at the end of March.

But back to the SCBWI Bulletin. At the end, the author asks members to email their thoughts on the following questions: "Do you have ideas about what else the SCBWI could do? Do you have thoughts on diversity in publishing? About multicultural writing and illustrating?"

I hope members will contribute, from the US and beyond. Here's the letter I just emailed:

Dear Stephen,

I was very happy to see Suzanna Morgan Williams' article about diversity in