Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans’ Call for Submissions: Cultural Children’s Books

 

Abridged from Little Laos on the Prairie:

Opportunity The Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, in collaboration with the Minnesota Humanities Center, is seeking submissions from writers and illustrators of children’s literature for the Reading Together Project. This project will publish and disseminate culturally relevant books to educators, teachers, students, parents, and community members in 2013.

The Reading Together Project seeks to:

• address the lack of children’s books that speak to the experience of being an Asian Pacific Islander (API) child or youth in the Unities States;
• support the development of English literacy skills while recognizing cultural heritage;
• create opportunities for children and families to learn about API cultural heritage together; and
• disseminate resources targeted towards closing the achievement gap for API students by offering culturally relevant and grade appropriate resources.

The organizers note:
"Asian Pacific Islander Americans do not conform to one particular group or identity. Rather, we are a convergence of many ethnic and affinity groups working together to accomplish shared goals and objectives. The project does not try to create a single Asian Pacific Islander “voice”. "

Submission Deadline February 28, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.

I don't think many Lao Minnesotans are in a position to make a submission this year, but I hope they'll get their stuff ready in the possibility that it might be available next year. However, with the new changes coming at the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, this will remain to be seen if it is a program that will be continued.