Mission

I dedicate my life to creativity, inclusion, literacy, compassion, respect, and sustainability. I value transparency, privacy, integrity, humility, honesty, and normalizing making mistakes and learning from failures. I advocate for inclusive, equitable access, education, literacy, libraries, and arts for everyone. I support and affirm underestimated and marginalized folx, and center diversity, inclusion, and equity in the arts.

I also support and affirm creators’ intellectual property rights and their right to have these respected by all, and to have their work attributed to them and to be compensated for it.

My intention is to furnish fruitful collaborations with all contributors to the creative and publishing process in order to produce the best work for readers of all ages. To write, tell, and share compassionate, challenging, curious stories and to help other people do the same; to support artists, their careers, and their communities by helping elevate their voices; and to advocate for libraries. Please see Editorial Services for more about my editing.

Writing is Work

Writing is legitimate, long, hard, intensive, artistic, discouraging, beautiful, courageous work. Writing is valuable, necessary, and all too often underpaid; expected to be creatively, professionally, and financially unsustainable; taken for granted; and dismissed. This is true for all art, across all genres, forms, and media.

Ethic of Care

Everyone experiences times when they need help. I pledge to include Resources for folx in need in all my publications.

How I Support Underestimated Folx

I read, borrow from libraries, buy, recommend, give, and donate books and other art by diverse creators; I research, write, and edit with an inclusive lens; and I continually seek and engage with learning and professional development opportunities.

The Profound Positive Impact of Diverse Art

Working in libraries, I see readers’ excitement when books and other resources center, resonate with, and validate their identities, communities, histories, futures, education, interests, and entertainment.

I also experience this uplifting effect when books and other art help me contemplate aspects of myself I haven’t otherwise explored or affirmed, and with books by and about authors, creators, and characters whose lives and experiences differ from my own. My Our world grows, deepens, enriches when we have opportunities to empathize, learn together, and respectfully challenge our assumptions and the systems in which we live.

“Love Our Libraries” is a Creed

I support librarians, libraries, and their patrons.

Libraries are safe spaces for all folx and democracy, and librarians are their stewards. The crux of this stewardship is building relevant, accurate, inclusive, diverse, equitable collections, programs, resources, and services, without restraint* or interference. *I won’t equate budgetary limitations to restraint, though this factor affects many librarians’ and libraries’ collection development.

I agree with and endorse the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights; Freedom to Read; Freedom to View; and Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors statements.

I support children’s and adults’ rights to access and engage with (or not, based on their individual choices) inclusive, diverse, equitable books and other materials, programs, resources, and services.

I support informed, respectful critical engagement with art, literary and otherwise. I don’t support bans or other forms of censorship, which infringe upon the rights of everyone.

Gratitude

I believe in gratitude, too.

Thank you for reading this and for being here. Thank you for your patience and respectful conduct.