SARAH MARIE JETTE SELECTED AS 2022 LATINX IN PUBLISHING WORK-IN-PROGRESS FELLOW SPONSORED BY MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK, NY [September 12, 2022] -- Latinx in Publishing Inc. (LxP) in collaboration with Macmillan Publishers, has selected Mexican American writer Sarah Marie Jette as the 2022 Work-in-Progress Fellow. Jette will be paired with Jess Harold, Editor at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, over the next ten months from September 2022 to June 2023 to work on the fellow’s middle-grade work-in-progress manuscript for future publication.
Our finalist judge Shelley Vale, Reviews editor at School Library Journal, anonymously selected Jette’s story, ESTRELLA ZALDIVAR’S GUIDE TO EXCELLENCE, and noted the following of the manuscript: “effortless worldbuilding; a well-realized protagonist, and a magnetic voice made Estrella Zaldivar's Guide to Excellence stand out among the amazing submissions. The precise plotting will keep readers engaged while really saying something without sounding didactic. Truly excellent.”
About being selected, Sarah Marie said, “As a Mexican American woman, my identity is a huge part of my writing. I write for the girl I once was, the girl who didn’t see herself reflected in her classroom library. I am grateful that Latinx in Publishing created this fellowship for Latinx authors to grow. Jess Harold is an incredible editor and has worked with some of my favorite authors. With this fellowship, I will take advantage of every opportunity to push myself and my craft to create a book where diverse readers, like my students, can see themselves represented.”
In 2021, Macmillan Publishers signed on to be the inaugural sponsor of the Publishing Fellowship and Work-in-Progress Fellowship programs designed to help support and create opportunities for aspiring Latinx publishing professionals and writers. As part of the Fellowships, program participants will undergo regular check-ins with an LxP team member, receive a stipend, and the fellow will have opportunities to network with publishing professionals.
For more details about these programs, including eligibility requirements and any other criteria, please visit www.LatinxinPublishing.com/programs.
About Sarah Marie Jette
Sarah Marie Jette (she/her) is Mexican American and grew up in Lewiston, Maine, in a house filled with books. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, she served in the Peace Corps in Mongolia, studied rehabilitation counseling, and now has the best job in the world: teaching third graders. Jette was honored as a semifinalist in the 2022 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year
recognition. Her book, What the Wind Can Tell You (Islandport Press, 2018) was on the 2019 Massachusetts Book Awards Must Read List, received the 2018 Lupine Honor Award from the Maine Library Association, and was on the 2018 New England Children’s Booksellers Advisory Council’s Windows and Mirror’s List. Jette lives in Massachusetts. When she's not teaching or writing, she's crafting with her three children or snuggling with her cats.
About Jess Harold
Jess Harold (she/her) is an editor of children's books from picture books through YA, with a passion for stories that reflect the world for kids of all experiences. She's worked with some truly incredible authors including Angeline Boulley, Kacen Callender, and Joanna Ho. Jess began her career in marketing at Simon & Schuster Children's before moving to editorial at Scholastic. Now an Editor at Henry Holt BYR, she is eager to find more contemporary stories that center identity and its many intersections in the hopes of creating building blocks for a better world.
About Latinx in Publishing
Latinx in Publishing Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and a network of book publishing workers committed to supporting and increasing the number of Latine in the publishing industry, as well as promoting literature by, for, and about Latinx people. Members include professionals in all facets of publishing and at all career stages. Members benefit from this community through shared resources, support, and mentorship. Latinx in Publishing also hosts networking and author events in NYC and online. Board members and directors are available for outreach and participation in school career fairs and for partnership with organizations and publishers that seek to promote diversity. For more information visit www.latinxinpublishing.com and follow us on social @latinxpublishing.
About Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers is a global trade book publishing company with prominent imprints around the world. Macmillan publishes a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats. U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, the St. Martin’s Publishing Group, and Tor Publishing Group. In the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, Macmillan publishes under the Pan Macmillan name. The German company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur. Macmillan Publishers is a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large, family-owned media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.
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