LATINX IN PUBLISHING (LxP) ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD CHAIR TONI KIRKPATRICK

LATINX IN PUBLISHING (LxP) ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD CHAIR TONI KIRKPATRICK

NEW YORK - November 25, 2024 - Today Latinx in Publishing announced that board secretary Toni Kirkpatrick has been appointed as the new Board Chair of Latinx in Publishing following Saraciea J. Fennell’s departure. Kirkpatrick has been part of the organization for several years and has served as board secretary since 2022. 

Saraciea J. Fennell has served as board chair since 2020 and has been part of the organization since its inception in 2014 holding various positions including publicity and communications director. “I am thrilled to have been part of Latinx in Publishing for the past decade. It’s been my absolute pleasure to serve my community and help oversee key initiatives of the organization like the creation of our internship program, the communications committee, and the Writers Mentorship Program among others. I’m excited to pass the torch to Toni Kirkpatrick who has been a wonderful supporter of the organization over the years and has served as Board Secretary for the last couple of years. She will lead the organization to new heights,” Fennell stated about departing the organization and Kirkpatrick’s appointment to Board Chair. 

“I am humbled and honored to succeed Saraciea J. Fennell as Board Chair of LxP,” stated Toni Kirkpatrick. “Saraciea’s contributions to the organization are immeasurable. We are indebted to her, for her leadership and her vision, and we continue the work grateful for the guidance and inspiration she has given us. I am extremely fortunate to be working with an amazing board that is dedicated to uplifting Latinx writers and publishing professionals. As a nonprofit, we will continue to seek funding for our wonderful programs, and we’ve many exciting ideas for growth. I invite anyone interested to reach out and help us build even more connections across our community. I know we can make even more progress working together.”

ABOUT LATINX IN PUBLISHING INC 

Latinx in Publishing (LxP) is a nonprofit network of book professionals committed to supporting and increasing the number of Latinx in the publishing industry, as well as promoting literature by, for, and about Latinx people. Our community includes professionals from all facets of publishing at various career stages. Members benefit from this community through shared resources, support, and mentorship. In addition to networking, Latinx in Publishing also hosts professional development events in NYC and online. We are committed to doing outreach and building partnerships with organizations and publishers that seek to promote diversity. For more information please visit www.latinxinpublishing.com.

ABOUT TONI KIRKPATRICK

Toni Kirkpatrick was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles, the eldest daughter of a Mexican immigrant mother and white father. She is a Senior Editor at Diversion Books, where she acquires thrillers,  sci-fi/fantasy, and cross-genre novels. Previously she was at Crooked Lane Books and St. Martin’s Press. Toni writes under the name Toni Margarita Plummer and is the author of the story collection The Bolero of Andi Rowe, a winner of Somos En Escrito’s Best Raza Short Story of the Year and Extra Fiction Contests, and a contributor to the anthologies Indomitable/Indomables: A Multigenre Chicanx/Latinx Women's Anthology,  A Night of Screams: Latino Horror Stories, and East of East: The Making of Greater El Monte. A Macondo Fellow and graduate of the Master of Professional Writing Program at USC, her short fiction has been published in Aster(ix), Somos en Escrito, The Acentos Review, LatineLit, and Latino Book Review. Toni joined the LxP Board as Secretary in 2022. A longtime supporter of LxP, she led a fiction workshop and served as a mentor in the inaugural Writers Mentorship Program. She lives in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York.  

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SARAH MARIE JETTE SELECTED AS 2022 LATINX IN PUBLISHING WORK-IN-PROGRESS FELLOW SPONSORED BY MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS

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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ROSE HEREDIA SELECTED AS 2022 EDITORIAL PUBLISHING FELLOW SPONSORED BY MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

ROSE HEREDIA SELECTED AS EDITORIAL PUBLISHING FELLOW SPONSORED BY MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS  

NEW YORK, NY [July 13, 2022] -- Latinx in Publishing Inc. (LxP) has selected Afro-Dominican editor and writer Rose Heredia as the 2022 Editorial Publishing Fellow, sponsored by Macmillan Publishers. Heredia will be paired with St. Martin’s Press Senior Editor, Anna deVries to remotely shadow the editorial process for a 10-month period from June 2022 until April 2023. 

We received over 340 applications, judges for this year’s Publishing Fellowship cycle included: Norma Perez-Hernandez, Assistant Editor, Kensington Publishing and Pilar Garcia-Brown, Senior Editor, Dutton, Penguin Random House.

“I'm so grateful to Latinx in Publishing for having provided me with the opportunity to work with an established editor; it’s truly a dream come true. I’m very excited to dig into manuscripts, provide feedback and learn about the business side of publishing in real time. Lastly, I hope to take this invaluable experience and pay it forward to future editors, in whatever capacity I can,” said Rose Heredia.

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 Latine 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 Rose Heredia

Rose Heredia is Afro-Dominican born and bred from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, where she helps lawyers save the Earth. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of San Francisco and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Writing. She is a VONA and Las Dos Brujas alumna. She is a Culture writer and editor for Epifania Magazine, Assistant Non-fiction Editor for VIDA Review and has been published by the Dominican Writers Association and HeadFake. Rose is currently working on an upcoming Dominican anthology with Dominican Writers Association. She has recently moved back to her neighborhood after a decade living in California. You can follow Rose on Twitter and Instagram: @bkwriter4life.

About Anna deVries

Anna deVries is a Senior Editor at St. Martin’s Press, publishing both fiction and nonfiction, with a particular interest in narratives about overlooked stories and experiences from outside the mainstream, cultural history and memoir, narrative science, and literary essays.  Some of her books include The Address Book by Deirdre Mask; We Gon’ Be Alright by Jeff Chang; One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul; O Beautiful by Jung Yun; Mill Town by Kerri Arsenault, and the forthcoming Newsroom Confidential by Margaret Sullivan. Before SMP, she worked at Picador and Scribner. A native New Yorker, she lives in Brooklyn with her daughter.

About Latinx in Publishing

Latinx in Publishing Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and a network of book publishing professionals committed to supporting and increasing the number of Latino/a/x in the publishing industry, as well as promoting literature by, for, and about Latino/a/x 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. Latinx in Publishing members 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 Books. 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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CLAUDIA DELFINA CARDONA SELECTED AS INAUGURAL LXP PUBLISHING FELLOW SPONSORED BY MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS

NEW YORK, NY [August 31, 2021] -- Latinx in Publishing Inc. (LxP) has selected San Antonio born and raised Tejana poet Claudia Delfina Cardona as the 2021 Inaugural Publishing Fellow. Sponsored by Macmillan Publishers, Delfina Cardona will be paired with Flatiron Books Senior Editor, Caroline Bleeke to remotely shadow the editorial process for a 10-month period.  The fellowship kicks off this September and runs until June 2022. 

We received nearly 300 applications and  our team of judges Yaddyra Peralta, Esther Cajahuaringa and Elizabeth Mendez Berry have selected Claudia Delfina Cardona. In the words of one of our judges, "Claudia's application stood out for its clear expression of mission, the entrepreneurial spirit it embodied, and the way she has built resources and institutions not simply for herself, but for the entire community."

“I have worked in DIY publishing since I was in college...I strongly believe that editorial work is political work. As a Latine editor, I want to make sure marginalized writers have their voice heard and that their vision is still clear after the edits are made,” mentioned Claudia Delfina Cardona. 

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 earlier this year. As part of the Fellowships, LxP will  provide regular check-ins with program participants, and networking opportunities for the fellows, and offer a stipend to all participants. 

For more details about these programs, including eligibility requirements and any other criteria, please visit www.LatinxinPublishing.com/programs.

About Claudia Delfina Cardona 

Claudia Delfina Cardona (she/they) is a poet from San Antonio, Texas. She received her B.A. in English Communication Arts from St. Mary's University and her MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University. Alongside Laura Valdez, Cardona co-created Chifladazine, an online and print zine for and by creative Latinas across the U.S. and beyond. Chifladazine was featured in Remezcla, Vice, and archived at University of Texas at San Antonio and Austin. During her time at Texas State University, Cardona was the Editorial Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Southwest. She assisted with the editorial production of Texas Books in Review and Southwestern American Literature. Additionally, she was on the inaugural Sandra Cisneros Symposium committee. In 2019, Cardona, Juania Sueños, and Anthony Bradley founded Infrarrealista Review, a literary journal and press for Texan writers. Cardona is also the author of What Remains, winner of the 2020 Host Publications Chapbook Prize.

About Caroline Bleeke 

Caroline Bleeke (she/her), Senior Editor, publishes literary and upmarket fiction at Flatiron Books, with an emphasis on underrepresented voices, historical fiction, clever retellings, family sagas, coming-of-age stories, innovative structure and style, writing with a strong sense of place, and heart. Her authors include Angie Cruz, Saraciea J. Fennell, Nina LaCour, Charlotte McConaghy, Margarita Montimore, Melinda Moustakis, Neel Patel, Bushra Rehman, Jenny Tinghui Zhang, and many others. She began her career at Alfred A. Knopf, and holds a Master’s degree in Eighteenth-Century and Romantic Literature.

About Latinx in Publishing

Latinx in Publishing Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and a network of book publishing professionals committed to supporting and increasing the number of Latino/a/x in the publishing industry, as well as promoting literature by, for, and about Latino/a/x 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. Latinx in Publishing members 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, St. Martin’s Publishing Group, and Tor Books. 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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LATINX IN PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES PUBLISHING FELLOWSHIP & WORK-IN-PROGRESS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS SET TO LAUNCH IN SPRING 2021

NEW YORK, NY (February 10, 2021) -- Today, Latinx in Publishing Inc. (LxP) announced their Publishing Fellowship and  Work-in-Progress Fellowship programs designed to help support and create opportunities for aspiring Latinx publishing professionals and writers.

Macmillan Publishers has signed on to be the inaugural sponsor of the programs. In this two-year commitment, Macmillan will sponsor one Publishing Fellow, who for the inaugural year will be an aspiring editor, and one Work-in-Progress Fellow, who will be a Latinx writer with an unpublished work in progress."

The Publishing Fellowship will allow an aspiring Latinx editor (living in the U.S. or Puerto Rico) to remotely shadow an acquiring editor at Macmillan for a 10-month period. The Work-in-Progress Fellowship will support one Latinx writer with a manuscript in the Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and/or Young Adult categories by pairing them with an editor to help develop their manuscript over a 10-month period. 

“We are proud to partner with Latinx in Publishing as they work to expand the Latinx community within the publishing world,” said Don Weisberg, CEO of Macmillan. “This is an exciting opportunity to foster and elevate existing talent, and I am eager to see the positive ripple effects —from these aspiring contributors and our own editorial teams, to our entire company and industry—to come from this collaboration.”

“We are thrilled to kick off 2021 with our Publishing and Work-in-Progress Fellowship Programs for aspiring Latinx professionals and writers,” said Nancy Mercado, Special Events Director and Board Member of Latinx in Publishing. “With Macmillan’s two-year pledge, we will be able to further our mission and expand our reach in the industry by creating access  for our community. We hope that this initiative will continue to grow in the years to come and that other publishers will become sponsors as well.” 

As part of the Fellowships, LxP will  provide regular check-ins with program participants, and networking opportunities. Macmillan will be given the first opportunity to read finished manuscripts for publication consideration. Both programs will begin accepting applications this Spring, and will offer a stipend to all participants.

For more details on the application and these programs, including eligibility requirements and any other criteria, please visit www.LatinxinPublishing.com/programs.

About Latinx in Publishing

Latinx in Publishing Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and a network of book publishing professionals committed to supporting and increasing the number of Latino/a/x in the publishing industry, as well as promoting literature by, for, and about Latino/a/x 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. Latinx in Publishing members 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 Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Picador, St. Martin’s Publishing Group, and Tor Books. 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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