Serendipity Literary Agency

06/24/2025

Happy Book Birthday to author, and Detroit Poet Laureate, jessica Care moore for her first picture book: YOUR CROWN SHINES: FOR KETANJI BROWN JACKSON AND YOU!

Illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award-winner Dare Coulter, this melodic anthem is a love letter to Justice Jackson and other Black women pioneers, and a celebration of the little girls they will inspire for generations to come.

Find it online or at a bookstore near you! You can use this link to order: https://bookshop.org/a/10902/9780063311398

YOUR CROWN SHINES is out from Amistad Books for Young Readers (Amistad / HarperKids Books)

06/23/2025

author Shirley Neal will be at the American Library Association Conference and Exhibition this Sunday, June 29th, to sign copies of her book, AFROCENTRIC STYLE: A CELEBRATION OF BLACKNESS & IDENTITY IN POP CULTURE!

Registration is required to attend the signing. You can visit this link for more information: https://2025.alaannual.org/registration/rates-and-registration

AFROCENTRIC STYLE is available now from Amistad.

06/20/2025

Message from CEO Regina Brooks: As a founding member, I’m proud to be supporting the Literary Auction for Change! I am offering a 30-minute Ask Me Anything session that is now available for bidding.

The auction ends on Monday, June 23rd. You can find the auction here: https://www.32auctions.com/LAFC

As a publishing professional, I'm committed to helping the ecosystem properly represent and support authors.

I'd appreciate it if you'd consider donating to LAoC's fundraising auction.

Silent auction 'Literary Auction for Change' hosted online at 32auctions.

06/19/2025

If you’re in New York City, you’re invited to celebrate Juneteenth and the launch of Legacy Lit Books' fiction list with the publication of THE GHOSTS OF GWENDOLYN MONTGOMERY at the Strand Book Store!

The event will include an in-person conversation with acclaimed author Clarence A. Haynes and Legacy Lit VP and Publisher Krishan Trotman, music and video from DJ/multimedia artist Leah King, and a Summer Reading Kit giveaway!

The event is ticketed, with general admission starting at $14. You can learn more here:

Join us for an in-person event with acclaimed author Clarence A. Haynes for a discussion of his new novel.

06/18/2025

YOUR CROWN SHINES: FOR KETANJI BROWN JACKSON AND YOU by author and Detroit Poet Laureate jessica Care moore and illustrator Dare Coulter recently received its first starred review from the School Library Journal!

You can read the full review here: https://www.slj.com/review/your-crown-shines-for-ketanji-brown-jackson-and-you-100002721

Synopsis:
Ketanji.
Unshook.
Unbothered.
Poised for position.

Based on the electric and historic appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, this poetic picture book from powerhouse jessica Care moore outlines the dreams of a young girl who wants to change the world one day. Regardless of the obstacles put into place, her crown shines brightly.

A love letter to the Black women pioneers of the past and to the next little girl who will one day be crowned, this melodic anthem, with luminous illustrations by award-winning illustrator Dare Coulter, is a celebration of one woman’s story that will inspire generations to come.

Perfect for Black History Month, Women’s History Month, baby shower gifts, birthdays, and more!

YOUR CROWN SHINES is releasing on June 24th, 2025, from Amistad Books for Young Readers (Amistad). You can preorder here: https://bookshop.org/a/10902/9780063311398

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06/17/2025

Congratulations to author Shirley Neal on being selected to receive the Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation for AFROCENTRIC STYLE: A CELEBRATION OF BLACKNESS & IDENTITY IN POP CULTURE by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association!

Recipients will receive their award recognitions during the American Library Association Conference and Exhibition on Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Philadelphia.

You can use this link to register: https://2025.alaannual.org/registration/rates-and-registration

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, an affiliate of the American Library Association, advocates for the development and promotion of library services for the nation's African American community and supports the recruitment of African American librarians.

AFROCENTRIC STYLE is available now from Amistad.

06/16/2025

Congratulations to author Sandra Jackson-Opoku on SAVVY SUMMERS AND THE SWEET POTATO CRIMES being selected by LibraryReads as one of their July 2025 picks!

You can read the full list here:
https://libraryreads.org/

Synopsis:
When Savvy Summers first opened Essie’s soul food café, she never expected her customer-favorite sweet potato pie to become the center of a murder investigation. But when Grandy Jaspers, the 75-year-old neighborhood womanizer, drops dead at table two, she suddenly has more to worry about than just maintaining Essie’s reputation for the finest soul food in the Chicagoland area.

Even as the police deem Grandy’s death an accident, Savvy quickly finds herself—and her beloved café—in the middle of an entire city’s worth of bad press. Desperate to clear her name and keep her business afloat, Savvy and her snooping assistant manager, Penny Lopés, take it upon themselves to find who really killed Grandy.

But with a slimy investor harassing her to sell her name and business, customers avoiding her sweet potato pie like the plague, and her police sergeant ex-husband suddenly back in the picture, will Savvy be able to clear the café’s name and solve Grandy’s murder before it all falls apart?

After all, while Savvy always said her sweet potato pie was to die for, she never meant literally.

SAVVY SUMMERS AND THE SWEET POTATO CRIMES releases on July 29th, 2025, from Minotaur Books. You can preorder here: https://bookshop.org/a/10902/9781250351906

06/13/2025

Denise Adusei, author and Executive Director of the Bronx Children's Museum, will be a guest author at the Woke Baby Book Fair as part of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library Centennial Festival to read and sign copies of CESARIA FEELS THE BEAT, as well as take pictures with attendees!

The Woke Baby Book Fair, presented by Mahogany L. Browne, is a family-friendly celebration of justice-oriented children's books and will feature children’s author readings, live music, art making, a tribute to Nina Simone, and more!

The event is free and open to the public. You can visit this link to learn more: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/schomburg-centennial-festival-tickets-1325637239669?_gl=1*17e43ay*_gcl_au*MTk5MjAxMzMxMi4xNzQ5ODAxODIw

CESARIA FEELS THE BEAT is available now from Roaring Brook Press (MacKids Books).

06/12/2025

If you're in the Brooklyn area, you're invited to join author/illustrator Patrick Dougher this Saturday, June 14th, at UPROSE for a special Juneteenth event!

Patrick will be doing a book signing and reading of his memoir, CONCRETE DREAMLAND, and will be joined by UPROSE Executive Director Elizabeth Yeampierre and up-and-coming artist Nyiesha Mallett for an intergenerational conversation.

The event is free to attend, but space is limited, and an RSVP is required. You can visit this link to reserve your seat now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-walk-through-the-concrete-dreamland-tickets-1389568319249?aff=ebdsshios

Founded in 1966, UPROSE is Brooklyn's oldest Latino-founded, Afro-diasporic, community-based organization that promotes sustainability and resiliency in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood through education, community organizing, indigenous and youth leadership development, and cultural/artistic expression.

CONCRETE DREAMLAND is available now from Little, Brown and Company.

06/11/2025

Join us as we welcome Dr. Maurya Dominica Cockrell to the team! Be sure to say hi and give her a follow on Instagram, X and LinkedIn!

06/10/2025

author and Diversability founder Tiffany Yu was a guest on Access for All: Integrating Accessibility!

Talking with host Andrea Jennings, Tiffany shares insights from her debut book, THE ANTI-ABLEIST MANIFESTO, about accessibility in professional and public spaces, how she got into the world of disability advocacy, and how she experienced internalized ableism and learned to accept her disabled identity, what disability culture means to her, and the importance of disability communities.

You can watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWNzeQkD_eU

THE ANTI-ABLEIST MANIFESTO is available now from Balance.

ID: An orange and blue square is inside a white graphic that reads "Serendipity author Tiffany Yu featured on Access for All” with the logo for Pasadena Media in the top section of the square. A screenshot of Tiffany and Andrea is in the center of the square, and a blue and orange Serendipity Literary Agency logo is in the bottom center of the white square.

06/09/2025

Congratulations to author and Detroit Poet Laureate jessica Care moore and illustrator Dare Coulter on receiving a wonderful review from Publishers Weekly for YOUR CROWN SHINES: FOR KETANJI BROWN JACKSON AND YOU!

You can read the full review here: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780063311398?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKdmO9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHigzy01AWhEDFBzHZC9zhuJaUUl28wxRXY12MxkOuoc5sHgfUbKVGFtRSyWT_aem_j6FqGOAzNX2aoIZxGNaFtQ

YOUR CROWN SHINES is releasing on June 24th, 2025, from Amistad Books for Young Readers (Amistad). You can preorder here: https://bookshop.org/a/10902/9780063311398