Author Stacy Nyikos and Panel Discuss Cultural Diversity at the
Texas Library Association Conference
Tuesday, April 15 , 2008
An Author’s Perspective on Blending Asians, Latinos and
Others into Nonfiction and Fiction
Dallas, Texas —March 31, 2008—Award winning author, Stacy Nyikos will be part of the Cultural Diversity Committee’s Panel offering insights into multiculturalism in children’s literature. Panelists include authors Gabriele Goldstone, Lila Guzman, Beverly Patt, and Linda Joy Singleton. The cultural diversity presentation will be from 2:00-3:50pm at the Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas. The panel will talk about how and why they chose to write about Latinos, Asians, African Americans, Germans and Russians. They will also discuss innovative ways for educators and librarians to use cultural diversity in today’s curriculum.
Stacy Nyikos’ new young adult novel, Dragon Wishes, releases Fall 2008. “Writing this book has been an adventurous journey across time, culture and emotion. I am looking forward to discussing the colorful multicultural threads within Dragon Wishes that make it an unforgettable tapestry of adventure and discovery for any reader,” said Stacy A. Nyikos.
A graduate of the University of Virginia, author, Stacy A. Nyikos, Ph.D., of Bixby, Oklahoma, is an award-winning writer and musician. Her books include picture books Squirt, Shelby, Dizzy, and her middle grade novel, Dragon Wishes which will release in September 2008. Stacy also offers presentations and workshops to students in grades K-8. She has presented at more than 50 schools throughout the United States. In addition, she has presented events at the World Aquarium in St. Louis, the Shedd, the Houston Zoo, the Tulsa Zoo, and the Oklahoma Aquarium. For more information, please visit her website at http://www.stacyanyikos.com.
ABOUT – Dragon Wishes
Dragon Wishes (ISBN 1-933831-11-1 ), Blooming Tree Press, September 2008. Eleven-year-old Alex is searching. So is Shin Wa. They both need to find a path out of the darkness that surrounds them. Shin Wa’s journey leads her to the Black mountains of the far north in China. There she discovers more than just the last surviving dragons. She finds a way to save mankind. It all lies in a single pearl of wisdom. The gem is also the key to Alex’s own journey. It travels through the ages and into the hands of the struggling young girl and her sister. But it is not until Alex discovers how to use the pearl that she finds her way out of the darkness and into a new life.
“Dragon Wishes is about pearls of wisdom, dragons, soccer, Chinese dumplings, migrating whales, ancestors, joining hands against adversity, reaching goals, fear, risk, desire, death and surprise. Mostly, it’s about leaving home only to realize that home is not a place but a circle of friends, in and strangers who are bound together by the light, silvery web which unites us all in giving and caring. You will laugh and you will cry. You will fall in love with Alex, Isa, Maddie, and their polyglot circle of family and friends.” – Belle Yang, Author of Hannah is My Name.
For more information, visit http://www.stacyanyikos.com or contact Michele Kophs, Event Coordinator, at 360.597.3432.
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