Kellye Garrett
@kellyekell - Twitter
https://www.facebook.com/kellyegarrettauthor/
Kellye Garrett is the author of the acclaimed Detective by Day lightweight mysteries. The first, Hollywood Homicide, won the Anthony, Agatha, Lefty, and IPPY for best first novel. The second, Hollywood Ending, was featured on the TODAY show’s Best Summer Reads of 2019 and was nominated for both Anthony and Lefty awards. Her next novel, Like A Sister, will be released by Mulholland Books in March 2022. Like A Sister, is a Megan Miranda-esque #ownvoices suspense novel in which no one bats an eye when a disgraced reality TV star is found dead in the Bronx—except her estranged half-sister, whose refusal to believe the official story leads her on an increasingly dangerous search for the truth. She serves on Sisters in Crime’s national board and is a co-founder of Crime Writers of Color. Learn more at KellyeGarrett.com.
Mia P. Manansala
https://www.miapmanansala.com/
Twitter - @mpmthewriter
https://www.facebook.com/MPMtheWriter
Mia P. Manansala (she/her) is a writer and certified book coach from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture. Her debut novel, ARSENIC AND ADOBO, came out May 4, 2021 with Berkley/Penguin Random House. Next up is HOMICIDE AND HALO-HALO (February 8, 2022)
A lover of all things geeky, Mia spends her days procrasti-baking, playing JRPGs and dating sims, reading cozy mysteries and diverse romance, and cuddling her dogs Gumiho, Max Power, and Bayley Banks (RIP) (bonus points if you get all the references).
Wanda M. Morris
https://wandamorriswrites.com/
@WandaMo14 - Twitter
As a corporate attorney, Wanda M. Morris has worked in the legal departments of some of America’s top Fortune 100 companies. She is an accomplished presenter and leader. Wanda previously served as President of the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, in which she established a signature female empowerment program known as the Women’s Initiative. She is an alumna of the Yale Writers Workshop and Robert McKee’s Story Seminar. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America and Crime Writers of Color. She is married, the mother of three, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia. All Her Little Secrets is her debut novel.
Alex Segura
@alex_segura - Twitter
https://www.facebook.com/alexseguraofficial
Alex Segura is an acclaimed, award-winning writer of novels, comic books, short stories, and podcasts. He is the author of Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall, the Pete Fernandez Mystery series (including the Anthony Award-nominated crime novels Dangerous Ends, Blackout. and Miami Midnight), and the upcoming Secret Identity (Flatiron Books). His short story “Red Zone” won the 2020 Anthony Award for Best Short Story, and his border noir short story, “90 Miles” will be included in THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE STORIES of 2020. He has also written a number of comic books, most notably the superhero noir The Black Ghost, the YA music series The Archies, and the “Archie Meets” collection of crossovers, featuring real-life cameos from the Ramones, B-52s, and more. He is also the co-creator/co-writer of the Lethal Lit crime/YA podcast from iHeart Radio, which was named one of the best podcasts of 2018 by The New York Times. A Miami native, he lives in New York with his wife and children.
Crime Writers of Color Panelists
Kellye Garrett | Mia P. Manansala | Wanda M. Morris | Alex Segura |
Booktalks
The Perfect Ruin
By Shanora Williams
When Ivy gets the chance to join the social circle of the woman who ruined her life years ago, will she forgive… or take revenge? A juicy thriller set in sun-drenched Miami.
Readalikes:
No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfield
The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
The Jigsaw Man
by Nadine Matheson
Inspector Anjelica Henley, still tortured by the case that injured both her body and her marriage, pursues a copycat killer in London. A dense and violent police procedural with plenty of intrigue and a relatable protagonist.
Readalikes:
In the Woods by Tana French
Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear
Fatal Fried Rice
by Vivien Chien
Lana Lee cracks this cozy case while running her family’s noodle shop. Set in Cleveland, this is the seventh book in this funny and offbeat series. If you don’t already know Lana, try Death by Dumpling to start!
Readalikes:
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette
Uptown Thief
by Aya de Leon
Marisol, who runs a high-profile charity backed by an undercover escort service, is used to danger and crime. But this time, she’s going to pull off her biggest heist yet - cracking the private safe of a New York City multimillionaire. First in an exciting and powerful series exploring how justice can be served in unusual ways.
Readalikes:
Heart of the Hustle by A’zayler
The Prada Plan by Ashley Antoinette
Blacktop Wasteland
by S.A. Cosby
Readalikes:
And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
Compelled by poverty to agree to a lucrative final heist that will allow him to go straight, a skilled getaway driver finds his efforts complicated by racial dynamics and the ghosts of his past.
"Clark has a unique voice in the P.I. genre, one that is articulate, daring and ultimately hopeful.” — S.A. Cosby
The Woman in the Purple Skirt
by Natsuko Imamura
Readalikes:
Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh
You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks
A novel of obsession and psychological intrigue about two women, one of whom stalks and manipulates the other. Quick read and good for discussion.
Dial A for Aunties
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Readalikes:
Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim�Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Meddelin Chan, a California wedding photographer, ends up accidentally killing her blind date. Her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Add in some RomCom and hilarity and this is a great beach read. Currently being adapted for Netflix.
Clark and Division
by Naomi Hirahara
Readalikes:
China Dolls by Lisa See
The Translation of Love by Lynne Kutsukake
1944: Aki and her parents have just been released from Manzanar, the California concentration camp where they have been 'interned' by the US government since the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. The family is forced to resettle in Chicago, where Aki's older sister, Rose, was sent months earlier. Upon arrival the family learns that Rose was killed by a subway train but the details don’t add up. Aki knows she is the only person who could ever learn the truth. Based on a true crime that terrorized the resettled Japanese American community in Chicago.
So Many Books, Not Enough Time
Beyond Selection
Author Visits and Programs
Keeping a Diversity Reading Log
Michelle T. Leonard, “Tracking the Diversity of Your Reading” - https://michelletleonard.com/tracking-the-diversity-of-your-reading/
Diversity Audits
“Counting the Collection” by Colleen Wood - Library Journal May 2021
Mass. Library System LibGuide on building inclusive collections - https://guides.masslibsystem.org/c.php?g=814126&p=5809430
Vendors - iCurate, Collection HQ
Diversity Audits: Perfect is the Enemy of the Good!
Adding Access Points in Your Catalog
Local Subject Headings
Any Subject Headings
But my community doesn’t read...
Weed Multiple Copies!
52 weeks in a year�3 week check out, so�52 ÷ 3 ≈ 17 ⇒ If 17 circs/year, � it’s always out�If 8 circs/year ~ 50% chance.
Creates room for discovery!
Holds ratios are not Collection Development!
Live Your Priorities
Resources
Sisters in Crime
Join librarian list: e-mail librarian@sistersincrime.org
Frankie’s List: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/FrankiesList
SinC DEI resources: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/SinCDEIResources
Local chapters: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/Chapters
Crime Writers of Color
Join mailing list by visiting https://www.crimewritersofcolor.com/
Speaker Directory: https://www.crimewritersofcolor.com/speakers
Other Resources to Data Mine
Contacts
Carrie Straka�Itasca Community Library�cstraka@itascalibrary.org
Karen Toonen�Naperville Public Library�ktoonen@naperville-lib.org
Cari Dubiel�Twinsburg Public Library�Crime Writers of Color Librarian Advisor�cdubiel@twinsburglibrary.org
Jessica Stalker�Warren-Newport Public Library�jstalker@wnpl.info