Pre-Order Plan Reveal For "No Way, They Were Gay?" - Let's Empower LGBTQ Youth Together!

So you may have heard I have a book coming out. In April. It's nonfiction, and it's the kind of book that would have totally changed my life if I'd read it when I was 11. Or 15. Or heck, any time up through my writing it. (And I've been working on it since 2010.)

It's called NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? HIDDEN LIVES AND SECRET LOVES, and it's being published by Lerner Publishing Group's Zest Books imprint. It was honored as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. And it's all about empowering young LGBTQ people.

So I've cooked up this fun pre-order idea. For folks to buy a copy from my local indie bookstore, Pages: A Bookstore in Manhattan Beach, California, to donate to an LGBTQ teen via this wonderful nonprofit, Brave Trails.

It's all being set up, and there will be a special landing page for the virtual book launch party and everything, but I wanted to let you all know about this. Because, wouldn't it be amazing to put this book into the hands of just the readers for whom it will make a huge impact for the good?

And yes, No Way, They Were Gay? is a book about history, but it's not history like I was taught history, all dates and names to memorize. It's not history as medicine. It's more like chocolate. Empowering chocolate.

Because history is fascinating when you put aside the denials of hundreds of years of historians and actually let people tell you their own truths. Primary source materials - like letters, diary entries, poems, songs, ancient artwork - let us hear the stories of men who loved men, women who loved women, people who loved without regard to gender, and people who lived outside gender boundaries.

It's super cool. And exciting! If you want to get a head start on the preorder donation, you can preorder the book at Pages: A Bookstore now. But you can wait until the launch party event page is up, too. Either way, save the date - April 6, 2021 at 5pm Pacific.

And just to keep the fun going, here are three TikTok posts that are helping build the buzz...

@leewind

Abraham Lincoln spills the tea... ##iwroteabook ##foryou ##fyp ##booktok ##queerbooktok ##nowaytheyweregay ##queerhistoryiseverywhere ##queerhistory ##lgbtq

♬ I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross

@leewind

Queen Anne spills the tea... ##Iwroteabook ##foryou ##fyp ##booktok ##queerbooktok ##nowaytheyweregay ##queerhistoryiseverywhere ##lgbtq

♬ Run The World (Girls) (Glee Cast Version) - Glee Cast

@leewind

Pharaoh Hatshepsut spills the tea... ##iwroteabook ##foryou ##fyp ##booktok ##queerbooktok ##nowaytheyweregay ##queerhistoryiseverywhere ##queerhistory ##lgbtq

♬ I Am Changing - Jennifer Hudson

Thanks for sharing this adventure with me, because amazingly enough, Queer history really is everywhere! And know that can change everything.

Gratefully,
Lee

Attending #NY21SCBWI? Join me and some special faculty guests at Tuesday Feb 16th's LGBTQ+ and Allies Social!

It's one of my favorite times of the year... And my favorite safe space gathering of community within the larger SCBWI community!

And even though the SCBWI Winter Conference is an all-virtual event this 2021, there's still going to be an LGBTQ+ and Allies Social!

Are you writing, illustrating, or translating works for kids, tweens, or teens with LGBTQAI2+ characters or themes? Or are you thinking of doing so? Then this is the social for you!

I'm hosting, and you can join in. 

Day: Tuesday February 16, 2021

Time: 4pm Pacific - 5pm Pacific

We'll be gathering in a safe space zoom room, and our special faculty guests will include Jane Yolen (multi award-winning author of 386 books for kids and adults)

The "How Do Dinosaurs..." series may be better known, but this is the most recent of Jane's titles.

Heidi Stemple (author of, most recently, with Jane, I Am The Storm)

Laurent Linn (author/illustrator of the YA novel Draw the Line and art director at Simon & Schuster

along with SCBWI staff moderators April Powers, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at SCBWI

Julian Petri,

SCBWI Executive Director Lin Oliver,

Associate Executive Director Sarah Baker,

Director of Special Projects Kim Turrisi,

as well as Claudia Pearson and Debra Schmidt.

Conference registrants will receive a PDF schedule with event links. On clicking to join, you'll have to register for this zoom social with your name and email, and then you'll be welcomed in.

We hope to see you there. Stay safe,
Lee

***UPDATE Tuesday Feb 16, 2021 at 11:30am Pacific: If you're registered for the conference, check your email for a special link to this event.***

Foreword Reviews Says NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? "transmits rare facts and firsthand accounts with a sense of joyous wonder...[to] reverse queer historical erasure."

Hurrah!

No Way, They Were Gay? gets it's second editorial trade review!

I'm so jazzed their reviewer (Letitia Montgomery-Rodgers) "got" it, and since Foreword Reviews "only recommends books that we love" it's even more of a grand compliment. Here's another excerpt from the review:

From Gandhi to Eleanor Roosevelt, Wind doesn’t shy away from revealing his subjects in their full complexity. A fellow traveler and guide on a journey of discovery, Wind calls out the shadow sides of those profiled, as well as what’s laudable. His book transmits rare facts and firsthand accounts with a sense of joyous wonder. It also encourages readers to come to their own conclusions about the facts provided. Each chapter closes with some iteration of the question, “What do you think?” Even in regards to his own book, Wind emphasizes that history is an interpretative place that requires critical thinking.

At a time where issues of social justice are often deemed either overinflated or “solved,” Lee Wind makes a powerful case that queer historical erasure is an ongoing issue.

Foreword Reviews is read by over 30,000 indie book lovers, including librarians and booksellers, so that's pretty awesome. It's gratifying to know that this review will help my book reach – and empower – more readers, which is really what it's all about.

Thanks for sharing the adventure with me!

Stay safe,
Lee

Kirkus Reviews Calls NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? "Entertaining, illuminating, and an accessible antidote to dominant histories."

Hurray!

A screen shot of the Kirkus Reviews review of my new book!

Getting an editorial trade review from Kirkus Reviews is a huge compliment - and I'm so delighted they liked No Way, They Were Gay? Hidden Lives and Secret Loves.

Another great line from the review:

“Deftly weaving in primary sources (in bold text), cheeky sidebars, and his own narrative observations as a gay man, Wind keeps the tone conversational and playful.”

You can read the full review here.

Thanks for sharing the adventure with me! (This review just came out, and the book publishes on April 6, 2021.)

Stay safe,
Lee

NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? Is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

Whoo-hoo!

The cover of NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? with the Junior Library Guild award sticker!

This news makes me ridiculously happy, and proud. 

Junior Library Guild is a BIG deal, and something librarians really respect. To have my nonfiction book for young readers chosen for Junior Library Guild means that librarians will instantly know NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? Hidden Lives and Secret Loves has been vetted. That it has received one of the most important librarian stamps of approval. That it will be in hundreds and hundreds of libraries across the U.S.!

All of which means, NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? will reach – and empower – so many more young readers.

I'm honored and delighted!

Oh, and if you can tell a librarian about NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY?, please do!

Thanks for sharing in this good news moment with me.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Stay safe,
Lee

P.S. You can preorder a signed copy that will be mailed to you from my amazing local bookstore, Pages: A Bookstore, here.

I'm hosting the Queer #OwnVoices Social after this Thursday's "SCBWI Celebrates Queer Voices" Workshop! (And they're both FREE!)

SCBWI is launching a new series of FREE digital workshops, "SCBWI Celebrates #OwnVoices," and the first one will be this Thursday January 14, from 1pm-2:30pm Pacific, on Celebrating Queer Voices.

With authors Kalynn Bayron, Mike Curato, Alex Gino, Bill Konigsberg, Abdi Nazemian, and J Yang, and moderated by Phil Bildner, the discussion will cover:

"the joys and challenges of bringing queer representation into their work and the importance of telling the stories they wish they had as a kid."

The session will be held live on Zoom, and will be followed with a safe space social (hosted by me!) for those who identify as part of the Queer community. (That link will be provided during the live workshop.) If you're not able to attend live, the workshop will be recorded and made available on the SCBWI website by 1pm Friday January 15, 2021.

Here's more on the workshop faculty:

Phil Bildner (moderator) is the award-winning author of numerous books for kids including the 2021 Charlotte Huck Award Honor-winning, A High Five for Glenn Burke and the Margaret Wise Brown Prize-winning picture book, Marvelous Cornelius. He is also the author of the highly acclaimed Rip & Red middle grade series. Phil taught middle school in the New York City Public School system for eleven years and is the founder of The Author Village, an author booking business.

Kalynn Bayron is the bestselling author of the award-winning YA fantasy Cinderella is Dead. She is a classically trained vocalist and when she’s not writing you can find her listening to Ella Fitzgerald on loop, attending the theater, watching scary movies, and spending time with her kids.

Mike Curato is the author and illustrator of everyone’s favorite polka-dotted elephant, Little Elliot. His debut title, Little Elliot, Big City, released in 2014 to critical acclaim, has won several awards, and has been translated into over ten languages. There are now five books in the Little Elliot series, including Little Elliot, Big Family; Little Elliot, Big Fun; Little Elliot, Fall Friends; and Merry Christmas, Little Elliot. Mike had the pleasure of illustrating What If… by Samantha Berger, All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle, Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian, and contributed to What’s Your Favorite Color? by Eric Carle and Friends and Sunny Day: A Celebration of the Sesame Street Theme Song. His latest books, released in 2020, are The Power of One written by Trudy Ludwig, and his first YA graphic novel, Flamer! Publishers Weekly named Mike a “Fall 2014 Flying Start.” In the same year he won the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show Founder’s Award.

Alex Gino is the author of the middle grade novels Rick, You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! and the Stonewall Award-winning George. They love glitter, ice cream, gardening, awe-ful puns, and stories that reflect the diversity and complexity of being alive. For more information, visit alexgino.com.

Bill Konigsberg is the award-winning author of six young adult novels, including Openly Straight and The Music of What Happens. His latest novel, The Bridge, is in development as a limited series at Amazon. In 2018, The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)’s Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) established the Bill Konigsberg Award for Acts and Activism for Equity and Inclusion through Young Adult Literature. Prior to turning his attention to writing books for teens, Bill was a sportswriter and editor for The Associated Press and ESPN.com.

Abdi Nazemian is the author of three novels. His first, The Walk-In Closet, won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction. His most recent, Like a Love Story, an Indie Next Pick, Walden Award finalist and Junior Library Guild Selection, was awarded a Stonewall Honor, and was chosen as one of the best books of the year by Entertainment Weekly, Audible, Buzzfeed, the New York Public Library, and more. His screenwriting credits include the films The Artist’s Wife, The Quiet, and Menendez: Blood Brothers, and the television series The Village and Almost Family. He has been an executive producer and associate producer on numerous films, including Call Me By Your Name, Little Woods, and Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband and two children.

J Yang is a New York-based illustrator who happens to be a Chinese-American trans man. During quarantine, he has acquired a cherry shrimp hobby, learned a couple of new recipes, and has become a square-shaped grandma in a D&D campaign. You can find his work in Portrait of a Tyrant, Our Rainbow, Spirit Day, and upcoming The Good Hair Day and If You’re A Kid Like Gavin. J is currently at large.

Hope to see you there! (No registration required - just click here for the zoom link.)

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you, 

Lee

Contra Costa County Library: Indie Author Talk with Lee Wind

Click here to watch my recent "Indie Author Day" presentation, done virtually with the Contra Costa County Library.

My thanks to librarian David Greene for the invite, and to everyone for watching.

Stay safe,
Lee

"Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep: 50 Award-Winning Children’s Book Authors Share the Secret of Engaging Writing" is available for Pre-Order! (celebratory note: I'm one of those 50!)

Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep: 50 Award-Winning Children's Book Authors Share the Secret of Engaging Writing, edited by Melissa Stewart.

This is exciting, and a real honor to be included...

The book is published by the National Council of Teachers of English, and Melissa, who edited and organized the whole thing, has published over 180 nonfiction books for kids!

Here's the blurb from NCTE:

In Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, some of today’s most celebrated writers for children share essays that describe a critical part of the informational writing process that is often left out of classroom instruction. To craft engaging nonfiction, professional writers choose topics that fascinate them and explore concepts and themes that reflect their passions, personalities, beliefs, and experiences in the world.

By scrutinizing the information they collect to make their own personal meaning, they create distinctive books that delight as well as inform. In addition to essays from mentor authors, the book includes a wide range of tips, tools, teaching strategies, and activity ideas from editor Melissa Stewart to help students (1) choose a topic, (2) focus that topic by identifying a core idea, theme, or concept, and (3) analyze their research to find a personal connection. By adding a piece of themselves to their drafts, students will learn to craft rich, unique prose.

And the list of contributors (the other 49 besides me) is impressive! The book features essays from essays by Sarah Albee, Chris Barton, Donna Janell Bowman, Mary Kay Carson, Nancy Castaldo, Jason Chin, Lesa Cline-Ransome, Seth Fishman, Candace Fleming, Kelly Milner Halls, Deborah Heiligman, Susan Hood, Gail Jarrow, Lita Judge, Jess Keating, Barbara Kerley, Heather Lang, Cynthia Levinson, Michelle Markel, Carla Killough McClafferty, Heather Montgomery, Patricia Newman, Elizabeth Partridge, Baptiste Paul, Miranda Paul, Teresa Robeson, Mara Rockliff, Barb Rosenstock, Laura Purdie Salas, Anita Sanchez, April Pulley Sayre, Steve Sheinkin, Ray Anthony Shepard, Anita Silvey, Traci Sorell, Tanya Lee Stone, Jennifer Swanson, Stephen R. Swinburne, Don Tate, Laurie Ann Thompson, Pamela Turner, Patricia Valdez, Sandra Neil Wallace, Laurie Wallmark, Jennifer Ward, Carole Boston Weatherford, Paula Yoo, and Karen Romano Young.

And me!

Really proud to be part of this.

Gratitude to Melissa for the opportunity, and to the readers out there who need to hear that Queer nonfiction for Kids and Teens has an important (and impassioned) place at the table, too!

If it sounds like your jam, you can preorder the book here: bit.ly/NonfictionDig

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

Join Me and the Contra Costa County Library Community for Indie Author Day on Nov 7, 2020 (it's virtual!)

Here's the summary of my presentation, which will be hosted by David Greene and the awesome folks at the Contra Costa County Library:

Your Voice Matters: Indie Publishing and You 

Indie Publishing and Print on Demand can be game changers for you, your book, and under-served readers hungry for works that speak to them. 

There’s lots to do to set yourself up for success: 

1) Target Your Audience 

2) Quality Wins the Day 

3) Get Your Book Vetted 

4) Join the Conversations Already Happening 

5) Know Your Timeline and Then Publish 

6) Target Your Audience (Now That You Have the Book!) 

7) Celebrate Each Milestone Repeat with your next book. And the next. 

As an author, Lee Wind published the crowd-funded young adult novel “Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill” celebrated by Publishers Weekly as an Indie Success Story and one of the top five independently published middle grade and young adult books of 2018. He has two books publishing from Indie Presses in 2021, the middle grade nonfiction “No Way, They Were Gay? Hidden Lives and Secret Loves” (Lerner) and the picture book “Red and Green and Blue and White” (Levine Querido.) As the director of marketing and programming for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Lee loves empowering indie publishers to have their voices heard. Learn more about Lee and his books at www.leewind.org Find out more about IBPA at www.ibpa-online.org

Find out more and register here.

Hope to see you (virtually) there!

The light in me recognizes and acknolwedges the light in you,
Lee

My Debut Picture Book Is Announced! RED AND GREEN AND BLUE AND WHITE will be published by Levine Querido in 2021

I have been dreaming of having a picture book manuscript I wrote deemed good enough for an agent to love, good enough for a publisher to love, good enough for an amazing illustrator to love for a very long time. Like 16 years.

So it is with immense delight that I share the announcement that just happened yesterday in Publishers Weekly's Children's Bookshelf:

The announcement text reads:

Arthur Levine at Levine Querido has acquired world rights to Lee Wind's (l.) debut picture book, Red and Green and Blue and White, inspired by the true story of how an entire town stood up to hate during the Chanukah / Christmas season. Caldecott Medalist Paul O. Zelinsky will illustrate; publication is slated for 2021. Marietta Zacker at Gallt & Zacker represented the author, and the artist represented himself.

It is a moment of ebullient gratitude... to my amazing agent Marietta Zacker, for loving this story enough to find it a publishing home. To the story's legendary editor, publisher Arthur A. Levine for loving it enough to acquire it and share it with readers everywhere. To the story's celebrated and oh-so-talented illustrator, Paul O. Zelinsky (!!!) who is taking my words and fashioning magic on the page. Magic, I tell you. Magic.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thanks as well to my friend (and elementary school librarian) Yapha Mason, who introduced me to to the true story eight years ago.

I'm so excited to introduce kids – and the world – to this story of friendship between two kids (one who celebrates Chanukah, the other who celebrates Christmas) who together inspire an entire town to stand up for each other, to stand up for community, to stand up for love.

I can't wait for you all to read it.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,

Lee

I Was on Faculty at a Writer's Conference This Weekend and... I Didn't Even Attend?

I didn't miss it. It's just that the UCLA Extension Writers' Program YA Symposium, The Young and the Reckless: Writing For Teens was all pre-recorded.

The good news is you didn't miss it, either. The sessions, the panels, it's all online through September 5, 2020. Along with the amazing Karol Ruth Silverstein (who I'm proud to call my friend), I co-lead two breakout sessions, Checking Privilege at the Door

and


Creating the Complex Character.

I was also on a great panel discussion with Sherri L. Smith, Aminah Mae Safe, and Cindy Lin that was moderated by Nutschell Windsor.

It's not the same as being in person, but there are definitely some upsides. The conference is only $50 to attend, and is available not just one day, but over eight days, and virtually, which makes it more accessible. And this way, I can attend the sessions my fellow faculty members gave because I'm not busy doing my own!

So I miss hanging out, and checking out my fellow faculty's books in the conference bookstore, but I remind myself that there's a pandemic going on. And the fact that Charlie, Nutschell, Carrie, Ashley, Jennie, and the whole UCLA Extension Writer's Program team were able to pivot and still make this amazing event happen is pure awesomeness.

I'm very grateful to have been - to be - part of it.

So, if writing for teens is your jam, check it out.

Thanks!

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? (My Middle Grade Nonfiction Coming April 2021) Gets a Shout-Out In Publishers Weekly!

This was exciting!

Publishers Weekly did a feature last month called "Spring 2021 Children's Sneak Previews" where they go publisher-by-publisher, imprint-by-imprint, and highlight just a few (two or three) stand-out upcoming titles for kids and teens for the readership of Publishers Weekly (over 68,000 booksellers, publishers, public and academic librarians, wholesalers, distributors, educators, agents and writers.)

and there, in the listing for LERNER/ZEST...

"No Way, They Were Gay?: Hidden Lives and Secret Loves by Lee Wind, which examines primary source letters, poems, and more to rethink the lives and loves of historical figures."

Whoo-hoo!

We've been waiting a looooooong time for this to finally come out. This is one more exciting step on that journey.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

I'll Be Part of UCLA Extension's Online YA Symposium: The Young And The Reckless: Writing For Teens - August 29 - September 5, 2020

I'm really honored to be one of "today’s most exciting YA writers" in this program!

I'll be doing two breakout sessions with my friend Karol Ruth Silverstein, one "Checking Privilege at the Door," and the other "Creating Complex Characters."

I'll also be part of a panel discussion with Sherri L. Smith, Aminah Mae Safi, and Cindy Lin:

From Desire to Draft: Writing Your First Novel
Once you have your great idea, you need to put words on paper to render the world, characters, and events you’ve imagined. How do you go from an idea to a story? What different techniques can you use to bring your story to life? Writers on this panel will discuss how they completed their first draft, how they approached revision, and how they knew they were ready to send the book out to agents and editors.

You can find all the details and register here.

Thanks for letting me share,

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

Listen to this Book of Life Podcast Where Heidi Rabinowitz and I Interview Each Other About Jewish Kidlit and LGBTQIA2+ Kidlit

I loved this discussion, and was so honored to partner with Heidi as part of the Through the Window diversity exchange.

Here's the description of that program:

Through the Window is a diversity exchange created by the Association of Jewish Libraries to fight antisemitism and other forms of bias through education and allyship. Jewish organizations swap content with other marginalized communities to give both groups a look through the window at our common humanity.

I'm also really delighted that Heidi created an opportunity for us to "use our privilege constructively to boost Black voices," and we've both done so with some recommendations of powerful works by Black creators, which starts the episode off.

Listen to the podcast here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

Join me Tuesday June 30 for a FREE online presentation: "Empowering Kids and Teens with LGBTQ History (Okay...Adults, too!)"

The lovely people at the Broward County Library system in Florida are hosting me online tomorrow, Tuesday June 30 from 1-2pm Eastern/10-11am Pacific to present this inspiring (and yes, empowering) discussion.

The program flyer

Here's the description:

The anniversary of the Stonewall Riots may have just hit 51 years, but LGBTQ history did not start in 1969. Join author and educator Lee Wind and discover Queer lives that were hidden and loves that were secret, going back hundreds, even thousands, of years and from all over the world. Unlock the secret histories of Abraham Lincoln, Sappho, the Pharaoh Hatshepsut, and so many more...

Together with Wind, you will crack the false facade of history as it has been taught and let the rainbow light of true history—the stories of men who loved men, women who loved women, and people who lived outside gender boundaries—shine through.

Click here to register! Update: here's that link again: https://broward.webex.com/broward/onstage/g.php?MTID=e4e6511f7d077f7077c9534eda59a2ea1

Hope to see you virtually!

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

I'm Interviewed on the BookBaby Podcast!

The April 6 edition of "BookBaby Spotlight" is a 45 minute interview with, well, me!

BookBaby's Sam Sedam and I talk about a whole range of issues, including the early impact of COVID-19 on indie publishing, my perspective as the director of marketing and programming at the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and my own writing and publishing journey and mission to empower kids and teens.

It's a great conversation, and I hope you'll enjoy it! You can listen to the episode here.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

"Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill" is Chosen for the Brentwood School Faculty and Staff Equity and Inclusion Book Club

I'm really excited about this!

My YA novel, going to be read by the faculty and stuff at a K-12 independent school in Los Angeles!

I love book clubs!

And how cool is it for a school to have an "equity and inclusion" book club? Very!

And I love the idea of their faculty and staff talking about my book after they've read it, and getting to chat with them—as the author—should be really fun!

Feeling grateful right now...

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

March 21, 2020 I'll Be On Faculty At The "Arizona Author Mindset Conference" in Phoenix!

Another great moment of synergy between my day job as director of marketing and programming at the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and being an author, especially an author who self-published my debut YA novel, "Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill."

I'll be on faculty at this brand-new conference (the idea is for it to be an annual event), sharing the crazy roller-coaster story of "Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill" and giving some context and tips for navigating Indie Publishing with a talk at 3:30pm,

"The Latest Trends in Publishing for the Indie Author"

If you're in the Phoenix area, and are curious about your author journey, this Author Mindset Conference sets out to:

"...take a deep dive into the person of the author. What does it take to connect, past your book, with your audience? Audiences demand interaction. They want to see you, hear you, and relate to you."

You'll find all the details here.

Hope to see you there,
Lee

I'm Interviewed on "The Premise" Podcast!

What a great way to start the new year!

I'm the subject of episode #2 of Jeniffer and Chad Thompson's new "The Premise" Podcast which, as they explain, is:

"A premise is what forms the basis of a theory or a plot. We talk to storytellers from all disciplines and get down to the story behind the storyteller—the passion and joy and creativity behind their stories. Our premise is that listening to others helps us build greater empathy and a stronger sense of humanity—storytelling is powerful stuff. By just listening, we can make the world a better place."

Isn't that a cool premise for a podcast?

And here's the description for my interview:

002 - Lee Wind - On Writing
Jeniffer and Chad talk with Lee Wind, Director of Marketing & Programming at IBPA, about his mission to write the books he wishes he'd read as a gay youth. They discuss Lincoln, examining history in closer detail to reveal the true selves of historical figures, and how it can create new role models and new perspectives. You'll also hear from Lee about his writing process, his ups and downs in the publishing world, and the wild tale of a rogue agent( the literary kind).

It's a great discussion, and I'm grateful to Jeniffer and Chad for the opportunity!

You can listen here. I'm already looking forward to future episodes.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

I'm Speaking Tonight in Culver City, California, on a panel about Book Publicity and Marketing

**UPDATE: 10/28/19 1:00 PM Pacific

Because of the fires in Los Angeles, this event has been cancelled and will be rescheduled.**

Wearing my day-job hat as the director of marketing and programming for the nonprofit Independent Book Publishers Association, I'll be on a panel for the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC) / Publishers Association of Los Angeles (PALA):

Publicity Panel — Seeing 2020 Book Publicity More Clearly

Moderated by Steven Sanchez (Vice President, Independent Writers Of Southern California), my fellow panelists include: Emanuela Cariolagian (Senior Public Relations & Transformation Strategist); Kathleen Kaiser (President, Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network); and Desireé Duffy (Founder of Black Château.)

You can find all the details here.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee