Many years ago, I was researching Black New Yorkers in the 19th century and stumbled upon a line about the Colored Orphan Asylum. I had never heard of the institution before and was stunned to learn that rioters intentionally targeted the orphanage during the Civil War Draft Riots. I had to learn more. 

The Colored Orphan Asylum (COA) was the first of its kind for Black children in New York. Before then, orphaned Black children lived on the streets or in asylum institutions for adults in unsafe environments. Quaker women saw the need for an orphanage for Black children and opened the asylum in 1836. The children quickly outgrew that first noble building, and the founders acquired land to have a larger building constructed. This is the setting of my book, The Four Seasons of Florence Wallace. Florence spends a year at the orphanage living, learning, growing, and nurturing a dream within her. But all that changes with the Civil War draft lottery.

The lottery took place on July 11, 1863, in New York City. Many Irish immigrants were upset at being drafted to fight a war for enslaved Black people. Rich men could pay a surrogate $300 to take their place in the draft, but no such luck for poor men. For months the press had fueled this anger and rage. The newspapers published outlandish stories of every freed slave making the journey north to steal Irish and other immigrant jobs. This was untrue and akin to the fake news that is spread today. This bubbling tension erupted on the second day of the draft, with men, women, and even children taking to the streets to riot. 

They targeted the orphanage, believing that no Black person, including Black children, deserved to live on 5th Avenue. This wasn’t the luxurious 5th Avenue of today, yet the rioters didn’t believe Black orphaned children even deserved the basics of shelter, food, and clothing. Imagine feeling that way toward anyone, but especially children.

This story has been in my head and heart for many, many years, and I am grateful it is finally out in the world. With America’s 250th birthday fast approaching, I hope readers discover this little known piece of history and delve even deeper into our collective and complex American history. 

Kirstie Myvett is the author of several books for children. Kirstie is the co-founder of KidLit in Color, a blog that amplifies BIPOC and indigenous voices in the publishing industry. Kirstie believes that representation matters in all places and spaces, especially in the pages of books. When Kirstie isn't writing, she's spending time with her family in the unique city of New Orleans.

To learn more visit: https://www.kirstiemyvett.com/

We are so excited to interview author Dr. Haleh Massey about her graphic novel Say Something, Poupeh Babaee!, illustrated by Ghazal Qadri. Read more below.

Kidlit in Color: What was your inspiration for Say Something, Poupeh Babaee! ?
 
Dr. Haleh Massey: I originally wanted to name the book Poopy Baby, but that didn’t go over well with my editor. I get it. It’s an important topic and probably shouldn’t be listed in the scatology category.

KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book?

HM: After I went to school for a loooooong time to become a clinical psychologist, I finally sat down to write my first book. Problem was, besides a creative writing class in high school, I didn’t know the first thing about writing for fun. Let’s just say that original manuscript was a lot of talking heads and long-winded Shakespearean monologues about my childhood that I thought were funny. Thankfully, my stubborn mule personality was determined not to give up. Oh, and at the beginning, all my protagonists were white because that’s all I ever read growing up. My husband/BFF, therapist and author, Christopher Massey aka William DeNoyer, gently reminded me that I should write about my own experiences as an Iranian immigrant. So, I went back to the proverbial drawing board. Ten long years and many, many rejections later (sob), I was finally able to land an amazing agent, Heather Cashman, at Storm Literary Agency. A few years after that, with Heather’s patient guidance on explaining what a plot is, she sold my first book to Little Bee. And the rest, really, is history.

KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book?
 
HM: I love the Nowruz scene because it is literally me, every single year, trying to balance that darn egg on Iranian New Year. And I’m not like some other people who, we won’t name names, balance the egg using the cracks and crevices in the floor. I do it for real. And then someone accidentally knocks it over and I have to wait till the next year to balance my egg again. Although, according to Poupeh’s cousin, Afrooz, the egg balancing thing on spring equinox is all phony boloney and can be done any old day of the year. I refuse to fact check because it will ruin the magic of Nowruz for me. Kind of like construction at Disneyland, but worse. 
 
KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book?
 
HM: All kids matter. And all feelings matter. And people should be nice to each other. Period.
 
KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors?
 
HM: Take on my stubborn mule personality and NEVER. GIVE. UP. If I could learn to write a book after not knowing what a plot was, or setting a scene, or having all my characters float around in time and space, so can you.
  
KLiC: What’s next for you?
 
HM: My semi-autobiographical book My Name is Harriet Mansoor (NOT Hairy Man Suit)! (Lee & Low) is coming out on May 26! It’s sequel, My Name is Hangameh Mansoor (NOT Harriet Mansoor)! (Lee & Low) is coming out Spring ’27! Yippeeeeee 

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Dr. Haleh Massey is a licensed clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist and shares a private practice in the suburbs of Los Angeles with her husband/BFF, author Christopher Massey aka William DeNoyer. In an effort to promote herself on social media without having her clients find her, Dr. Massey shadows as Dr. Wood E. Woodchuck, Ph.D, LRAT, LMNOP, a dapper school psychologist—and rodent—at Rodentia Elementary School in Rodentia, USA.
 

In addition to marrying her husband/BFF and having two beautiful children, Dr. Massey’s lifelong dream has been: 1) to have an unlimited supply of turkey sandwiches and, 2) become a published children’s book author. While she’s still working on the first dream (any/all deli partnership inquiries welcome), her debut middle grade graphic novel, Say Something, Poupeh Babaee! illustrated by Ghazal Qadri (Little Bee Books) was recently released. Dr. Massey's middle grade novel, My Name is Harriet Mansoor (NOT Hairy Man Suit!) illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh (Lee & Low), comes out Spring '26, and its sequel, My Name Is Hangameh Mansoor (NOT Harriet Mansoor!) (Lee & Low) in Spring '27.


My website is: DrHalehMassey.com. I also have another website: AskDrWoodchuck.com

We are so excited to interview author ​Priya Swaminathan on our blog today. Read about her newest book, Deepa, M.D. below. 

KidLit in Color: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? 

Priya Swaminathan: The idea for Deepa, M.D. had been kicking around for a while. Over the course of many years, I jotted down ideas, wrote chapters, and outlined different mysteries. In 2021, I had more time to focus. It took a while to get together a coherent draft that got an agent’s attention. Lilly Ghahremani at Full Circle Literary gave me invaluable notes that helped me find Deepa’s voice. Many months and a few drafts later, Lilly shared the book with publishers. Dainese Santos at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers saw a spark in what I had. With her guidance, I was able to shape the manuscript into the book that’s on shelves now!

KLiC: What kind of research did you do for Deepa MD?

PS: I used to make documentaries and love research. I read books and academic papers. I listened to kids and families talk about their experience with chronic illness. I picked the brains of nurses and doctors. My brother, an emergency room physician and educator, read through early drafts and gave me advice on how to make Deepa, Uncle Jai, and their patients more realistic. But my favorite research was talking to kids about what the 7th grade was really like. I could do that all day. 


KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book?

PS: I want kids to laugh! That’s what I’ve gotten out of my favorite books.
 
Also…I’ve gone through tough times I wanted to wish away and pretend never happened. Looking back, those experiences changed me in big, sometimes beautiful ways. Deepa learns how to draw strength from the worst thing that’s ever happened to her. I hope her story sheds a little light on how difficult experiences can give you unexpected superpowers.
 
KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors?

PS: The best advice I got (thank you Gitty Daneshvari!) was to just keep writing. Before Deepa M.D., I worked on a book that never sold. It was discouraging. I felt really sorry for myself. There was a while when I wanted to give up and get into macramé (turns out, that’s a lot harder than I thought). The only thing that got me through it was writing more. I journaled. I tried my hand at different genres. I journaled some more…and eventually, I got enough mojo back to throw myself into Deepa’s world. Along the way, I figured out that I get a lot out of writing that goes beyond a finished product. That’s helped me keep going.

KLiC: What’s next for you? 

PS: I’m working on the second book in the Deepa, M.D. series! It’s a whole new mystery with a complicated 13-year-old patient that kicks up all the feels for Deepa. I’m also graduating from UCLA’s School of Nursing this June and hope to find a job working with oncology patients.

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Priya Swaminathan lived the dream of making movies and TV shows for twenty years before deciding to become a children’s author. In addition to writing, she is embarking on a new journey into medicine by studying nursing at UCLA. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and hopes that someday she’ll convince her husband to get a dog. For more information, click here.