Interview with author Kortney Nash

We are excited to interview debut picture book author Kortney Nash on our blog today! Her book, Tell Me About Juneteenth, illustrated by Deandra Hodge  was recently released. Read more about it here:

KLiC: What was your inspiration for Tell Me About Juneteenth? 
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Kortney Nash: I’ve always loved a good block party, and I really wanted to capture that joy within this book––being surrounded by family, friends, and neighbors while under the sun eating good food and running around is such a special feeling that I hold dear from my own childhood. So I found a lot of inspiration in that sense of nostalgia when bringing this story to life. I’m from Los Angeles, and there’s nothing like celebrating Juneteenth in Leimert Park just in terms of the energy and excitement, so I wanted to capture a bit of that as well because that’s where most of my adult Juneteenth memories have taken place.    

KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book?

KN: This is such a tough question! I adore every single illustration in the book, and truly couldn’t be more overjoyed with the way Deandra brings this story to life. There is one spread toward the end of the book that I’m particularly fond of, where we get to see the kids in the book running around through the fire hydrant spray. There’s so much joy on that page, and it feels like readers can really experience the relief of playing in cold water on a hot summer day. Whenever I show this book to friends and family the first thing they do is talk about how fantastic the art is and I have to agree whole-heartedly––there’s something to love about every single spread in this book which makes reading it extra fun!

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

KN: I want children to feel empowered after reading this story. My hope is that this both builds excitement about the celebratory aspect of Juneteenth while also teaching kids about the history behind the holiday in an accessible way. With all of the book banning happening, and so much censorship of American and world history taking place in schools, I feel really thankful to have the opportunity to share this book with young readers at this specific moment in time. 

KLiC: What’s next for you? 
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KN: I am not entirely sure yet! I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and a lot of writing to try to and come up with my next idea. Right now, I think I’m just super stoked that this book is actually out in the world––I wrote the first draft of the manuscript in 2023, so it’s been really gratifying to see this go from an idea to an actual book that can be held and enjoyed by others. I’m looking forward to sitting down and writing some more stories soon, probably similarly inspired by childhood memories:-)

Kortney Nash is from Los Angeles and has celebrated many Juneteenths in Leimert Park. Tell Me About Juneteenth is her first picture book. When not writing, she can be found cross stitching or trying out new recipes in the kitchen.
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Learn more here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250908797/tellmeaboutjuneteenth/