E112- Natasha Deen, YA Author

E112 - Natasha Deen writes for kids, teens, and adults. She believes the world is changed one story at a time, and as a Guyanese-Canadian whose family immigrated to Canada, she’s seen first-hand how stories have the power to shape the world. When she’s not writing, Natasha enjoys visiting schools, libraries and other organizations to help people to find and tell the stories that live inside them. She also spends an inordinate amount of time trying to convince her pets that she’s the boss of the house. Natasha is the author of the Lark & Connor Ba series (CCBC Best Pick for Kids & Teens, Starred Selection) and the Guardian series (Moonbeam Award, Sunburst Award nominee, Alberta Readers’ Choice nominee). Her latest novel, In the Key of Nira Ghani, is a Junior Library Guild selection and a Barnes and Noble Top 25 Most Anticipated Own Voices novel.

Natasha enjoyed "growing up in a country of snow and flannel," but sometimes being the only mixed-race child in the classroom meant being bullied and feeling invisible. There were no reflections of kids like her on TV or in the movies. Natasha and I talked right away about inclusion in the publishing world. Thank you Natasha for a great conversation.

 ⁠www.natashadeen.com