Podcast appearances and mentions of bharat babies

In this episode, I talk with Bay Area-based Illustrator, Graphic Novelist & Teacher Nidhi Chanani. We talk about Nidhi’s journey as an illustrator and serendipitous beginnings as a graphic novelist, comics as a platform for marginalized voices, her upcoming film adaption of her graphic novel ‘Pashmina’ on Netflix and much more. From her website: Nidhi Chanani is a freelance illustrator, cartoonist and writer. After completing her undergrad literature degree at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Nidhi pursued a career in non-profits. The desire to draw kept pulling her away and in 2008 she enrolled in art school (only to drop out a year later). In 2009 she began completing one illustration every day of the week. She called this Every Day Love and developed her narrative style and voice with three years of daily practice. Thus began her art career and business. Nidhi was born in Calcutta and raised in suburban southern California. She creates because it makes her happy – with the hope that it can make others happy, too. In April of 2012 she was honored by the Obama Administration as a Champion of Change. Her debut graphic novel, Pashmina, was released by First Second Books in fall 2017. It received starred reviews in the School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, and was reviewed in the New York Times. In March of 2019, the film adaptation of Pashmina with Netflix was announced. Gurinder Chadha is set to direct. In 2018, Jasmine’s New Pet, which she wrote, drew and colored released through Dark Horse Comics. Her first bilingual board book, Shubh Raatri Dost/Good Night Friend released in 2019 through Bharat Babies. Her debut picture book, written by Bea Birdsong, I will be fierce, released in April 2019. She is currently working on her second original graphic novel, Jukebox, with her husband Nick Giordano which is slated for 2021 release. She is an instructor in the Master of Fine Arts, Comics program at the California College of Arts. Her media appearances include CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and BBC Radio. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, the Women’s March, My Modern Met, Bored Panda and India Times. Nidhi has worked with Disney, ABC, Airbnb, Sony, Microsoft, State Farm Insurance and a variety of other clients. Her non-fiction comics have appeared in the Nib. Everyday Love Art products are sold in retail shops across the country, including the San Francisco International Airport, Books Inc., and Therapy stores. Nidhi draws and dreams every day with her husband, kid and their attention starved cat in the San Francisco Bay Area. Website Instagram Find us on all your favorite platforms including: Apple Spotify YouTube Facebook Instagram

My kids and I met (and immediately fell in love with!) Raakhee Mirchandani at the Brooklyn Book Festival. She's an award-winning writer, editor, and pediatric cancer crusader. She's also the author of children’s book Super Satya Saves the Day, which recently won the Purple Dragonfly Award from Bharat Babies. Listen to our conversation about her inspiration for writing this modern superhero picture book, how to survive when you child is ill, the magic of books and more. You'll fall in love with her, too! 

[This interview was conducted via phone and the audio quality on speakers will vary.] Jenn speaks with Bharat Babies publisher Sailaja Joshi about the creation of a new independent imprint focused on South Asian stories, the work behind-the-scenes as a new indie publisher, and the overall goals and support needed when making such a venture for young readers.  Transcription of this episode will be available on the Episodes page of the MiP podcast's Tumblr. 

Your host Meg Brunson interviews founder and CEO of Bharat Babies, Sailaja Joshi who shares how her publishing house started with a simple need to allow her daughter to identify with the characters in the books she loved. She also offers some great tips for how to curate a more diverse library for your family at home. In this episode you'll discover: If there's a need no one is filling, take the opportunity to fill the gap yourself! Diverse literature is critical for kids of color to know themselves as seen and valuable as they grow and develop. Curating a diverse library takes intentionality and thoughtfulness, but is a primary tool for raising culturally conscious kids. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast - so you don't miss another episode! Learn more about the FamilyPreneur Business Accelerator and join today at »familypreneur.co« I'm committed to building an inclusive and anti-racist business. I support LGBTQIA+ rights and the rights of all intersectional identities. I believe that business should be a force for dismantling systems of oppression and actively invest in my own learning to fulfill this role. »Read My Full DEI Statement HERE« Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

Your host Meg Brunson interviews founder and CEO of Bharat Babies, Sailaja Joshi who shares how her publishing house started with a simple need to allow her daughter to identify with the characters in the books she loved. She also offers some great tips for how to curate a more diverse library for your family at home. In this episode you'll discover: If there’s a need no one is filling, take the opportunity to fill the gap yourself! Diverse literature is critical for kids of color to know themselves as seen and valuable as they grow and develop. Curating a diverse library takes intentionality and thoughtfulness, but is a primary tool for raising culturally conscious kids. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast - so you don't miss another episode!

Karina and Matthew talk about identifying a publisher by its "voice", focusing on the specific in order to connect with the universal, and they highlight some imprints and independent publishers who are centering diversity in different ways.  Joining is special guest Namrata Tripathi of Kokila. This episode is sponsored by Book Riot Insiders. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. To get even more kidlit news and recommendations, sign up for our The Kids Are All Right newsletter! RELEVANT LINKS: Magination Press Lee & Low Books HighWater Press Also Mentioned: Salaam Reads, Bharat Babies, Inhabit Media, Penny Candy Books, Groundwood Books, Kar-Ben Publishing, Cinco Puntas, Just Us Books, Pomela Publishers Spotlight Versify Kokila BOOKS DISCUSSED ON THE SHOW: An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States For Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Jean Mendoza, and Debbie Reese White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, The Right Hook of Devin Velma by Jake Burt Picture Books: My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña (Kokila) Hair Love by Matthew Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison (Kokila) Jacob’s Room to Choose by Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman, illustrated by Chris Case (Magination Press) The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Versify) When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Julie Fett (HighWater Press) Galapagos Girl by Marsha Diane Arnold, illustrated by Angela Dominguez (Lee & Low) Awasis and the World-Famous Bannock by Dallas, Illustrated by Amanda Strong (HighWater Press) When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (Lee and Low) Middle Grade: Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers by Celia C. Pérez (Kokila) The Last Last Day of Summer by Lamar Giles (Versify) Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar (Lee and Low) Young Adult: TRANS+:: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You by Karen Rayne, PhD, and Kathryn Gonzales, MBA, illustrated by Anne Passchier and Nyk Rayne (Magination) This Place: 150 Years Retold edited by Alicia Elliiott (HighWater Press) Let us know what books or topics you've been sharing this week, or if you have a suggestion or book recommendation for an upcoming episode. Find us on email (kidlitthesedays@bookriot.com), Twitter (@KarinaYanGlaser and @MatthewWinner), or Instagram (@KarinaIsReadingAndWriting and @MatthewCWinner).

This is it. We made it. Season 4 finale. As many of you know, Project Voice has been running for a little over 2 years since November 2016. When I first started the podcast, I only expected myself to produce 15 episodes at the most. It was started by me and a bunch of my friends who I invited to share their experiences on the show. Most of us didn’t come from an academic background in ethnic studies or Asian American studies. We were just speaking from our own experience[s]. I was learning as I was going through the conversations taking place on Project Voice, and over time, eventually became very active and involved with the activist community. I learned to be more convicted with my beliefs while at the same time, open-minded and respectful towards those who hold different views from mine. I’ve learned and listened from a variety of perspectives. As many of you know, I have not been in the U.S. for a few years now and just moved my base to Australia where I’ll be living for at least another year. During this time period, I plan to reach out and connect with the Asian Australian community and potentially other Asian diasporic communities all over the world outside the U.S. As an American, I feel like It’s time to learn and listen again. My busy schedule means I won’t be able to keep up with our monthly release for Project Voice. However, I do want to say that I spent a long time to decide putting Project Voice on another hiatus. To be honest, I wanted to transition out of Project Voice for more than a year now and have been putting this decision on hold because I see how much value it offers to our community. I can see how much I’ve grown through this project as well as many other people who’ve been following PV since. I feel honored to see how many people have heard about Project Voice and how many inspiring change makers have been interviewed on our platform. At the same time, ironically speaking, I do feel like I’ve lost my voice working on Project Voice, a now large-scale platform for influential voices. For me right now, I want to spend some time to rest and reflect on how Project Voice can continue thriving as an AUTHENTIC media outlet for our Asian community tuning in all over the world. What can we do with our content to keep our audience informed and engaged AUTHENTICALLY? As a child of immigrant parents, I knew what it’s like to feel like I have to reinvent the wheel and now having an established platform for other Asian diasporic folx to share their stories, my next questions are: how can we improve our reach so that many others won’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel?  And also, how can I transform Project Voice into a self-sustaining platform for not only our current generations but our future generations of aspiring creators and storytellers as well? I’d like to thank our listeners for tuning in, sharing feedback on our podcast, and engaging with our content. I’d like to thank our team members for the time and energy they put into contributing a cause that they care about. I’d like to personally thank Grace Abe, our graphic designer and illustrator for leading last year’s rebranding project. Because of Grace, we were able to provide a powerful visual experience alongside with the release of our episodes. Last but not least, I’d also like to thank our sponsors, Found Coffee and Bharat Babies for believing in our mission. If it weren’t all of you, Project Voice would not be where it is today. Much love, Jess

So, I was ecstatic to know that Bharat Babies was going to be a sponsor for Project Voice and I really wanted to give the platform to its founder, Sailaja, because what she’s doing for our community is really inspiring. When I was looking for sponsors for Project Voice, one of the items on my criteria was to partner with a business who reflected our values and I believe that Bharat Babies really fit the mold for us as a business. As someone who grew up craving for stories that looked like me, I thought it was refreshing to hear that there was someone out there who decided to make a change about it. So, here I’m going to have Sailaja share her story on how she started Bharat Babies. Bharat Babies is an indie publishing house that shares the stories of South Asian characters doing everything from the everyday to the extraordinary. From stories of superhero, the celebrating festivals, to standing up for themselves, Bharat Babies helps to ensure that every child can see themselves in the stories told. Bharat Babies can be found at www.bharatbabies.com, facebook.com/bharatbabies, twitter.com/bharatbabies, and instagram.com/bharatbabies. Sailaja has been a passionate volunteer in the Hindu Youth community for over twenty years and is an accomplished academic with degrees from Northeastern University, Harvard University, and Simmons College. She has also worked with multiple startups, helping them to refine their brand identity and develop their marketing communications. Her unique set of skills and experience help to her to drive Bharat Babies forward. Her ambition is to have Bharat Babies be an active participant in the field of multicultural children’s literature, moving forward with the belief that we need diverse kids lit for a diverse world. When she's not working to change the face of children's publishing, she can be founded hanging with her two adorable children at the park or at circus class (really, that's a thing).  

To combat misrepresentation (and lack of representation) of South Asian cultures in American children’s literature, Sailaja Joshi founded Bharat Babies, an independent publishing house that creates books for young children, telling “stories about India's Heritage.” Sailaja talks about growing up Indian American, why cultural representation matters, and why anthropology should be central in any business endeavor.

Preethi talks with Sailaja Joshi about their new book "Let's Celebrate Diwali" being released in time for Diwali.

IMC chats with Sailaja, the founder of Bharat Babies. Bharat Babies is a company that is committed to producing developmentally appropriate children's books that tell the stories of India's heritage.