The Jewell Parker Rhodes Fellowship for Emerging Voices: An Interview with Jewell Parker Rhodes

The Jewell Parker Rhodes Fellowship for Emerging Voices

An Interview with Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes

Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is a best-selling author and educator, whose breadth of work spans many genres. Dr. Rhodes has won the American Book Award, the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence, and the Jane Addams Peace Association Book Award, and her works have been translated into many languages. 

Much like the stories she writes, full of empathy, collaboration and community, Dr. Rhodes has announced the Jewell Parker Rhodes Fellowship for Emerging Voices, securing her legacy and moving the dial forward for the next generation of authors and artists. We are so thankful to have Dr. Rhodes here on the blog to talk to us about her journey, her inspirations, and about this amazing award!

Thank you for joining us on the blog! Though you don't need an introduction, in your own words, please tell us about yourself.

I was a junior in college when I discovered black women wrote books! This was a revelation. Growing up, I read books all the time but they were always white worlds written by white authors. Discovering writers who looked like me and told stories about the African American community inspired me.  

 

I always knew I wanted to write for youth but for over 30 years, I wrote for adults. I was practicing my craft, but I was also waiting for the call--a voice I could hear inside my head. Dreaming about the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, I woke, hearing, "They say I was born with a caul, a skin netting covering my face like a glove. My mother died birthing me. I would've died, too, if Mama Ya Ya hadn't sliced the bloody membrane from my face." My character, Lanesha, was born. The first four pages of Ninth Ward burst out of me, effortless. Finally, a twelve year old girl was telling me her story. Since 2010, I've only written for youth.

I’m ASU’s Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair in Creative Writing. For decades, I’ve been privileged to mentor hundreds of writing students. My writing journey has had its share of hardships, upheavals, setbacks as well as much success. I’ve learned the key is to keep doing what I love best—writing.  Persistence is the ultimate expression of resilience.

 

On influences & inspirations: Who are your writing inspirations? What influences your storytelling?

 

My grandmother was an oral African American storyteller. I’m always trying to capture her rhythms and honor the spiritual and ancestral traditions she shared with me. Toni Morrison, Virginia Hamilton, Walter Mosely, and Walter Dean Meyers are also inspirations for telling cultural stories through dialogue and narrative structure to enhance their social justice themes.

Tell us about this amazing award. What made you want to create this generous, and life-changing fellowship?

 

The Emerging Voices Fellowship honors my grandmother, my publisher Megan Tingley, and the entire Little Brown Books for Young Readers team. My hope is that a fellowship winner will feel seen, appreciated, and will grow in their craft, as I have, with professional editorial support. Grandmother taught me the power of love. This fellowship is my way of sharing love with fellow storytellers.

What are your thoughts on equity in the publishing world, and why it is important?

 

For decades, my work has been buffeted by racism and bias. I ignored rejections, knowing I only needed one "yes." Most importantly, I never stopped writing and I kept focused on the next project. And the next. Nothing good can happen if a writer doesn’t write.  

 

Today, publishers (along with teachers and librarians) are battling book bans and inspiring readership. I’m grateful. However, readership statistics still provide ample evidence that there is still a paucity of diverse stories. Every child deserves "windows and mirrors." How else will we be able to inspire the much needed next generation of writers?

 

 

If you had this opportunity as a young creative, how do you feel it would have impacted you today?

As a young creative, a fellowship would have provided financial relief for myself and my growing family. Significantly, it would have given me confidence and quieted demons of imposter syndrome. I might have achieved my goals sooner and with less anxiety. 

Before we go, tell us, what are you working on now?

I'm preparing to write the sequel to my novel, Treasure Island, Runaway Gold.

Open to submissions: February 25th , 2026

Closed to submissions: April 17th , 2026

Announce/inform winner: On or about August 3 rd , 2026

The Jewell Parker Rhodes Fellowship for Emerging Voices will award an annual $10,000 grant to an unpublished or self-published writer creating works for children. Created to honor Jewell Parker Rhodes’s legacy as a groundbreaking children’s author, the Fellowship uplifts emerging voices while addressing inequities in the publishing industry. This initiative aims to address inequities in the publishing industry by supporting writers whose work explores lesser-known histories of historically underserved communities for young readers.

Submission Requirements

1 The first (3) chapters of a novel targeted at a middle grade audience;

2 A comprehensive synopsis of the novel. 

Please submit materials as pdf, doc, or docx.

Eligibility Criteria

1 Applicants must be unpublished or self-published writers, as well as unagented.

2 Applicants must be a legal resident of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

3 Applicants must be 18 years of age or older as of February 25, 2026.

Award Details and Grantee Support

1 Grant Amount: $10,000

2 Professional Development: A U.S. $1,000 stipend to be utilized for a trip to New York City to meet with an LBYR editor and receive two rounds of feedback on their submission.

3 Submission Opportunity: The grantee will have the opportunity to have the submission reviewed by an LBYR editor for consideration of publication. Hachette waives any commitment to publish the selected manuscript.

Winner Selection

On or about July 13th, 2026, three (3) finalists will be selected by a panel of one (1) representative from the Sponsor’s Editorial team, one (1) representative from We Need Diverse Books, one (1) representative from Literary Agents of Change, and one (1) representative from The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

On or about August 3rd, 2026, one (1) winner will be selected from the pool of finalists by author Jewell Parker Rhodes using the following criteria:

1 Literary excellence, originality, voice targeted to the intended audience of the writing sample, and ability to reflect both middle grade and historically underserved experiences: 50% 

2 Clarity of vision for how the Grant will advance the winner’s writing career: 25%

3 Impact and relevance: Does the story offer representation or insights that are currently missing or underserved in middle grade literature? 25%

Judges’ decisions will be final and binding in all matters related to this Contest. In the event of a tie, the judges will reconsider the tied Submissions using the judging criteria stated above to determine one (1) Award winner. Sponsor reserves the right to not provide the Award if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Submissions. Sponsor will not reveal the judging scores for any Submission.