Kaylani Juanita
Kaylani Juanita McCard, professionally known as Kaylani Juanita, is an illustrator.[1] Her work focuses on activism, empowerment of people of color, and LGBTQ+ people.[1] Her work has appeared in publications through Chronicle Books, Cicada Magazine, and Lee & Low Books.[2] Her first book illustrated, Ta-Da! by Kathy Ellen Davis, was released by Chronicle Books and nominated for an Young Readers award via the 38th Annual Northern California Book Awards.[3][4] In 2018, ELLE Magazine featured her work and interviewed her at length in context of her memorial illustrations based on the murder of Nia Wilson, a black woman who was fatally stabbed in a suspected hate crime while exiting a BART train.[5][6][1] In 2017, she illustrated "9 Books for Woke Kids," an article by Guinevere de la Mare.[7]
Education
Juanita attended B. Gale Wilson Elementary School in Solano County's Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District as well as Rodriguez High School.[4] While attending Rodriguez, Juanita spent a summer studying at CalArts. She then attended Solano College[4] before transferring to California College of the Arts. She earned her BFA in Illustration from California College of the Arts.[8][4] As of 2019, she is working on a Master's in Design at the University of California, Davis.
Personal life
Juanita is based in Fairfield, CA[9] and identifies as a mixed-race[10] femme queer person.
Awards and honors
- In 2020, Juanita and Kyle Lukoff were awarded the Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award for their book When Aidan Became a Brother.[11]
- In 2020, Juanita and Kyle Lukoff's book When Aidan Became a Brother was named a Charlotte Huck Honor Book.[12]
Bibliography
- A House for Every Bird by Megan Maynor, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, (2021)
- When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2019)
- Watch Us Rise by Reneé Watson & Ellen Hagan, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2019)
- Ta-Da! by Kathy Ellen Davis, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2018)
- Magnificent Homespun Brown by Samara Cole Doyon, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2020)
Podcasts
- The Creativity Habit[10]
References
- Penrose, Nerisha (July 26, 2018). "How Kaylani Juanita Is Using Her Art and Instagram to Honor Nia Wilson". ELLE.
- "Starfruit | VQR Online". www.vqronline.org.
- "Nominees" (PDF). www.berkeleyside.com. 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- "Inside Solano" (PDF). www.solano.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- Woodrow, Melanie (July 24, 2018). "'He was wiping off his knife': BART stabbing victim recalls horrific attack that killed sister". ABC7 San Francisco.
- Dakin Andone and Dan Simon. "Officials still don't know why a white man allegedly stabbed a black woman to death in a subway station". CNN.
- ago, Guinevere de la Mare • 2 years (September 6, 2017). "9 Books for Woke Kids to Read This Year".
- "Kaylani Juanita | VQR Online". www.vqronline.org.
- "Kaylani Juanita". www.kaylanijuanita.com.
- "Kaylani Juanita, illustrator-The Creativity Habit".
- http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2020/01/when-aidan-became-brother-and-black-flamingo-win-2020-stonewall-children-s
- https://ncte.org/awards/ncte-childrens-book-awards/charlotte-huck-award/