Guest speaker Emily Bostian reflects on representations of race and gender in the children’s and young adult books of her own youth and those of today. Using stories from her own life as well as research by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop and Dr. Anjali Adukia, she discusses what has changed and what remains unchanged. She offers a cautiously hopeful view of the future. Emily Bostian, with Worship Leader Jan Apland Curtis. Music by Mary Reese.

Emily Bostian has been a small business owner since March of 2024, a mother since March 2019, and a reader since 1990. Emily studied theater and the arts in college, and has worked in theaters across the country. She is currently the owner of a consignment shop, Jolliffe’s in Beaverton. She has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Washington County since 2018. 

Topics: Imagination, Personal Story, Understanding