Bonnie Garmus, Jacqueline Woodson, and Elizabeth Gilbert are among the authors contributing to an auction to benefit We Need Diverse Books, People magazine reports.
The auction is being held by Authors for Voices of Color, with proceeds going to the nonprofit organization that promotes diversity in children’s literature.
Garmus, author of the bestselling Lessons in Chemistry, is offering a 30-minute chat session “where you can ask her your nagging questions about agenting, the publishing process, or simply how not to give up.”
Woodson, known for her National Book Award-winning Brown Girl Dreaming, is contributing a dinner for three at her New York City home, featuring “delicious food, Jacqueline's legendary hospitality, and even special surprise guest appearances.”
Eat, Pray, Love author Gilbert will pay a Zoom visit to the winning bidder’s book club, while novelist Jennifer Weiner (The Summer Place) is offering a manuscript critique plus a follow-up phone or Zoom call.
Other authors contributing to the auction include Roxane Gay, Celeste Ng, Curtis Sittenfeld, Susan Orlean, Hua Hsu, and Megan Abbott.
Andrea Bartz, the co-founder of Authors for Voices of Color, told People, “We can hardly believe how stellar the 2023 roster is. When we put together our first auction in 2020, we wouldn’t have guessed we’d later loop in so many bestselling, household-name authors. The auction offers a simple way to support diversity in publishing while getting incredible bookish items you won’t find anywhere else."
Bidding on the silent auction begins on Sept. 26 and lasts until Oct. 3.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
