This week, Juno Dawson discusses her work and her debut picture book You Need to Chill!. Dawson is a leading LGBTQ+ activist and also the bestselling author of This Book Is Gay, which is currently the tenth most banned book in the United States.
The following conversation originally took place June 22, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum.
About You Need to Chill!:
A delightfully endearing debut picture book by bestselling author and activist Juno Dawson in which a sister proves to be an LGBTQ ally when answering everyone’s questions about where her brother Bill has gone.
When Bill can’t be found at school one day, the imaginations of the other children run wild. Is he on vacation? Is he lost in the park? Has he been eaten by a shark? It’s up to Bill’s sister to explain that everyone needs to chill.
Juno Dawson’s debut LGBTQ children’s book is a witty and fun-filled rhyming story about family, identity, and acceptance. Bold, joyful, and warm-hearted, this inclusive children’s book’s message shines through on every page.
JUNO DAWSON is the international bestselling author of fiction and nonfiction for young adults. Her works include the highly acclaimed This Book is Gay as well as What’s the T? She is a columnist for Attitude magazine and a key LGBTQ+ activist with the charity Stonewall. A former teacher specializing in behavior studies, Juno now writes full time and lives in Brighton, England.