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Up To Date

Kansas City's L. L. McKinney Delivers More Black Girl Magic

Author releases her second novel featuring her teenage black female superhero.

L. L. McKinney's experience as a woman of color in the publishing industry has required patience and persistence, but it has resulted in two young adult novels. Both revolve around the heroine Alice, caught up in a Wonderland very different from the Lewis Carroll original. McKinney talked about the importance of representation in fantasy fiction and said, when it comes to writing for teens, "you have to come at them with respect, with understanding."

The official release party for 'A Dream So Dark' will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the Uptown Theatre, 3700 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64111. Go to LLMcKinney.com to RSVP. Follow the hashtag #TurnUpTeaParty across all social platforms for updates.

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.