IOPN is thrilled to announce that over the summer Research on Diversity in Youth Literature (RDYL) published its first issue with IOPN Journals. Issue 5.1, a special issue on “Diversity in Graphic Novels,” was guest edited by Jung Kim and Laura M. Jiménez. It examines representations of race and ethnicity in graphic novels, and the ways in which including these materials in the classroom can enhance the curriculum for students. The next special issue will address book challenges.
RDYL is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal published by The Center for Children’s Books, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in partnership with IOPN. Sarah Park Dahlen, of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez, of LaGuardia Community College, CUNY, are the current co-editors of RDYL, and they are supported by graduate assistant Marycruz Flores Reynoso. Book reviews are co-edited by Cristina Rhodes and Nithya Sivishankar. RDYL is published twice a year and focuses on issues of diversity, intersectionality, social justice, equity, and inclusion in youth media, culture, and literature.
We are excited for the future of RDYL on IOPN’s platform. With IOPN’s support, we are able to continue providing open-access issues of our journal. Readers will find that the articles feel streamlined, accessible, and professional. –Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez, co-editor of Research on Diversity in Youth Literature
RDYL was previously published by St. Catherine University, and the first four volumes are still available on the St. Catherine University RDYL site. Authors interested in submitting to the journal can learn more about RDYL’s submission guidelines on the journal’s website.