''Wash Day Diaries'' is a young adult graphic novel written by

Jamila Rowser Jamila Rowser is an American writer and publisher. She created the blog Girl Gone Geek (2010–2016), which was devoted to "nerd culture" topics like cosplay, video games, and anime. Rowser founded Black Josei Press as a publishing platform for Bl ...

and illustrated by

Robyn Smith Robyn Smith Astaire (born August 14, 1944) is an American retired jockey. Active from 1969 to 1980, Smith accumulated 247 wins in California and New York race tracks, and became the first female jockey to win a stakes race in 1973. Early life ...

that follows four young Black women in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The book was published by

Chronicle Books Chronicle Books is a San Francisco–based American publishing company that publishes books for both adults and children. History The company was established in 1967 by Phelps Dewey, an executive with Chronicle Publishing Company, then-publish ...

in 2022.

Plot

This book follows four young

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

women. The main characters are close friends, Kim, Tanisha, Davene, and Cookie. The

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

is in a five

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

format. Each chapter of this book shares parts of each character's life and what is going on for them socially and mentally. One of the main characters is in a

love triangle A love triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with someone is simultaneo ...

and during wash day they all discuss the challenge of trying to choose between two possible boys to date. The authors take care to acknowledge and portray the Black sisterhood between the four girls. The experiences told by the authors are deeply personal experiences with Black hair care. The main characters form a self-care regimen during multiple hours-long hair appointments.

Background

The authors of ''Wash Day Diaries'',

and

wanted to depict the importance of Black hair in African-American culture. They wanted a relatable age for a wide range of readers as well as a story that would be interesting to all readers. The authors wanted to discuss aspects African-American hair culture, such as "wash day". Hair is a large part of African-American culture; washing hair and styling takes long amounts of time and is often a quality time in families and communities.

Authors

writes comic books about embracing African-American culture. She wrote ''Wash Day Diaries'' and '' Wobbledy 3000.'' Rowser is a

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

Black, Puerto Rican, and Dominican writer, editor, and publisher. She lives in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

and has spent time living in the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, New York.

has written and illustrated many graphic novels including, ''Wash Day Diaries, Nubia: Real One, Chemical Process Design and Integration, The Saddest Angriest Black Girl in Town, Horse Life: The Ultimate Guide to Caring for and Riding Horses for Kids,'' and '' The Big Activity Book for Couples.'' Smith is a Jamaican cartoonist and graphic novel artist from New York.

Reception

''Wash Day Diaries'' received a starred review from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

''.

Accolades

NYPL NYPL or N.Y.P.L. may refer to: * New York–Penn League, a minor baseball league in the northeastern United States * New York Public Library, a public library system in New York City {{disambiguation ...

's Best Books of 2022 * Best Queer Books of 2022,

Autostraddle Autostraddle is a queer and trans-owned online magazine and social network for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women ( cis and trans), as well as non-binary people and trans people of all genders. The website is a "politically progressive queer fem ...

* 2023

Alex Award The Alex Awards annually recognize "ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults ages 12 through 18". Since 2002, the Alex Awards have been administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of th ...

Winner,

YALSA The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...

/ ALA * 2023 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Graphic Novel/Comics * 2023

Ignatz Award The Ignatz Awards recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. They have been awarded each year at the Small Press Expo since 1997, only skipping a ...

for Outstanding Story

Publication

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Wash Day Diaries''
on Chronicle Books 2022 graphic novels African-American literature African-American novels Graphic novels about race and ethnicity Chronicle Books books Literature by African-American women Ignatz Award winners for Outstanding Story