Mercury Desk-Top Publishers

Mercury Desk-Top Publishers is a nonprofit multicultural publisher of literary fiction for children. Their mission is to identify and mentor writers who fall outside the mainstream and assist them to publish literary works that celebrate diversity, creativity and imagination. Their literary pieces in English, Spanish and French capture the colorful experiences, adventures and aspirations of children in non-mainstream cultural settings. Children who read their books stand the chance to grow up to be open-minded, accept cultural, ethnic, political and social differences, and prone to exploring their worlds, and the worlds beyond their immediate reach, with enthusiasm, accommodation and respect.

Today we live in complicated times and it’s easy to lose hope. A quick scan of the news feed reveals mass shootings, book bans, outright censorship and divisive rhetoric. There’s a national debate about the role of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation in the classroom and in the pages of books for children and teens. Not cowed by these challenges, mercurydtp plans to stand by its mission of publishing underrepresented voices and pushing for meaningful and nuanced conversations. I would urge everyone- educators, booksellers, and social influencers—to support this literary nonprofit to keep its promise to produce multicultural literature that could serve as a powerful tool to enable people, especially children, gain a better understanding of both their own culture and the cultures of others.

Through this deeper knowledge, it is their hope that relationships can be strengthened, bridging the gap between people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Surely, nothing is as important as giving children the opportunity to explore other customs and lore through the eyes of their peers in other settings, with the hope that knowledge of, and respect for cultural diversity will mold them into young people and adults who dispel negative stereotypes and personal biases about different linguistic and cultural groups.