It’s finally April! And while the dreaded end of term draws near, there is hope yet—for so too does summer! We here at Young Adulting hope you’ve been squeezing in a good book or two during this busy time of year. If you need recommendations, we’ve got you covered.
YAing Updates
In our April author spotlight, Managing Editor Hannah Luppe interviewed comic book artist, illustrator, writer, and adoptee rights activist Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom. Her work revolves around issues of racism, representation, identity and the politics of transnational and transracial adoption. She has published two graphic novels: Palimpsest (2016), an autobiographical account of her search for her Korean family, and The Excavated Earth (2022), which follows adoptees who were stolen from their families in Chile and sold for adoption to Sweden. She is currently working on her third book, which again deals with adoptees; this time, the focus is on mental health, trauma, and the alarming lack of support from a society that consistently has turned its back on suffering adoptees. She recently returned to Busan, South Korea, where she was born, where she lives with her partner, two children and a cat.
My hope was to help other adopted people who, just like me, felt that their voices had been silenced, feel encouraged to speak up. I also wanted non-adopted people to realise that adoption is very much a story, a narrative, that very often covers up painful truths about both how adoptions are carried out but also what adopted people carry around and what challenges we are faced with. Palimpsest unravels a lot of that to show that adoptions may not be the glossy, one-sided story we’re so used to hearing about. Adoption is not comfortable, and our stories shouldn’t be either.
Writing and drawing about these topics have helped me realise just that: adoption is a story. Many non-adopted people like to tell us what we’re supposed to think and feel about our adoptions, our adoptive families, the way we look, our first cultures and families left behind, and often they completely miss out that these things may be deeply painful and difficult for us. There’s a reason why the concept of “coming out of the fog” is such a big thing among adopted people because it means we’re fighting against the stories we’ve been fed and start speaking our truths.
5 Questions for Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom
We’ve also published some marvellous reviews. Here’s a recap:
- “Those who live around Vancouver will recognize familiar places, streets, and nature illustrated throughout this book. I found myself lighting up when I saw landmarks I recognized – it was like an inside joke shared with the author, a hidden nugget for a home that I don’t often see depicted on the page.” Maia Dueck reviews The Gulf by Adam De Souza
- “Hunter is a Giesel Award honoree. Her whimsical illustrations in pen and pencil and the speech bubbles of the mouse filled entirely with the typewritten word “squeak” add charm and humour to this tale. The minimal colour palette, expressive animal illustrations cross-hatched in fine pen, and a pale blue sky throughout the book accentuate a simple story.” Vanessa Bedford Gill reviews Baby Squeaks by Anne Hunter
- “The illustrations in ‘Ploof’ uncover new mediums of storytelling flair. The familiar imperfect textures of crayons, oil pastels, bath bubbles, and bright blue skies painted with cotton further complement the intimate one-to-one dialogue for new readers. Alongside the use of soft colours and simple textual presentation, the illustrations communicate a multitude of expressions.” Cherilyn Ahn reviews Ploof by Ben Clanton and Andy Chou Musser
As always, check back every Thursday and every other Tuesday for more reviews of upcoming and new releases.
Industry News
A reminder that FOLD 2024 is coming up and registration is open! The festival runs from April 28 – May 5. Events April 28 – May 1 will be VIRTUAL, while events May 2 – 5 will be offered IN-PERSON. Check out their website to view this year’s fantastic schedule and register for tickets.
The Canadian Children’s Book Centre is seeking passionate and dedicated individuals to serve on the Board of Directors. Candidates are invited to apply up until April 19. Learn more about the role here!
The webinar Get Published! Writing Fiction for Young Readers is being hosted by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre on Saturday, May 11. The panel of industry professionals includes authors Vicki Grant and Michelle Kadarusman, and Patricia Ocampo, Senior Editor, Kids Can Press. Register here!
CANSCAIP’s Writing for Children Competition is on the horizon! As Canada’s largest competition for unpublished children’s writers, this is a great opportunity for emerging authors to get their work for young readers recognized. Click here to learn more!
DC Canada’s One Story a Day Writing Contest is accepting story entries from students in Grades 1-6. The deadline for entries is May 1, 2024, and the top three winners in each category will receive a cash prize and be published in an illustrated storybook. Learn more here!
As always, please do send us your news related to children’s and young adult literature at young.adulting@ubc.ca so we can feature them in future newsletters. Our newsletter is published on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. And remember to keep up with us on Twitter and Instagram!
Take care, and happy reading,
The Young Adulting Editors
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