YOUNG ADULTING

Hello everyone, we hope you’re all doing okay and staying safe and warm! Spring is just around the corner… right? We’re going to be optimistic.

YAing Updates

First off, we have some fantastic YA and picture book reviews to update you on: Stranded by Jocelyn Shipley, Ten Little Dumplings by Larissa Fan, and Wicked Fox by Kat Cho. Be sure to check them out! 

We also have our first illustrator interview with Canadian artist, writer, and picture book illustrator, Akem! Sit down with her 5 Questions for Akem to learn more about the world of a picture book illustrator.

Call for Papers

The Department of Taiwanese Literature, National Cheng Kung University, and The Taiwan Children’s Literature Research Association is holding an international conference on November 20, 2021, titled “Modernity, Memory, and Asian Childhood.” You can find details of the CFP here. 

Also, just a reminder that “Fresh from the Fight”, the Biennial Graduate Student Children’s Literature Conference, is still accepting submissions for their CFP until February 28, 2021. 

The conference will be fully online, and take place from July 2-4, 2021. You can find details about the CFP here. 

Upcoming Events

• Feb. 24: Penguin Teen Canada is returning with Zoom Trivia in honour of Black History Month: Black and Buzzworthy Edition at 7:30 PM EST. Sign up as a solo player or as a team of up to four players and register before Tuesday, February 23, to make sure you receive your trivia sheet doc and Zoom meeting link!
  • Have some virtual fun and test your trivia chops with the Penguin Teen Canada and Indigo Teen crew. Expect conversation and questions from these incredible YA authors who will be Zooming in:
    • Namina Forna (The Gilded Ones)
    • Amanda Joy (A River of Royal Blood, A Queen of Gilded Horns)
    • Frederick Joseph (The Black Friend)

• March 9: The School Library Journal is hosting their third annual Middle Grade Magic virtual event, a day-long celebration of authors and creators dedicated to crafting literature for children ages eight through 12. 
• Ongoing: The Penguin Young Readers School & Library Instagram account has some amazing author chats, including Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson, and other awesome creators.
• Coming up: The Toronto Comic Arts Festival will be taking place virtually on May 8-15, 2021. Although it won’t be the usual hustle and bustle, it is still sure to be a great event! You can also still apply to exhibit at TCAF 2021 until March 3, 2021. 

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 newsletters are published on the 2nd and 4th Monday each month.

Take care, and happy reading,

The Young Adulting Editors