Campus is bustling, the leaves are turning, and books are being borrowed from the library at an astounding rate. ‘Tis the beginning of term! At Young Adulting, we cannot wait for another fantastic year full of books, books, and—you guessed it—more books! Here’s what we’ve been up to since I last wrote:
YAing Updates
First, let’s start with what’s been going on here at Young Adulting this month. In our September author spotlight, managing editor Hannah Luppe interviews Trung Le Nguyen, graphic novelist and author of The Magic Fish. He has been nominated for an Eisner, a prize at Angoulême (France), a GLAAD award, and has won two Harvey Awards and a Romics (Italy). Trung talks different artistic mediums and the darker versions of fairy tales.
We sometimes talk about the Disneyfication of these old stories, the broken fragments of a glass slipper sanded down into harmless beads, but I think most people know that the old tales are different and darker. And it’s sort of a dream-logic, right? For people who occupy marginalized identities, it’s difficult to see or articulate the precise ways systems and institutions affect our lives, so that nightmare imagery that pervades fairy tales can really get at the unknowably horrible feeling that our lives might seismically shift at any moment because of legislation we have no hand in. We’re sort of infantilized in that way. It’s the same sort of fear children experience. What terrible, unknowable things happen in the world of adults that might change your life forever at those early stages when the next bad thing that happens to you is literally the worst thing you’ve ever weathered? It’s not really complex or deep. I think the darkest threads in fairy tales just make sense to the part of us that is afraid.
We’ve also published some marvellous reviews. Here’s a recap:
- “Decoding Dot Grey is a tender story about a teenage girl navigating personal loss for the first time, distancing herself from her worst memories, and trying to find refuge in animals instead.” GiGi Kang reviews Decoding Dot Grey by Nicola Davison.
- “The subtlety through which Delaney reveals his best qualities—the passion he has for restoring his wife’s precious beehives, his muted love for his family—is a great strength of the novel, establishing an affectionate and tender atmosphere. Here, Delaney demonstrates that each grieving journey can be unique, and that’s just fine.” GiGi Kang reviews The Big Sting by Rachelle Delaney.
- “Loyalty, sacrifice, loss, and love form the foundations of Chain of Thorns, exploring relatable themes of grief and relationships in a fantasy world.” Srijaa Chatterjee reviews Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare.
- “If You Cry Like A Fountain is a children’s picture book about the benefits of letting oneself cry. It follows a sad pink worm as he learns that it’s alright for him to express his emotions, and that there are great benefits of doing so. This book reveals crying can actually be a really important way to express how we’re feeling and could help introduce this idea to young readers who tend to bottle up their emotions.” Gabrielle Tselos reviews If You Cry Like A Fountain by Noemi Vola.
- “What I really appreciated about Someone is Always Watching is the strength of Blythe’s voice. As the main character, the story is told from her first-person point of view, and I could feel her feelings with her, moment by shocking moment.” Evelyn Hussey reviews Someone is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong.
As always, check back every Thursday and every other Tuesday for more reviews of upcoming and new releases.
Industry News
The Annick Press Mentorship Program supports works in progress of emerging writers whose access to children’s publishing may have been limited. This opportunity provides guidance on development of book ideas for children and young adults and insight into the editorial process and the publishing industry. Please read the submission guidelines here. The deadline to submit your application is September 29, 2023 at 5:00 PM, EST.
Diaspora Dialogues is offering a Long Form Mentorship for novels, short story collections, creative non-fiction/memoir and invites submissions from emerging writers who currently have a full or near-full draft of a manuscript. The deadline to apply is October 31, 2023. Please see their submission guidelines here.
A reminder that Kids Can Press is currently accepting submissions for both writers and illustrators! Check out their submission guidelines for writers here, and their submission guidelines for illustrators here.
Registration for FOLD Kids Book Fest opens September 27, 2023! FOLD Kids Book Fest is an annual literary festival dedicated to engaging young readers, inspiring future writers, and empowering incredible educators. The festival is a multimodal, hosting virtual, in-person and hybrid storytelling events from November 1-5, 2023.
A reminder that Word Vancouver, Western Canada’s largest free literary arts festival, is on the horizon. Word is hosting in-person events on September 16th at UBC Robson Square Park and September 23rd at the Surrey City Centre Library. They are also in need of volunteers—click here to sign up and learn more.
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
YOUNG ADULTING 