Happy New Year from all of us here at Young Adulting! Here’s to a 2024 full of more fantastic reviews, news, and interviews. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning, or are just now joining us, welcome! We have some exciting plans in store for our little corner of the internet this year, and we can’t wait to share them with you. So, without further ado, here’s the latest in the children’s and young adult publishing industry:
YAing Updates
In our January author spotlight, managing editor Hannah Luppe interviews YA author Clara Kumagai. Clara Kumagai is from Canada, Japan and Ireland. Her fiction and non-fiction for children and adults has been published in The Stinging Fly, The Irish Times, Banshee, Room, The Kyoto Journal and Cicada, among others. She is a recipient of a We Need Diverse Books Mentorship, and was a finalist for the 2020 Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers Award. Catfish Rolling is her debut novel.
I write different genres for adults as well as young people, but I always knew that this novel would be YA. I think that teenage years are full of change, conflict, and learning—all very rich areas for story and character. I’m quite character-driven, so having characters that are learning about themselves and the world around them can really lead a story for me. The books I read as a teenager were very significant and inspirational to me, and it’s particularly important to me that I have diverse characters in my writing, because that’s really what I wanted (and didn’t see) in the books I read when I was younger.
Don’t forget to check out our recorded conversation for extra content!
We’ve also published some marvellous reviews. Here’s a recap:
- “From start to finish, Bonesmith’s storyline is thrilling, captivating, mysterious, and emotional. There are several twists and turns that made reading an exciting experience, its ending leaving me satisfied but wanting more. I was constantly on the edge of my seat!” Belle Cole reviews Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto
- “Talk Santa to Me goes beyond a heartwarming tale; it imparts essential messages about belief, resilience, and enduring love. Francie’s journey underscores Christmas’s true essence – the gifts of hope, love, and family are far more important than material possessions.” Esar Rabadi reviews
Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban - “To tell a story that is inherently drenched in heartache, not to mention to such a young audience, requires much tact. Vicki Grant has not taken this responsibility lightly; with her expert hand, she has infused a sorrowful story with just the right amount of comfort, hope, and sparkle.” Alicia L’Archevêque reviews A Green Velvet Secret by Vicki Grant
- “The world of Spell Bound is incredibly immersive, creating distinct environments that drew me in. Lukens’ also captures the often awkward, new, and exciting adolescent experience of budding relationships and crushes through Sun and Rook’s endearing ‘grumpy and sunshine’ dynamic.” Maia Dueck reviews Spell Bound by F. T. Lukens
As always, check back every Thursday and every other Tuesday for more reviews of upcoming and new releases.
Industry News
Diapora Dialogues is hosting a number of free zoom Lunch N Learn events at 12:30pm EST, including The Ins and Outs of Self-Publishing on January 16, Romance Writing 101 on January 30, and Deep Dive Into the Writing Process on February 13! Click the links above to register.
The FOLD 2024 Reading challenge is out, with January’s challenge being to read a book by a Palestinian author. Check out their list of fantastic book recommendations here.
FOLD is also hosting the writing workshop session Writing Commercial Fiction with Kern Carter January 13 at 12pm EST! Click here for free registration.
For all our podcast lovers: check out this new fictional YA podcast entitled Handsome Molly! Based on the novel Restoring Harmony by Joëlle Anthony, Handsome Molly takes place in a too-close-for-comfort dystopian future on Canada’s west coast. There, climate disaster, economic collapse, viruses, rampant crime, and dissolving infrastructure prompt teenager, Molly Masamoto, to embark on a dangerous adventure from Vancouver to Portland to help save her family and community. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
The Toronto Star is hosting their 2024 short story contest! The contest begins at 12:01am EST on Saturday, January 6, 2024 and ends at 5:00pm EST, Wednesday, February 28, 2024. Click here to learn more!
The 2024 CBC Non-Fiction Prize is now open! You can submit original, unpublished nonfiction that is up to 2,000 words. There is no minimum word requirement. Nonfiction includes memoir, biography, humour writing, essay (including personal essay), travel writing and feature articles. Click here to learn more.
FOLD Pitch Perfect submissions is back! This year, they are looking for Memoir, Non-Fiction, Commercial & Literary Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Thrillers, and Speculative Fiction. Apply by February 1, 2024, at 11:59 pm for a chance to receive feedback on an excerpt of your work. Click here to 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 