Welcome back, dear readers! We hope you’ve been enjoying these past few sunshine-y days! It’s time for another update, so set that new romance book on your nightstand, have some chocolate, and let’s dive into all the books and news we’ve been loving here at Young Adulting.
YAing Updates
In our February author spotlight, managing editor Hannah Luppe interviews YA author Jen Ferguson. Jen Ferguson (she/her) is Métis and white, an activist, a feminist, an auntie, and an accomplice armed with a PhD. She believes writing, teaching and beading are political acts. Her debut YA novel, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet (Heartdrum/HarperCollins) won a 2022 Governor General’s Literary Award and is a 2023 Stonewall Honor Book. Jen’s second YA novel with Heartdrum, Those Pink Mountain Nights, has four starred reviews so far and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection.
Earrings by: Savage Rose Designs
I’ve said something like this before but it’s worth repeating: if readers leave Those Pink Mountain Nights being a little bit more able to see the systems that hurt us all, but that as a society we’ve agreed are invisible, if readers leave my books seeing those systems a little more clearly, then I’ve done my job. But also, I hope readers enjoy themselves, step into the minds and hearts of people who think and feel differently than them. I hope readers get angry and also cheer. I hope readers squee at the parts where hardened characters show their soft underbellies to each other.
5 Questions for Jen Ferguson
We’ve also published some marvellous reviews. Here’s a recap:
- “Dive into the twisted corridors of Book of Screams, a novel of chilling, middle-grade short stories written by Jeff Szpirglas with illustrations by Steven Hughes. These tales will certainly leave you questioning the shadows lurking in corners.” Hooria Bilal reviews Book of Screams by Jeff Szpirglas
- “With such an engaging and energetic topic, the underlying message of acceptance and community is integrated so perfectly by Cummins. We see how this young child enjoys playing with everyone at the pool, and, of course, how their supportive mother frequently checks in to remind them to put on sunscreen and eat lunch.” Gabrielle Tselos reviews Our Pool by Lucy Ruth Cummins
- “As I opened the first page, the first thing to strike me was the illustrations. They are so beautiful and delightful to admire. It took me longer than I expected to finish reading the book because I was so transfixed by them. The illustrations provide a lovely aesthetic that enhances the story and setting of the book, breathing life and character into the Brontë children.” Belle Cole reviews The Little Books of the Little Brontës by by Sara O’Leary and Briony May Smith
- “Barnett’s narrative explores this simple premise with several such creative possibilities that are silly, clever, and brilliantly funny all at once. The story unfolds as the readers follow Santa down the chimney, and into the house as he leaves presents under the tree and gobbles up a plate of cookies, possibly with his special night vision abilities.” Zobia Alam reviews How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett, illus. Jon Klassen
- “This is a beautiful book that really has it all. Based on real and tragic events that took place in Dutch island communities during the 1950s, it is a gripping adventure story which offers a moving and detailed portrait of life at the time.” Lisa Matthewson reviews When the Dikes Breached by Martha Attema
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. The final one is TODAY! Click the link for Deep Dive Into the Writing Process to register.
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.
Published by the University of Toronto Press, Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed academic journal has announced a rolling deadline for submissions! Their mandate is to publish research on and to provide a forum for discussion about cultural productions for, by, and about young people. Check out their website here, and their submission guidelines here.
Diaspora Dialogues is accepting applications for short-form mentorship! They invite submissions from emerging writers across Canada including short stories or creative nonfiction less than 3,000 words in length; or up to 5 poems! Learn more about their mentorship program here!
The Writers’ Union of Canada invites submissions to its 31st annual Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers. Unpublished works of fiction and nonfiction up to 2,500 words in English are eligible, and writers may submit multiple entries. A $2,500 prize will be awarded to the winner. The deadline to submit is February 19! Check out more info here.
Check out this clip from the UBC Creative Writing Department’s “An Insider’s Guide to Children’s Publishing” panel! This segment provides insight on the industry for anyone looking to publish children’s literature or pursue careers in publishing.
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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