YAing News: Week of September 8th

Posted on by youngadultingubc

Hey there, folks! Welcome (back) to Young Adulting! As the school year begins, we have to do the tremendously hard work of saying goodbye to summer. As devastated as I am knowing our sunny weather is coming to an end, I’m excited for Young Adulting to be back up and running. As returning folks may have noticed, we took a little hiatus through July and August. In that time, we received and sent out some new arcs and we’ve also acquired some new reviewers! Rest assured, for anyone feeling sad about the impending fall and winter, we’ve got some exciting stuff coming. If that isn’t enough, just remember, there’s almost nothing better than curling up with a warm drink and a great book while it’s gloomy outside…right???

To start off the new school year, we’re back with a newsletter to highlight some interviews and reviews you might have missed, industry news, submission calls, and job postings. So, without further ado, lets jump into it.

What you might have missed…

While we were on a hiatus, we did manage to sneak in a few author interviews between July and August:

  • Chantaie Allick was our July feature and shared all about her debut picture book, Amoya Blackwood Is Brave. “Chantaie is a writer, freelance journalist, strategist and consultant. She’s a storyteller and communicator at her core. She helps business owners and creators share their unique stories with the world. Chantaie is based in Toronto.” You can read the whole interview here!
  • Once you’ve read Chantaie’s interview, you can click on over to read our review of Amoya Blackwood Is Brave. As a sneak peek, this beautifully bold and vibrant picture book features an inspiring protagonist readers are bound to root for.
  • In August, we had the pleasure of interviewing the wonderfully talented and funny, Scott Rothman. He shared all about his picture book, Warm and Fuzzy! Scott is a writer of picture books, screenplays, theater, and humor pieces. Scott’s book WARM AND FUZZY (Tundra, illustrated by Brian Won) received a starred review from Booklist who called it a “fun and helpful read about overcoming anxieties.” You can read his full bio and answers here!
  • I’m sure you can guess, but we also reviewed Warm and Fuzzy. It’s a hilarious picture book that readers will delight in. With an incredibly relatable protagonist for any youngsters familiar with anxiety, this is a must read. You can find the review here!

We’ll have our next batch of reviews out this coming Thursday, next Tuesday, and the following Thursday, so keep your eyes peeled for your next recommended read!

Industry News

As you may have heard, Alberta’s Education and Childcare Minister, Demetrios Nicolaides, had called for changes made in school libraries back in July. This order called for books containing “explicit sexual content” to be made unavailable in school libraries. A list of over 200 books to be banned was released, including many classics, as well as many novels containing queer themes and characters.

This move has received much pushback and has been highly contested, to such a degree that, on September 3rd, the ministry released a new statement to share they’d be putting a pause on the restrictions until they can rewrite the order.

As of yesterday, September 7th, news hit that these restrictions will be limited to books containing explicit imagery rather than written descriptions. We’ll have to wait and see exactly what the new order reads, but in the meantime, this can be seen as a reminder that voices pooled together can be heard.

Industry Events

Vancouver Writer’s Fest is nearly here! “The 38th annual Vancouver Writers Fest takes place from October 20–26, 2025, featuring a scintillating lineup of exceptional books, ideas, and dialogue in 87 events.” Tickets go live today, September 9th at 10AM for VWF Members,
September 11th at 8AM for schools, and September 16th at 10AM for the general public. Check out the current event list here!

The FOLD Canada is back with FOLD Academy. This means some great free events are in store.

  • The FOLD has also organized a talk with bestselling author, R.F. Kuang. This event takes place September 15th at the Rose Theatre. Full details can be found here!

Volunteer and Job Opportunities:

For teens looking to build up their resume and get some community service hours in, VPL’s Fraserview Branch is looking for Reading Buddies! If you’re interested in helping youngsters with their reading skills, check out this volunteer opportunity.

Another great way to get involved is by way of the 2025 Vancouver Writer’s Fest. This runs October 20–26 and they’re looking for volunteers. Anyone age 16+ is welcome to apply. See the different things volunteers can do and read the specs here!

Now, if you’re looking to get paid, the Saskatoon Public Library is looking for a Writer In Residence. Applications are open until November 15th. From the application page: “The Writer in Residence is a full-time term position open to writers from across Canada who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents. This individual acts as a mentor to writers in and around Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, reviewing manuscripts and providing criticism and advice about publishing. The Writer offers individual consultations, group workshops and programs, author readings and participates in other special events during their residency.” Interested? You can find out more here!

VPL is also hiring for two part time positions at their Collingwood Branch and West Point Grey Branch. As long as you’ve completed grade 12, and have some relevant course experience, you might just be the next Library Public Service Associate I. You can read more about the positions available here! Applications close September 15th so prep your cover letter quick!

Submissions

Exciting opportunities await you here!

  • Annick Press is currently accepting submissions of picture books, early chapter books, middle grade fiction, YA fiction, graphic novels, and non-fiction for kids of all ages. You can read more about the submission guidelines here!
  • Today is your last chance to submit to The FOLD’s Pitch Perfect Kidlit Edition! “Whether you have a picture book, early reader, or middle grade manuscript, this is an incredible opportunity to get your work in front of the right people. Don’t miss out—submit your pitch now!” For full details, click here!
  • Kids Can Press is currently accepting submissions from Canadian authors! They want: Non-rhyming picture books for ages 3–5 / 3–7 / 4–8, Nonfiction for ages 5–8 / 7–10 / 8–12 / 10–14, Fiction for ages 6–9 / 7–10 / 8–12 /10–14, and Graphic novels (fiction and nonfiction) for ages 5-8 / 6-9 / 7-10 / 8-12. To find out more, check out their webpage.

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.

Take care, and happy reading,

The Young Adulting Editors

Leave a comment