Hello, hello! Welcome to, or back to, Young Adulting. I am incredibly excited to be back and sharing all things Young Adulting in our first newsletter of the new year. I hope everyone has had some time to settle into 2026 as we officially shed the Year of the Snake on February 16th. While some of us might be leaving things in 2025, Young Adulting isn’t one of them.
We have lots of fun news to share, books to recommend, and authors to introduce you to in the coming months, but before we charge ahead, let me share what you might have missed since our last newsletter!
- Jayce Desjarlais reviewed Cynthia Leitich Smith’s middle grade novel, On a Wing and a Tear. You can join Melanie “Mel” Roberts, Ray Halfmoon, Grampa Halfmoon and the legendary Great-Grandfather Bat on an adventure featuring storytelling traditions of Muscogee People, and Indigenous storytelling in general. You can read the whole review here!
- Peihwen J. Tai reviewed the highly anticipated YA novel, Coldwire, by Chloe Gong. Tai sets up the review with a teaser: “In the 2050s, with catastrophic sea levels and air pollution abundant, human society has moved to “upcountry,” a virtual-reality world owned by the conglomerate NileCorp.” Read the rest here!
- Unlike our usual reviews of picture books, middle grade, and YA novels, Gwyneth Bignell got the chance to review Mindworks: An Uncanny Compendium of Short Fiction by Neal Shusterman. This short story collection combines sci-fi, horror, dystopian fiction, the supernatural, and family drama with an eclectic array of narratives. Basically, if you like weird, wild, and strange (in the best of ways), this could be the collection for you. Read on for the full review here.
- Our most recent review was for Clara Kumagai’s sophomore YA novel, Songs for Ghosts. “From modern-day teenage woes to the tragic, powerful history of the past, Songs for Ghosts is a poignant novel about grief, cultural identity, and the courage it takes to face what haunts us. Though rich with supernatural elements, the story remains deeply grounded and real.” Read the full review here.
- We also had the pleasure of interviewing Clara Kumagai to talk all things Songs for Ghosts. In this exchange, Clara shares novel inspiration, talks character development and voice, themes, and even her personal stance on ghosts. You can read the interview here!
Keep an eye out for our upcoming reviews!
Industry Events and News
Fold Academy is hosting a free webinar all about author branding on February 21st! This session will teach you “how to cultivate a brand and build an audience through social media. Find out how you can use your storytelling skills and creativity to create buzz, boost visibility, and attract a fandom of loyal and enthusiastic readers.” This session will be led by Xio Axelrod and the full specs can be found here.
While Galentines and Valentines Day might have passed us by, The Fold has just put out their interview with romance author Farah Heron to talk about romance novels and writing emotionally rich love stories. For any romance writers looking for advice, guidance, and just a fun chat, click on over here to watch and listen.
For our last highlight from the Fold (not at all affiliated or sponsored by the way, I just really love the events The Fold puts on), they have posted their book recommendations for Black History Month! This list has both fiction and non fiction pieces featuring 30 novels from Black Canadian authors. Check that list out here.
Switching gears, if you’re an aspiring author wondering what editors and agents are looking for, any advice they have, and general guidance, well, you might be in luck. Earlier this month, The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators held its 2026 Virtual Winter Conference to talk about all of those things! They’ve now posted the highlights for you to read. Find out what Nick Thomas, executive editor at Levine Querido, Elise McMullen-Ciotti, senior executive editor at Lee & Low and Tu Books, Agent Adriana Dominguez at Aevitas Creative Management, and Kate Schafer Testerman, founder and president of KT Literary, had to say, here.
Looking ahead, Telling Tales’ StoryScapes will be hosting a virtual event with author, Marty Chan, on March 12th at 9:15AM ET. This free workshop will share how picture books are made, as well as the art behind them. You can register and learn more here.
Submissions
- The Writer’s Union of Canada has extended their deadline for the Short Prose Competition! You now have until February 23rd to submit your 2,500 word short story.
They share: “The Writers’ Union of Canada invites submissions to its 33rd 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, and the entries of the winner and eleven finalists will be submitted to three Canadian magazines for consideration. “
So, if you’ve been sitting on a story or have been hesitant to send it out, let this be the sign to go for it! Read the submissions guidelines here.
- If you’re over 18 and Canadian, Kids Can Press is accepting the following manuscript submissions:
- 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
- Graphic novels (fiction and nonfiction) for ages 5-8 / 6-9 / 7-10 / 8-12
To find out more, read the full specs here.
- Annick Press is open for submissions as well!
They share that “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. We also encourage illustrators to submit their portfolios for consideration. Our books aim to empower readers, open minds, and create a lifelong love of reading. They feature contemporary themes (even if the setting is historical) and center kids’ perspectives and experiences.”
So, if you’ve got your manuscripts ready, polish them up and follow the submission guidelines found here.
Job Opportunities:
- Hachette Book Group is looking for a Publicity Intern! This part-time, four month internship is based out of Toronto where you’ll work in office one day a week, and then remotely for two days of the week.
If you like managing social media content, are keen to reach out to book bloggers and influencers, are highly organized, and work well in small team environments, this might be the internship for you! Find out more and apply here!
- Second Story Press is looking for a Marketing Coordinator! If you love the marketing side of the book world and live in Toronto (or are willing to move there), throw your name into the ring before February 27th! Find the full specs here.
- HarperCollins Canada is looking for an intern in Brand Publishing. This 12 month contract is out of Toronto.
The job summary is as follows: “Reporting to the Assistant Manager, Brand Publishing, and supporting the Product Manager, the Intern will get a broad overview of the Harlequin brand publishing and product strategy efforts within the Core Series Publishing team, which deals exclusively with category romance. The Intern will gain experience in a variety of areas within book publishing, product management, and brand strategy.
This team works closely with the brand marketing, editorial, art and sales departments to develop and raise awareness for books under the Harlequin Brand publishing umbrella across a wide variety of genres.”
If that sounds inspiring to you, apply here!
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. And remember to keep up with us on on Instagram!
Take care, and happy reading,
The Young Adulting Editors
YOUNG ADULTING 