Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

When: 26 May 2012, Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Where: the Cultural Center of the Philippines Hosts: Philippine chapter - Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) YA author, journalist, cultural promoter, translator, and language and intercultural communication teacher Tanya Tynjälä (SCBWI Peru/Finland) will conduct a workshop on writing stories for children and young adults. The lectures and exercises will be based on the work of Soviet formalist scholar Vladimir Propp who analyzed the basic plot components of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest irreducible narrative elements. This workshop is open to anyone age 18 and above who is a published or aspiring writer, or who teaches or wants to teach creative writing for children and young adults. Fee: Includes lunch, transferrable, nonrefundable P800 if you register on or before April 20 P1000 if you register April 20 to May 15 P1200 if you register aft...

Been following him since his Harvard days! Jeremy Lin: Rising Star by James Buckley, Jr. (Scholastic Paperbacks, 1 April 2012)

The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the Philippines' longest-running literary competition, aims to help develop Philippine literature by providing incentives for writers to craft their most outstanding literary works, serving as a treasury of Philippine literary gems, and assisting in the dissemination of Philippine literature to the public. Writers may now submit their entries for this year's competition, in categories including: English Division - Short Story for Children English Division - Poetry for Children Filipino Division - Maikling Kuwentong Pambata Filipino Division - Tulang Pambata English Kabataan Division (writers below 18 years old) - Kabataan Essay: “In the advent of e-books, do I still consider printed books to be an important part of education?” Filipino Kabataan Division (writers below 18 years old) - Kabataan Sanaysay: “Sa paglaganap ng e-books, maituturing ko pa bang mahalagang bahagi ng edukasyon ang mga nakalimbag na aklat?” The competition ...

The Hans Christian Andersen Award , considered the most prestigious international children’s literature award, is given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made lasting contributions to children's literature. The winners for the 2012 award will be announced on Monday, March 19 at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Among the five short-listed authors and five short-listed illustrators selected from 57 candidates submitted by 32 national sections of the IBBY is Iran's Mohammad Ali Beniasadi. Congratulations! :o) The other Asian candidates were writers Masamoto Nasu (Japan), Sun-mi Hwang (Republic of Korea), and Sevim Ak (Turkey), and illustrators Satoshi Kako (Japan), Seong-Chan Hong (Republic of Korea), and Feridun Oral (Turkey).

Today is the launch of Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction (Stone Bridge Press), an anthology of thirty-six Japan teen stories. Proceeds from the sales of Tomo will go directly to long-term relief efforts for the teens displaced by the March 11, 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami disasters. Buying this book will help pay the educational expenses of these affected teens! Tomo is edited by Holly Thompson and the stories are by authors and illustrators from all around the world who share a connection to Japan, including Andrew Fukuda, Tak Toyoshima, Alan Gratz, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, and Shogo Oketani. Visit the Tomo blog for more information and please do everything you can to support the book. I'll be posting my reviews and interviews as soon as I can!

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) has announced the winners of the 2012 Alcala Illustrators' Prize. The grand prize goes to Hubert Fucio, and honorable mentions go to Aldy Aguirre, Dominic Agsaway, and Jonathan Rañola. Congratulations! Click here to see the winning illustrations! (I am impressed by the details in Fucio's illustrations and my personal favorites are the adorable illustrations by Agsaway.) For inquiries about the Alcala Illustrators' Prize, please email the PBBY Secretariat at pbby@adarna.com.ph.

It's almost that time of the year again: the Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) at the Arts House in Singapore! The 2012 AFCC is for the entire community of children’s content creators. The schedule for the festival is as follows: * Primary & Preschool Teachers Congress - May 26 * Parents Forum - May 27 * Asian Children's Writers & Illustrators Conference - May 28 and 29 * Media Summit - May 29 * Media Mart & Rights Fair - May 26 to 29 Speakers include Leonard S. Marcus, children's literature critic, author, and historian; Alvina Ling, editorial director at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Suzy Lee, artist and picture book extraordinaire; Margarita Engle, poet, novelist, and journalist; Candy Gourlay, Jomike Tejido, Russell Molina, and Isabel Roxas, all popular and award-winning Filipino children's book creators. You MUST be at the 2012 AFCC, to learn from top-notch authors, illustrators, editors, publishers, educators, and book reviewer...

The 2012 Bologna Ragazzi Awards for the best children's books in terms of graphic and editorial design have been announced. Champagne, cake, confetti, coffee, and CONGRATULATIONS go to: New Horizons - Mentions Misunderstanding , written by Farideh Khalatbaree and illustrated by Ali Boozari (Shabaviz Publishing Company, Tehran – Iran) Waterlife , written and illustrated by Rambharos Jha (Tara Books, Chennai – India) Opera Prima - Winner Tabati , written by Nadine R. L. Touma and illustrated by Lara Assouad Khoury (Dar Onboz, Beirut - Lebanon) Opera Prima - Mention Grimmie's White Canvas , written and illustrated by Hyunjoo Lee (Sang Publishing, Seoul – Republic of Korea) Thanks to my friend Jules , one of the Ragazzi jurors, for this information!

Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2 Oct. 2012) I cannot even begin to express all my fangirl feelings right now.