Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

I'm excited to introduce you all to Foreshadow: A Serial YA Anthology , a unique new online venue for young adult short stories, with a commitment to showcasing underrepresented voices, boosting emerging writers, and highlighting the beauty and power of young adult fiction. Each month this year we will publish an issue featuring three stellar young adult stories -- original work from acclaimed writers and new voices who have been specially selected by your favorite authors. For example, this month we have stories from New York Times bestselling author Courtney Summers , award-winning author Brandy Colbert , and Maya Prasad (a new voice selected by New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith). Our next and final deadline for submissions is April 1, 2019 and we are especially looking for stories from people of color and Indigenous writers; LGBTQIA+ and gender diverse writers; writers with disabilities; and religious, ethnic, and cult...

Scholastic , the global children’s publishing, education and media company, is giving a chance to Filipino writers living in Asia to submit a short synopsis and the opening pages of their unpublished chapter book or novel and stand a chance to be shortlisted to receive a review and written feedback from the man who discovered J.K. Rowling, Mr. Barry Cunningham. In partnership with   the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) , You Write to Me, I'll Write to You is a manuscript critique initiative of   the Scholastic Asian Book Award (SABA)   in an effort to further encourage and inspire Asian writers. The manuscript critique initiative aspires to motivate writers while assisting them to get their manuscript in shape and recognizing excellence in Asian writings. A total of six entries (the brief synopses and opening pages of six manuscripts) will be shortlisted to receive a review and written feedback from Mr. Cunningham, and only the most outstanding ...

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) and the National Book Development Board (NBDB) are pleased to present to you the winners of the 4 th National Children’s Book Awards (NCBA), the b est Filipino children's and young adult books published in 2014 and 2015. Dumaan si Butiki Written by Mary Gigi Constantino Illustrated by Ray Sunga Published by Adarna House, Inc. Judges' citation: Sino ang mag-aakala na eksayting ang paglalakbay ng isang butiki? Sobrang nakakaaliw ang pagsulpot-sulpot kung saan-saang bahagi ng bahay ng butiki sa kuwento. Ang simpleng texto ay nagamit pa upang ituro ang konsepto ng kabaliktaran, sa paraang kaaya-aya. Kung kaya, hindi ka magsasawa sa pagsubaybay sa lahat ng dinaanan ni Butiki. Haluhalo Illustrated by Eli F. Camacho Published by Adarna House, Inc. Judges' citation: Ang aklat na ito, ay kumpleto sa sangkap, puwera lang sa salita. Marami itong iba't ibang kulay, siksik sa tamis at um...

Welcome to the Janus Silang blog tour! Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak ng Tabon is a new Filipino young adult novel written by Edgar Calabia Samar and published by Adarna House . We're kicking off the blog tour with a cover reveal and first chapter preview. Check out the cover below! Here is a blurb about the novel: Sa tournament ng TALA Online sa bayan ng Balanga, namatay ang lahat ng manlalaro maliban kay Janus. Sunod-sunod pa ang naging kaso ng pagkamatay ng mga kabataan sa computer shops sai ba’t ibang panig ng bansa. Kinontak si Janus ng nagpakilalang Joey, isa rin umano sa mga nakaligtas sa paglalaro ng TALA na gaya niya. Hindi inasahan ni Janus ang mga matutuklasan niya mula rito na mag-uugnay sa kanya sa misteryo ng kinahuhumalingan niyang RPG—at sa alamat ng Tiyanak mula sa Tábon! And ohohoho you can read the first chapter here or below! Edgar Calabia Samar will be at National Book Store SM North on May 10 at 3 p.m. Please join us for the book...

The Philippine Boardon Books for Young People (PBBY) formally launches the KABANATA Young Adult Writer’s Workshop with a call for fellowship applications. Slated to begin in October 2014 in Quezon City, KABANATA aims to provide a venue and support system to writers who share in PBBY’s commitment to the promotion of a culture of r eading among Filipino youth by providing this growing population with books that recognize their culture, aspirations, and sense of maturity. For a period of at least six months, fellows accepted to KABANATA will meet monthly for learning sessions with industry experts, and progress discussions with their co-fellows. Upon novel completion, PBBY will help fellows with publication by inviting publishers to bid on the finished works. With this, KABANATA hopes to produce chapter books and young adult novels that will set the bar for similar endeavors to aspire to, and be the growth spurt of what will hopefully become a thriving, diverse, and quality Fi...

This year is the 3rd National Children's Book Awards (NCBA) and the deadline for nominations is this Friday, January 31. Click here to read the NCBA rules and click here to download the NCBA nomination form. The online version of the rules asks for seven copies of each nominated book, but now ten copies of each nominated book must be submitted because more judges (kid judges!) have been added to the awards. I'm already looking forward to the awards ceremony on July 26. :o)

If you are an author, please consider participating in this online auction for the benefit of Typhoon Haiyan victims.   And if you are an illustrator, please consider selling illustrations for the benefit of Typhoon Haiyan victims.

I'd like to congratulate the finalists for the 2013 Filipino Readers' Choice Awards , especially the finalists in the children's picture book category: Ako’y Isang Mabuting Pilipino by Noel Cabangon and Jomike Tejido (Lampara Books)  Mga Saranggola sa Tag-ulan by Eugene Evasco and Bernadette Solina-Wolf (LG&M Corporation)     Ninoy, Cory, and Noynoy by Yvette Fernandez and Abi Goy (Dream Big Books) And the finalists in the novel in English category, all young adult novels! Salingkit: A 1986 Diary by Cyan Abad-Jugo (Anvil)  Voices in the Theater by A.S. Santos (Flipside Publishing)  Woman in a Frame by Raissa Rivera Falgui (Flipside Publishing) If you want to catch the announcement of the winners of the 2013 Filipino Readers' Choice Awards, please attend the 3rd Filipino ReaderCon on Nov. 9 at the Rizal Library of the Ateneo de Manila University!

Please don't forget to like the Facebook page of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) to follow all the different celebrations for National Children's Book Month. ~^o^~

This month's issue of Candy , a magazine for Filipina teens, includes a fiction special! Pretty perfect timing, huh? :o) The fiction special includes three stories for older teens (ages 16-19) which are described as "super short, so-you stories that will change your life." I've read them and I wouldn't say that they will change readers' lives, but the stories are definitely about life changes: "Sparrows" by Leslie Lipa is about losing a mother, "Is there even a future here?" by Joanna Kennedy is about breaking up, and "Arrival" by Marla Miniano is about reuniting with an estranged father. My favorite is "Is there even a future here?" because it's a realistic and entertaining depiction of an "amicable breakup" that I feel will really appeal to older teen readers.   I wonder if Candy features at least one short story every issue. THEY SHOULD!

July 16 is National Children's Book Day in the Philippines! How will you celebrate? Please let me know! Share your celebration plans in the comments section below, or send an email to asiaintheheart@yahoo.com. Your celebration plans will be shared on the official Philippine Board on Books for Young People Facebook page and that way we can all connect and inspire one another for National Children's Book Day. :o) How will *I* be celebrating National Children's Book Day? I think the easiest, simplest, and perhaps best way to celebrate is to read Philippine children's and YA books. When was the last time you read a Philippine picture book to your child before bedtime? Have you read the latest Philippine YA novels? I have a towering, intimidating to-be-read pile of such books and I promise to read as many of them as possible for National Children's Book Day. I, of course, will be blogging about my reading experience!  This blog is about Asian children's and...

I'm admin for the Facebook page of The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) . Please like the page so that you can follow the children's and young adult literature scene in the Philippines! If you check the page now, you'll see pictures from the National Book Development Board's Little Lit Fest in Manila. ~^o^~

The Indonesian Board on Books for Young People is hosting the 1st Asia and Oceania Regional International Board on Books for Young People Congress - May 23 to 26 in Bali! This inaugural congress is open to all children’s literature specialists, writers, illustrators, publishers, librarians, storytellers, educators, and promoters, and will focus on how Asia and Oceania regional stories can play in the world children’s literature market and be used to educate children about respect, understanding, and tolerance in the global multicultural society. I hope to attend this congress one year! Who's going? :o)

In one month, it'll be the 2013 Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) in Singapore! The 2013 AFCC is: The Preschool & Primary Teachers Congress Date: May 25 (Saturday) For: Primary, preschool, and kindergarten teachers; parents; librarians; and language specialists The Parents Forum Date: May 26 (Sunday) For: Parents and children; primary, preschool, and kindergarten teachers; and librarians Seminars Date: May 27 (Monday) For: Writers, illustrators, translators, BLOGGERS (!!!), and industry professionals The Writers & Illustrators Conference Date: May 28-29 (Tuesday-Wednesday) For: Writers, illustrators, publishers, librarians, literary agents, distributors and retailers, translators, teachers, and other professionals related to children’s content The Media Summit Date: May 29 (Wednesday) For: Producers, television and film executives, commissioning editors, comic artists, screenwriters, authors, publishers, app developers, animators, filmm...

To celebrate Bangkok, Thailand being the 2013 UNESCO World Book Capital, some international schools organized the Bangkok Book Awards . Congratulations to the authors, illustrators, and publishers below! Bangkok Book Awards - Picture Book Category Winner The Umbrella Queen , written by Shirin Bridges and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo (Greenwillow Books, 2008) Bangkok Book Awards - Junior Book Category Winner Tua and the Elephant , written by R.P. Harris and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo (Chronicle Books, 2012)   Bangkok Book Awards - Teen Book Category Winner Behind the Painting: And Other Stories by Siburapha (Silkworm Books, 2001)

For having freedom of speech, tons of reading programs, and a strong publishing industry, Bangkok, Thailand is the 2013 UNESCO World Book Capital . To celebrate this honor, international schools in Bangkok are running the Bangkok Book Awards for the best children’s and teen books set in Thailand. I would really like to commend the ten amazing and hardworking librarians from these schools for putting together the awards shortlists. Over three months, they read children's and teen books set in Thailand and chose age-appropriate, high quality books available in English and still in print. Each shortlist includes at least one book by a Thai author and one book by an international author, books set in different parts of Thailand, and at least one book in translation from Thai. You can check out the picture book shortlist here , the junior book shortlist here , and the teen book shortlist here . They are a GREAT way to discover good children's and teen books set in Thailand. =D ...

The Calistro Prize aims to: * promote the creation of Malaysian stories for children and teenagers, * reward excellence of Malaysian content in fiction for children and teenagers, * and support Malaysians writing for children and teenagers. The Calistro Prize 2013 is now open for entries! To be eligible for the prize, stories should be original and unpublished works of at least 6,000 words, written in English, set in Malaysia, and Malaysian in content. Translations of original unpublished works are also welcome. Only one entry per writer is allowed and the closing date for entries is September 30, 2013. The results will be announced on December 31, 2013. The winning story will receive RM8,000 in cash, a medal, and a certificate. Two stories may win merit awards, each with a cash prize of RM1,000, a medal, and a certificate. Click here for all the rules and regulations of the Calistro Prize 2013!

Here are the Philippines' best children's and young adult reads from 2010 and 2011. Congratulations to all the winners of the 2nd National Children's Book Awards! Ang Sampung Bukitkit By Eugene Y. Evasco and Ibarra C. Crisostomo LG&M Ay, Naku! By Reni Roxas and Serj Bumatay III Tahanan Books Doll Eyes By Eline Santos and Joy Mallari CANVAS The Great Duck and Crocodile Race By Robert Magnuson Hiyas/OMF Lit The Secret is in the Soil By Flor Gozon Tarriela, Gidget Roceles Jimenez , and Liza Flores Conquest for Christ Foundation I predicted this would win a National Children's Book Award when I attended its launch . =D Tall Story By Candy Gourlay (with illustrations by Yasmin S. Ong) Cacho Publishing House Also predicted this would win a National Children's Book Award. =D Click here to read the judges' citations for the books. And wow, you can see the entry number of each book in the pictures above!

How will you celebrate? =D

* This is my second guest blog post for PaperTigers . Please read it to find out about some new Philippine young adult literature. =D * Click here to read about a possible international book bloggers meetup. If it happens, I'll definitely be there! * Fantastic news! Tu Books has announced the first annual New Visions Award . The New Visions Award will be given for a middle grade or young adult fantasy, science fiction, or mystery novel by a writer of color. The winner receives a cash grant of $1000 and a standard publication contract with Tu Books. An honor winner will receive a cash grant of $500. Click here for more details. I look forward to reading the winning novels!