Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

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...

{Steph Su delivering her keynote speech at the 2013 AFCC} Last month, I was in Singapore for the 2013 Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) . I hope to share more blog posts (and other social media posts) about my time there, but I would like to start with my favorite session: "Getting the Most Out of Blogging" by very popular blogger Steph Su . This was the first year the AFCC had a day dedicated to AFCC Seminars, and there was a blogging track in it, which my fellow blogger Liyana Othman and I helped put together. "Getting the Most Out of Blogging" was Steph Su's keynote speech for the blogging track. She shared her blogging journey and the many insights she has picked up along the way, focusing on blogging and the self, blogging and friends, and blogging and professional success. {me and fellow blogger Liyana Othman} Maintaining my blogs isn't easy: One, it takes a lot of time and effort, especially because I try to pro...

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 Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) Seminars are sessions that focus on specific aspects of the literary community and this year’s seminars are on young adult literature, the translation of children’s books, and blogging!  Of course I am writing this post to invite all of you to attend the blogging sessions. =D The AFCC Seminars are on Monday, May 27, and the first blogging session (9:15 - 10:15 a.m.) is a presentation from Steph Su entitled "Getting the Most Out of Blogging." Steph is a ROCK STAR in the YA book blogging world and you definitely don't want to miss her presentation. I'm moderating the next blogging session (10:15 - 11:15 a.m.), "Blogging - Today and Tomorrow," a conversation on the future of blogging and the blogging journeys of Steph Su and Candy Gourlay . While Steph is a rock star in the YA book blogging world, Candy is a rock star in the author blogging world and I am honored to be their moderator. The last blogg...

The shortlists are up for the inaugural SingTel Asian Picture Book Award , an annual award for an outstanding unpublished picture book with a distinctly Asian theme. Here is the shortlist for SingTel Asian Picture Book Award – Author, and here is the shortlist for SingTel Asian Picture Book Award – Illustrator. Congratulations! :o) The winners will be announced at the Asian Festival of Children's Content in Singapore.   [Thanks to Naomi Kojima for the tip!]

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...