
NADIA’S NOTABLES NEWSLETTER
Greetings,
I am so pleased to share some updates and news with you. It has been quite an eventful last few months. From travels to Egypt and Sri Lanka to moving to Dubai to participating in the Abu Dhabi Book International Book Fair (ADIB), April has certainly been busy. This newsletter combines news over the last 2 months. I am also looking ahead to connecting with many of you as I return to Canada for July and August 2017.
In this issue:
- Sneak Peak in Malaika’s Winter Carnival
- Scholastic Canada Malaika’s Winter Carnival Paperback & Book Clubs
- Americas Award Honourable Mention and Lesson Plan (again celebrated this week)
- 2017 Best Book by Bank Street College of Education (again celebrated this week)
- Booking Dates in Canada and US in Summer 2017, February 2018
- Highlights from Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIB) Wanna Read?
- Kwame Alexander Coming to Town
- Feel Your Tempo online interview by Dorian Rogers of Rooftop Rhythms
- What am I working on?
- Writing tips of the month
- Important dates
1. Sneak Peak in “Malaika’s Winter Carnival”
Although winter carnival is almost a year away, you can now view pages of the upcoming sequel to Malaika’s Costume on Amazon and Goodreads.
Malaika is happy to be reunited with Mummy, but it means moving to Canada, where everything is different. It’s cold in Québec City, no one understands when she talks and Carnival is nothing like the celebration Malaika knows from home!
It will be available in stores near you on September 1, 2017. Please stay tuned for book launch dates and details in Canada and the United States.
Check out the preview pages here on Amazon here.
2. Scholastic Canada Malaika’s Winter Carnival Paperback & Book Clubs
With the launch of Le Costume de Malaika (the French translation of Malaika’s Costume in January this year) by Scholastic Canada, I am happy to say that the partnership is continuing on. In addition to Malaika’s Winter Carnival being released in hardcover on September 1, 2017, the book will be released paperback version in English and French as part of Scholastic Canada’s Book Club in December 2017. The Book Clubs are an international book-buying club which provides weekly catalogues for students to buy books. Children all over Canada will have an opportunity to purchase their own copy of Malaika’s Winter Carnival through the book club or travelling book fair. My sister and I grew up buying books through the Club. As a teacher, I have definitely participated in promoting the club with my students. This all helps to provide more access for these books which is super exciting. Stay tuned!
3. Americas Award Honourable Mention and Lesson Plan
I am very pleased, excited, thrilled, amazed, humbled, proud, happy, and in awe to share news about two wonderful and recent honours that Malaika's Costume has received. I am still so grateful with how Malaika's Costume has been embraced in so many circles.
I am still reveling in the Américas Award 2017 honourable mention for Children and Young Adult Literature that my book Malaika's Costume received this week. It was presented by the Center for Latin American Studies at Vanderbilt University. The announcement was made on April 30 in Lima, Peru. Out of the over 70 books received, #malaikascostume was 1 of 2 honourable mentions in addition to the 2 actual winners of the awards. Congratulations to the other authors! You can see the video clip of the presentation. Here is the lesson.
As a children's book author AND teacher of Caribbean-descent, I am thrilled, amazed, and impressed with the beautiful "Malaika's Costume" lesson plan designed by Erin Lierl at Tulane University. They did an excellent job! I know some of you are already using Malaika's Costume in your classrooms and organizations so please share with teachers in your life. Parents please share this with your child's teacher.
The announcement was made at the 2017 Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) which is in Lima, Peru on April 30, 2017.
The awards are administered by the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) and coordinated by both Tulane University’s Stone Center for Latin American Studies and Vanderbilt University’s Center for Latin American Studies. For more information, click here.
4. 2017 Best Children’s Book by Bank Street College of Education
My first picture bookMalaika's Costumewas selected as one
of the 2017 Best Books of the Year by I am thrilled about this especially since I held my Malaika's Costume New York City Launch at Bank Street Bookstore in May 2016. I appreciate Bank Street's support of this work.
"The Children's Book Committee was founded more than 100 years ago to help parents, teachers, and librarians choose the books that children will find captivating and transforming.
"One of the most comprehensive annotated book lists for children, aged infant-16. The Committee reviews over 6000 titles each year for accuracy and literary quality and considers their emotional impact on children. It chooses the best 600 books, both fiction and nonfiction, which it lists with annotations, according to age and category."
5. Booking Dates in Canada and US in Summer 2017, February 2018
I have decide to continue teaching overseas in 2017-2018 with a new destination which I hope to announce soon. In the meantime, I will still continue to promote my books and connect with authors and literary scenes at home in Canada, US, and overseas. Please contact me if you would like me to do a book talk, school visit, presentation, or panel discussion. I am available in July 2017 as well February 12-23, 2018.
6. Highlights from Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIB) Wanna Read?
I presented Malaika’s Costume to a group of children and a craft with the Abu Dhabi-based literacy-in-hospitals organization WannaRead? This was part of the WannaRead? Exhibition booth. The children in attendance dance to soca, listened to a story, and made beautiful bookmarks.
When one of your writing mentors comes to town and the last time you saw him was two years ago when you did not have any books yet, it is cause to celebrate. On my Facebook page, amazed to find that poet and Newbery-award-winning children’s book and young adult author Kwame Alexander was in Dubai and taking part in the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, I reached out. It would only be fitting to hold a meet-and-greet and show Kwame a little of Dubai even with just a day’s notice. It all worked out and Kwame, three of my new writer friends, and me had a wonderful dinner and chat at Miss Lily’s Jamaican restaurant in Dubai.
8. Feel Your Tempo online interview by Dorian Rogers of Rooftop Rhythms
Recently, I was interviewed by Dorian Rogers, spoken word artist and founder of Rooftop Rhythms, the first and largest monthly spoken word event in the UAE. Rooftop Rhythms usually takes place at the New York University campus in Abu Dhabi (NYUAD). Check out Dorian’s interview. Giving the Gift of Storytelling: Nadia Hohn, Feel your Tempo: The Rhythm of Your Life online magazine April 12, 2017
9. What am I working on?
I have submitted an essay for an online travel magazine. As I have been travelling internationally and exploring the region locally, I would like to do more travel writing and I am currently working on an idea that I have had for a few years in this genre. I also completed a non-fiction book draft in 3 days before its April deadline. I have been brainstorming a lot of story/novel ideas and working on a few picture book drafts. I will also return to my weekly blog posts as I now have access to wifi through a café and a kind coworker.
10. Writing tips of the month
I met with my online Skype writing critique group today and we talked about aiming for 100 rejections a year. I am nowhere near this goal however I am excited to begin the challenge of applying in a volume larger than I am used to— talking about sending out manuscripts and letters to agents and publishers for stories in the hundreds. I haven’t begun that process yet. Despite the fact that I am a perfectionist, only want to send out the best, and as well as a fulltime teacher, I will need to start this process soon if I want to achieve my goal this year of finding an agent. If you have any agent recommendations, I would greatly appreciate it. Please message me.
11. Important dates
September 1, 2017 Malaika’s Winter Carnival hardcover in English publication date by Groundwood Books
December 1, 2017 Malaika’s Winter Carnival softcover in English and French through Scholastic Canada (Book Clubs)