- What makes me— a writer-teacher/teacher-writer Renaissance woman extraordinaire, Nadia L. Hohn— tick?
I am the February 2020 Open Book writer in residence. Here ye! Here ye! My name is Nadia L. Hohn and I am proud to be the February 2020 Open Book writer-in-residence. Not only do you get to read my posts about writing, #kidlit, and Canadian publishing all month long— an opportunity of which I will be taking full, repeat, FULL advantage. You will get answers to questions like:
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This blogpost is about the decade that changed my writing career. The 2010s was a huge decade for me— both professionally and personally. At the start of the decade, I was fresh and fly with my beautiful dredlocks a flow. These photos were taken during a significant week in 2010– professionally (finished teaching my first year at the first ever publicly-funded Africentric school in Canada, I was part of the inaugural staff), personally (I just got engaged), and physically (my doctor discovered a lump in my neck). Below, you will find the highlights of my 2010s decade which focuses on my writerly life and some of my personal life. (I have not included much about my teaching career other than what is connected to my writing.). I also have not included all of the things I got rejected from because then this post may get dull.
So here goes... 2010-2019 DESIGN OF A DECADE: MY WRITER LIFE! 2010
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I am so blessed to be alive! Each day is a chance to live my best life. 2019 has been a year filled with many “ups” and “downs”, challenges that promoted me to grow and learn, take on new roles, expand my brand and travel. In one year, I presented in 5 Canadian provinces and 2 American states, realized dreams (travelling across Canada by train, presenting at schools in Jamaica, and delivering writing workshops), and launched two books— HARRIET TUBMAN, FREEDOM FIGHTER and A LIKKLE MISS LOU: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice. It’s been an incredibly busy year. So much so that I had not blogged as much as I typically do. So hopefully you will be caught up soon enough. Below you will find the 2019 Highlight Reel of my Writerly Life. ![]() January 2019 I launched my book Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter Book Launch at A Different Booklist Bookstore in Toronto, ON. The book was published on December 31 by Harper Collins Children’s Books. I continued to teach Grade 7 and 8 Core French and Grades 1-4 Music until June 2019. February 2019 I delivered 20+ school presentations, booksignings, and storytimes at bookstores and libraries in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area, and New York City. March 2019 It’s all a blur. I think I had a signing or two and a school visit. April 2019 I attended the Kweli: Color of Children’s Literature Conference in New York, NY in April 2020. I attended a middle grade novel writing workshop with Renee Watson. I proposed and moderated the Future of Diversity in #KidCanLit, a panel about diversity in Canadian children’s literature as part of the Canadian Society for Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers (CANSCAIP) Annual General Meeting at A Different Booklist (ADB) Bookstore in Toronto. I presented at the Moncton Public library and local area schools as part of the Fry Festival in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. May 2019 I attended the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) in Brampton, ON. Months earlier, I joined the planning team for the first ever FOLD Kids Book Festival to be held in September 2019. From May 4 to 11, I was one of one 30 presented in participated in TD Canadian Children’s Book Week. I presented in schools and libraries in Calgary, Lethbridge, Fort MacLeod, Coaldale, and Pincher Creek, Alberta. My host, chauffeur, and local organizer/contact, Richard Case (pictured right, above), sadly passed away in December 2019. He was very kind and made me feel very welcome. May he Rest In Peace. From May 24 to 26, I was on faculty at the Art of Story Conference organized by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Canada East. This year’s conference place took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. to edit. June 2019 I participated in the Annual Guelph District Multicultural Festival in Guelph as well as a booksigning in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. I filmed a Behind the Book video with Owlkids to promote my new title A Likkle Miss Lou. The video can be viewed on youtube. Go Raptors!!! Congratulations to the NBA Team that brought the championship to Toronto, my hometown! (Yes, I’m an insta-fan!) I embarked on a four-day 4000+ kilometre cross-country trip on the Canadian train which departed from Toronto to Vancouver. The trip was exciting, the food delicious, and there were stops along the way. Beautiful scenes of the Canadian prairies, Rocky Mountains, and countryside, bears and moose, lakes, and valleys were evident. July 2019 I played “tourist” and visited Whistler, BC (Canada) and Seattle, WA (USA). During the month of July, I was Writer in Residence in Historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. During this time, I delivered a storytime, spoken word, and peacock headpiece-making workshop at Spare Time Fun Centre. In the Greater Victoria public libraries, I delivered a storytime and writing workshops in Victoria, BC. I facilitated a panel on diversity in children’s literature at the Historic Joy Kogawa House. I also participated in writing critique groups. Sadly, I was in a car accident. (It could have been a lot worse. I was supposed to have rented a smaller car but the rental office gave me the SUV to rent as a courtesy because I had a long wait.) August 2019 During my residency in Vancouver, I connected and attended several Jamaican and Caribbean community events to sell and sign books. I was a guest lecturer for a graduate studies class in Writing, Publishing, and Children’s Book Trade at the University of British Columbia (UBC). On August 15, my book A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice was officially released. That day, I presented a storytime at the Marpole library and held a book talk/meet n greet/goodbye party at the Joy Kogawa House. I edited one young adult novel manuscript. The Toronto Star did a large feature story about Louise Bennett and A Likkle Miss Lou and even sent photographer to take pictures of me that were used in the article. I celebrated my birthday in Chicago and Cleveland in the United States. September 2019 I took a leave of absence from teaching until December 2019. I used this time to promote my books, present in schools, and focus on my self-care. From September 5-12, I travelled to Jamaica as part of a fifty-member group delegation from the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) for the sole purpose to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this cultural icon and celebrating the unveiling of Miss Lou Square in Gordon Town, the hometown of the late Jamaican poet. I had the opportunity to meet the Jamaican first-lady/Minister of Parliament (MP), Juliet Holness. I also presented A Likkle Miss Lou to Priory and Muirhouse Primary Basic schools in St. Ann, Jamaica. The first school was that of a former student and the latter school was that my mother and relatives attended as children. On September 14, I officially launched A Likkle Miss Lou at A Different Booklist bookstore in Toronto. The event celebrated the seven-year journey to bringing this book to life. The Heritage Singers, a 40+ year old Caribbean choir with which I had sung, beautiful graced us with beautiful folksongs featured in the book. I took part in an amazing lengthy CBC interview on Sunday Edition with Michael Enright to discuss A Likkle Miss Lou and the work of Louise Bennett Coverley. This was an amazing emotional experience as excerpts from Enright’s interview with Louise Bennett Coverley (four years before her death) were interspersed throughout the interview. I also presented A Likkle Miss Lou at the Telling Tales festival in Hamilton, Ontario, the Toronto Reference Library, and a school and bookstores in New York City. At the end of the month, the first ever FOLD Kids festival took place in Brampton, Ontario. It was a pleasure to host the Storytelling Showcase and supporting this event after months of planning. October 2019 I took part in book signings throughout the Greater Toronto area. I attended the Storytelling Through Drawing workshop for three-days at the Highlights Foundation in Pennsylvania. I also attended the annual Canadian Society for Children’s Authors, Illustrators, & Performers (CANSCAIP) Packaging Your Imagination (PYI) Conference in Toronto, Ontario. I was a mentor for the Black Indigenous People of Colour (BIPOC) Writers Connect conference in Toronto. I had the opportunity to work with three amazingly talented pre-published writers. I also attended the 2nd Annual CanKidLit Gala which donated to the TD Children’s Book Week 2019. November 2019 I had the pleasure of hosting author Tayari Jones in Conversation as part of the Toronto International Festival of Authors (IFOA) at the Harbourfront Centre. I participated in a draft reading from my young adult novel work in progress. I delivered school presentations in Toronto and New York City. This was the first time that I presented to schools within the public board in which I teach. I saw the film Harriet which took 20+ years to be made. It is the first feature length film with theatrical release about Harriet Tubman. When I was offered the opportunity to write a book about this hero, I jumped at the chance. I knew that the film was also coming down the pipeline too ;-). One of the historians who was a consultant for my book Harriet Tubman, Freedom Fighter also was consulted for the film. I had the pleasure of going to Baltimore to take part in the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention. There, I completed book signings, moderated a panel on Black Girl Literacies, and hosted a table at the Children’s Book Award Luncheon. I had the pleasure of presenting A Likkle Miss Lou to Grade One students at the Enoch Pratt Free Library. I also met some of my #kidlit superheroes and organized a gathering of Canadian authors who were present. I also had the opportunity to present at Catholic and public schools in Toronto. This was especially significant for me since it was the first time that I got to do author visits within the school board I work. December 2019
This was my busiest month regarding school visits. I had many memorable experiences. I also attended a few holiday celebrations within the Canadian children’s literature community and sold and signed books at local events. I took part in recording of promotional videos for an upcoming campaign called #IReadCanadian Day which will take place on February 19. I decided to also get prepared for my return to the classroom in January 2020. I am quite excited about what I hope to experience in the upcoming new year and decade. For the holiday season, I stayed local in Toronto and celebrated Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Day. It has been a blessed and adventurous 2019. Stay tuned for my Winter 2020 newsletter and my writing goals blogpost! 2019 I have done quite a lot of reading this year. My goal was to read 200 books in 2019. As of December 31, 2019, I have read 260 books so far this year. (Who knows what will happen before midnight?) I stopped posting all of my book reviews to this blog as it is incredibly time consuming. However, if you wish to read my book reviews, please "friend me" on Goodreads where my reviews are posted there. This year, most of my books were written by authors of colour. Also in 2019, I did not read enough science fiction/fantasy/speculative fiction books to merit creating its own list as I had in 2018. Instead, I have added an adult fiction, a middle grade, and an adult non-fiction list. As an author, I dream about finding my book on variety of reading lists, including the ones I have compiled below. Books that are not listed here, does not mean I don't like them. I chose books that I love over the moon and back. I have a soft spot for diverse characters, #ownvoices, and social justice themes. If an author released two books in 2019, I chose one of the two so no repeats(looking at you SK Ali). I will share my list on social media outlets and tag most of the creators so they could feel some validation (we all need some) and that another "writer who supports writers". (Cue in: You are not alone by Michael Jackson.) My 2018 Top 10 Favourite Canadian Books I Read in 2019: These books were written by authors who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, authors residing in Canada, or Canadians living overseas. Regardless, these authors all have a Canadian connection. Winners: Love from A to Z by SK Ali and Learning to Breathe by Janice Lynn Mathers Runners up:
My Top 10 Favourite Young Adult (YA) Books I Read in 2019 (I cheated a bit here) Winners: With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo, Love from A to Z by SK Ali, and Learning to Breathe by Janice Lynn Mathers Runners Up:
My Top 10 Favourite Middle Great (MG) Books I Read in 2019 Winner: Front Desk by Kelly Yang Runners up:
My Top 10+ Favourite Picture Books I Read in 2019 Winners (I cheated a little bit, included my own): Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty, illustrated by Bryan Collier, A LIKKLE MISS LOU: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice by Nadia L. Hohn, and Sulwe by Lupita Nyongo, illustrated by Vashti Harrison Runners Up:
My Top 10 Favourite Adult Fiction That I Read in 2019 Winner:
Runners Up:
My Top 10 Favourite Adult Non-Fiction That I Read in 2019 Winners: Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell, Well-Read Black Girl edited by Glory Edim Runners Up:
Top 12 Overall Favourite Books I Read in 2019 That Were Published in 2019
![]() In this issue...
Letter from the editor It has been a beautiful and productive summer. I did not travel to any foreign countries but instead went to new places within Canada and the United States— Winnipeg, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Whistler, Seattle, Chicago, Cleveland, Vancouver, and Victoria. This summer was incredibly busy (see Writer in Residence at Historic Joy Kogawa House Wrap-Up in 2019 below) but fun. Being on the West Coast, I was blessed with slow mornings and quick evenings, hot yoga and strolls along the Arbutus Trail. I marvelled at the variety of trees, flowers, and spiders. I found a church and connected with members of the writing, Jamaican, Caribbean, and #kidlit communities. I also met wonderful BC-based writers and creators like Junie Desil, Janice Lynn Mather, Kathryn Shoemaker, and Eva Campbell. I even had the opportunity to meet author, poet, activist Joy Kogawa in whose childhood home, I conducted my writing residency. It was also wonderful to meet again with author Sarah Ellis who I spoke with 8 years ago during her writing residency at the Toronto Public Library (TPL). In the words of the late Miss Lou, “Walk good!” Nadia Writer in Residence at Historic Joy Kogawa House Wrap-Up in 2019 by Nadia L. Hohn This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to be a writer in residence at the Historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The summer was quite busy and I realized quickly that prioritizing tasks was necessary to realize my personal and professional writing goals. The following is a list of achieveables/achieved tasks this summer. I was able to accomplish:
I would like to believe that it was a productive summer 2019. A LIKKLE MISS LOU in the media By Nadia L. Hohn A LIKKLE MISS LOU: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice was officially released on August 13, 2019 in the United States and on August 15, 2019 in Canada weeks shy of what would have been her 100th birthday (September 7, 1919). In fact, in Jamaica, the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange declared 100 days of Miss Lou commemorations and celebrations. My new book, published by Owlkids and illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes, is available online (publisher website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo-Chapters) or a bookstore near you (if it isn’t, you can ask for it to be ordered). (However, several stores stocked this book on their shelves weeks before the release date.). All celebrations and upcoming book tours aside, the media response for this book has been positive. I was excited to have completed an interview with the Toronto Star which became the front page of the entertainment section. I was impressed that a photographer was sent to capture photos of me while I was in Vancouver. The Globe & Mail, Open Book, and an upcoming edition of the Quill & Quire magazine are all excited about A LIKKLE MISS LOU in Canada. In the United States, the reviews so far have also been favourable in Booklist, Kirkus Review, and Publishers weekly. To check out all of the media articles so far, please visit the link for A Likkle Miss Lou reviews and interviews. Have you bought your copy of a A LIKKLE MISS LOU today? FOLD Kids 1st Festival 2019 I am excited to announce that the first ever Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) Kids festival will be taking place on September 27-29, 2019 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. As a member of the planning team, I am excited about the upcoming program and the amazing authors who will be part of this line-up. Visit www.thefoldcanada.org/kids for more information. Important A LIKKLE MISS LOU Upcoming Tour and Fall 2019 Dates My fall 2019 tour dates are filling up fairly quickly and I have other related events which are listed below. It is quite an exciting time! For updates to this schedule, please check my website at www.nadialhohn.com/events. To request a presentation or signing near you, please send me an e-mail at nadialhohn@gmail.com. Spring 2021 Malaika’s Surprise release date Details to follow November 24, 2019 Bookstore Presentation Washington, DC, USA November 21-24, 2019 2019 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention Baltimore, MD, USA November 21, 2019 Enoch Pratt Library Presentation (details to follow) Baltimore, MD, USA November 20, 2019 School Book Fair (details to follow) Manhattan, NY, USA November 17, 2019 Draft Reading Series (details to follow) Toronto, ON, Canada October 30, 2019 Mentor, BIPOC Writers Connect (details to follow) The Writers' Union of Canada (TWUC) Toronto, ON, Canada October 27, 2019 1-3pm Chapters Ajax Ajax, ON October 6, 2019 12-4pm Chapters Vega Mississauga, ON October 5, 2019 2-4pm Knowledge Bookstore Brampton, ON September 27-30, 2019 FOLD Kids Festival Brampton, ON September 22, 2019 A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice Brooklyn Book Launch and Storytime Greenlight Bookstores 11:30am Prospect Leffert Gardens location 1:30pm Fort Greene location Brooklyn, NY, USA September 21, 2019 10:30-11:30am Storytime Bank Street Bookstore Manhattan, NY, USA September 17, 2019 Celebrating Miss Lou: Queen of Jamaican Culture 5:30-8:00pm Toronto Reference Library (TRL) Beeton Hall (1st. Floor) September 15, 2019 1:15pm Telling Tales Festival Westfield Heritage Village Rockton, ON, Canada Early Settlement Area September 14, 2019 3-5pm A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice Toronto Book Launch A Different Booklist Bookstore and Cultural Centre Toronto, ON September 5-12, 2019 Miss Lou 100th Birthday Celebration c/o Jamaican Canadian Association Jamaica © Nadia L. Hohn, 2019 Toronto, ON, Canada A LIKKLE MISS LOU deh yah! A LIKKLE MISS LOU: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice is here! It gives me great pleasure to share that the project I had been working on for the past seven years, my sixth picture book, was released into the world on August 15, 2019, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes, published by Owlkids. In the words of the late author Toni Morrison, "[this is the] book I wanted to see in the world". Most of all, the book has been completed in time for the 100th anniversary celebration of Miss Lou's birthday. And we're not the only ones talking about it. Check out this link to see what the reviewers from such publications as Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, The Toronto Star, OpenBook, Booklist, and The Globe & Mail are saying about A LIKKLE MISS LOU. On August 15, there was a lovely A LIKKLE MISS LOU birthday celebration held at the Historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver, BC, Canada where I was the writer in residence in summer 2019. This was the perfect warm-up to the upcoming A LIKKLE MISS LOU Book Launch to be held on Saturday, September 14, 2019 3-5pm at A Different Booklist bookstore in Toronto, ON, Canada and tour (see below and check for updates here). I hope you will join us in celebration and purchase your copy. A LIKKLE MISS LOU soon come to a city near you! Walk good!
In June 2019, I sat down with the Owlkids Books marketing team to film this Behind the Book! interview about my upcoming book, A LIKKLE MISS LOU: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice. My sixth book comes officially out in less than two weeks— on August 15, 2019. But several stores already have copies (and signed ones at Munro's Books in Victoria and Kids Books in Vancouver). Buy it online at Owlkids Books, Amazon, or your local bookstore. Just in time for Miss Lou’s 100th anniversary. (She was born on September 7, 1919). My Vancouver book launch is on August 15, 2019 4-8pm at the Historic Joy Kogawa House. My Toronto book launch is on September 14, 2019 at A Different Booklist. My New York City storytimes are on September 21st at Bank Street Bookstore in Manhattan and 22nd at both Greenlight bookstores in Fort Greene and Prospect Park, Brooklyn. I have also had some amazing reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and there are more to come. For more upcoming events and updates, visit here. For more press articles, visit here. Blogpost 1 LIVE from Historic Joy Kogawa House, The Summer 2019 Writer in Residence is in the House7/24/2019 After spending a year teaching in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and upon returning to Toronto in 2017, I began to seek opportunities to help me grow as a writer and published author as well locate funding sources. Upon visiting the Writers’ Trust website, I learned about a few writing residencies to which I could apply— spaces in which writers could focus on projects and in which the costs of lodging were covered. My inner traveler was excited by these opportunities but since I am also a full-time elementary school teacher in Toronto, it was challenging to find a writing residency that I could complete during my summer holiday. My challenge was that many writing residencies took place during the school year or up to two years after the application deadline when life is harder to predict down the road. On this website, I learned about the Writing Residency at the Historic Joy Kogawa House. I knew a little bit about Joy Kogawa. When one of my younger sisters attended gifted class in elementary school, the selected book that year was her novel Obasan. (Perhaps this selection was welcomed then because my sister also had an obsession with Japan and all things Japanese. So she told me all about this book.) As this was Toronto in the 1980s, there was very little taught in school about the internment of Japanese-Canadians during World War II. So what my sister gained from Obasan which she then passed on to me was important. I also knew about some of Joy’s picture books like Naomi’s Tree and Naomi’s Road. What an opportunity this would be! So I applied. In April 2018, I was blessed with some great news in an e-mail! My application was selected and I could become a writer in residence at the Historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada). They could only offer me a spot in July and August 2019. Would I accept? Of course. Fast forward to summer 2019 and here I am! During my residency, I will be primarily editing my novel manuscripts as well as picture books. I will be running workshops and presenting in Vancouver and Victoria. On August 15, I look forward to celebrating the release of my sixth book, one that I began seven years ago, A LIKKLE MISS LOU: How Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice, just in time for the 100th anniversary of this Jamaican poet. I also have some important decisions to make about my writing career. Being a writer in residence at the Historic Joy Kogawa House is kind of like living in a museum. There are tours and visitors on occasion. I look around at framed photographs, paintings, and plaques. I wash dishes and brush my teeth in a kitchen and bathroom from which a family was forced to flee long ago. I try to imagine the chatter of Joy and her family going through daily routines like getting ready for school and then the imminent silence in 1942. I imagine there are a great number of stories that each wall and corner of this 1912 house may hold. I wonder if the Marpole railroad tracks along the nearby Arbutus Trail which may have led to train stations crammed with Japanese-Canadians clinging on to their wares, anxiety in the air, trying to make sense of their lost livelihoods and sense of dignity. Being at the Historic Joy Kogawa House aligns with my interests in social justice education, community-building, and, undoubtedly, writing. And besides these, let’s face it. Vancouver is gorgeous in the summertime. (The last time I was here it was a chilly damp December in the early 2000s.) I have taken the gondola and chairlift up to Whistler and Blackcomb peaks, swum in the Kitsilano saltwater pool, watched the steam pour from the Gastown clock, visited the Starbucks roastery and Pike Place Market in Seattle, marveled at the effortless diversity of leaves, trees, and vibrant flowers each day. I am finding my way in this great city. To read the original post on the Historic Joy Kogawa House site, click here.
In this issue... ● TD Children’s Book Week Tour 2019 ● Spring 2019 Tour and Events Recap ● LIVE FROM VANCOUVER: Writer in Residence is in the House ● A Likkle Miss Lou Reviews are Rolling In ● Important Upcoming Dates here to edit Dear Reader: It is summer time. When it is summer time for me, it means a time in which I get a bulk of my writing and editing completed. It also means working on new projects and reprioritizing. There have been a few challenges along the way. My laptop "died" a month ago and I've been working from my ipad and cell-phones, but I need to still see what can be retrieved from the damaged harddrive (sadly a very costly endeavour), but I managed to salvage unpublished novel and picture book manuscripts from various other sources. (Another reminder for writers to backup EVERYTHING.) I placed my writing in five separate binders. After 5 published books between 2013 to 2018, a 6th forthcoming in August, and a 7th in 2021, I still look at these manuscripts with disbelief, wonder, amazement, anticipation, and fear. Pinch me. My s.o. says, "I got this" and I'm trying to remember that. Happy reading and writing but most of all happy summer! Nadia TD Children’s Book Week Tour 2019 May 4-10, 2019 was Canadian Children’s Book Week. To commemorate this occasion, TD Canada Trust Bank teamed up with the Canadian Children’s Book Centre to tour 38 authors, illustrators, and storytellers to hundreds of schools across Canada. After having applied to participate for three consecutive years, I was selected to participate as a touring presenter. Alberta was not my first choice to be honest. (I chose Nunavut, Yukon, and Prince Edward Island— the only Canadian province I have not yet visited— as my top picks.). However, southern Alberta won me over as I discovered regions of Canada I had never visited before— Calgary, Lethbridge, and small towns skirting the Rocky Mountains. Below you will find a recap of my week. To see my cover on the Strathmore library news click here. The stats: - Countless times I was asked about having kids, being married, my age, why I write, and if I can live off my earnings as an author (sounds like my mom) - 3,238 km or 2,012 miles is the distance from Toronto to Calgary, almost 1,800 students saw my presentations - 403 is the area code of Calgary and southern Alberta - Pincher Creek is 136km to the closest US border crossing - 70.4 lbs was the weight of my heaviest suitcase - $18.20 is the cost to go up the Calgary Tower - 16 presentations in all - 12+ meals consumed in which cheese was in the veggie option (my herbivorous digestive tract was working overtime) - May 11th was the last day of Children's Book Week - May 10th was the last day of my presentations - 9:30pm was sunset at this time of year in southern Alberta, - 8th graders were the oldest students I presented to - 7 schools visited - 6 nights on my tour - 5 cities and towns visited (Calgary, #Strathmore, #Coaldale, #Lethbridge, #PincherCreek + 1 #Hutterite community called #Parklandcolony outside of Fort Macleod) - continued my fitness routine with 4 runs to prep for my 5km event in June - 3.75 hr was the length of my flight from Toronto to Calgary - I stayed at 3 hotels in #Calgary and #Lethbridge - 2 libraries visited and difference of time zones between Toronto and Calgary, and - 1 front page spread in the Strathmore weekly newspaper during an amazing TD Children's Book Week. Spring 2019 Tour and Events Recap Spring 2019 was an extremely busy time of year as I continued to teach as well as participate in TD Children’s Book Week, school visits, a literary festival, and a conference. In addition to Alberta, I visited New Brunswick and Montreal in addition to other commitments that brought me to New York City and Ottawa. Truthfully, this was perhaps the most busiest time I have had as an author but I have said this a few times already. Nevertheless, I embraced and enjoyed every minute of sharing my stories and meeting people along the way. LIVE FROM VANCOUVER: Writer in Residence is in the House In fall 2017, I began to seek out opportunities for being a writer in residence. My challenge was that many of these residencies took place during the school year. Also, many of the residencies took place up to two years after the application date. It was difficult for me to envision where exactly life might bring me so far in advance. However, last year I was blessed with some great news! In April 2018, I received some news. My application was selected to be a writer in residence at the Historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada) but they could only offer it in July and August. Would I accept? Of course. Fast forward to 2019 and here I am! The house is named after Japanese-Canadian author and activist Joy Kogawa who was evicted with her family during the early 1940s to interned along with thousands of others in remote parts of Canada. Joy continues to write and advocate for peace and educate generations about the horrors of her experience. Being here aligns with my dedication to social justice, community its, and the arts. I will be running workshops and presenting in Vancouver and Victoria plus working on edits for my novels. I also have some important decisions to make. For information on events, please visit my website or see the graphic below. A Likkle Miss Lou Reviews are Rolling In On August 13, 2019, A LIKKLE MISS LOU: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice, my sixth book will be released. September 7th, 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the birthday of this great Jamaican cultural ambassador, playwright, poet, author, storyteller, and actress. I am thrilled to see the responses and reviews so far which include my very first ever Publishers Weekly review. Here is a sampler. I also look forward to upcoming reviews from the Globe & Mail, Quill & Quire, and other publications. “This joyful book celebrates the importance of language and taking it as your own, from early.” — Kirkus Reviews (May 26, 2019) “Bright illustrations in creamily vivid color by Fernandes capture the richness of life reflected in the language that so captivated Coverley and conveys how the things she sees reappear on the pages she writes.” — Publishers Weekly (July 3, 2019) “This biography of the poet as a young girl is a tribute not only to her literary beginnings but also to patois itself.” — Booklist (July 2019) Important Dates
Please check www.nadialhohn.com/events for updates. Summer (July/August) 2019 Writer-in-Residence Joy Kogawa House Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada)
Greater Victoria Public Libraries Victoria, British Columbia (Canada)
A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice
September 27-29, 2019 FOLD Kids Festival, Brampton, ON October 5, 2019 Brampton Chapters Brampton, ON October 30, 2019 BIPOC Writers Connect Location TBA Toronto, ON November 16, 2019 Knowledge Bookstore Brampton, ON November 17, 2019 Draft Reading Series Location TBA Toronto, ON November 21-24, 2019 2019 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention Baltimore, MD, USA Spring 2021 Malaika’s Surprise release date Details to follow As of the day I finish writing this blogpost (July 12, 2019), I have read 64% books of my 2019 reading goal so I am at 127/200. In the past two and a half months, I managed to read a lot more picture books, particularly the New York Times Bestsellers and award-winners, with a total of 60 books. I still review each book I read on Goodreads but will rank my 2019 favourites in December.
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