Blog Posts - Nadia L. Hohn

Malaika’s Costume Float at the Santa Claus Parade, part 1

12/3/2021

Special Announcement:
MALAIKA’S COSTUME

After months of keeping it secret, now I finally get to share it with you. SURPRISE! The 2021 TD Grade One Book Giveaway was shared on CTV Morning on Monday, November 29, 2021. There will be a Malaika’s Costume float in the 117th Annual #Toronto Santa Claus Parade. 🎅🎅🏻🎅🏼🎅🏽🎅🏿🎅🏾

I am super proud of this announcement. As a child, my sister and I would watch the parade on television annually and now, my picture book will be a part of this years event. The parade airs on CTV at 7pm ET on Saturday, December 4, 2021. Watch the full interview on my IGTV or at linktr.ee/nadialhohn. The SCP float announcement is made at the 3:17 mark. Check my author page updates, details, and photos: Nadia L. Hohn.

So, there will be a Malaika’s Costume float in the 117th Annual #Toronto Santa Claus Parade. 🎅🎅🏻🎅🏼🎅🏽🎅🏿🎅🏾

Why does this matter?

When I learned this news a few months ago, I was nervous. But now, at this moment, I feel proud, excited, and completely honoured to have my first picturebook, #MalaikasCostume be the first #TDBookGiveaway float. (I’ve even shed a few tears today.) The #TDGradeOneBookGiveaway is giving over 550, 000 copies of Malaika’s Costume to children across Canada.

There was a time when I was a little Black girl growing up in #Jane & Finch and #Rexdale, although my sister and I watched the parade annually and we lived in the same city as this parade, it seemed so very far away. Our parents worked shifts, sometimes doubleshifts, so the very thought of traveling downtown by multiple subway and bus exchanges was not possible. I was a kid growing up in #Canada 🇨🇦 during the late 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Seeing #BlackCanadian and other diverse people on tv was a rarity, especially one that celebrated my #Caribbean identity.

Now my picture book will be a part of this year’s event because #representation matters! And my story, #MalaikasCostume, is one of #immigration and #community and a dream. I want every child to watch this float and feel seen, as Irene Luxbacher’s illustrations are brought to life. Please follow #Malaika on this new adventure.

The parade airs on CTV at 7pm ET on Saturday, December, 2021.

Stay tuned for part 2.

Nadia’s Notables Newsletter (September to November 2021)

11/20/2021

FIn this issue...

Agent update
MFA highlights
TD Grade One Book Giveaway
OLA Nomination
Cooking with Nadia L. Hohn
interviews by nadia
Spring/Summer/Fall 2021 Recap
- Articles
- Upcoming books
- Reprints
- Events

Letter from the editor
We did it. Eighteen months in lockdown and the world has begun to open up. I have had quite possibly the busiest time of my life. Which explains why I took an eight months hiatus from writing this newsletter. The delay wasn’t intentional but the result of a busy year.

In 2021 so far, I taught four Writing for Children courses online at institutions— Centennial College, University of Guelph Open Learning, and the University of Toronto School for Continuing Studies. I was an Instructor at the Youth Writing Boot Camp at Vancouver Public Library over the summer. I signed three book deals and found an agent. I also completed the first year of my MFA in Creative Writing program at the University of Guelph and began another one in September. I have taken part in interviews, edited videos, written articles for magazines, conducted research, presented, and hosted a monthly online reading event. An OAC arts grant allowed me to purchase a desktop computer and hire a social media manager/strategist for eight weeks this summer. Malaika’s Costume was a part of the 2021 TD Summer Reading Club. You will also see in my upcoming books that I have a few projects on the go. I also received a TAC grant to work on my middle grade novel. This fall, I began my role Presenter and Judge for Innisfil IDEALab Short Story Contest for Kids.

Making a life as a full time writer means taking on many roles and also learning to say no when necessary. But I am living my dream. I love the work I get to do and wouldn’t change that for anything.

Nadia L. Hohn

Agent update
I finally have a literary agent for the first time in my #writerlylife. I am happy to say my three and a half year search for representation has landed with Hilary McMahon, senior agent and executive vice-president of Westwood Creative Artists. Hilary is highly recommended and has a 20+ year track record as a literary agent. After 5 years as a published author who has secured 10 book contracts on my own, my priority is about delegating more, especially during these eventful last several years in my personal life. I think the timing for an agent couldn’t be more perfect and I look forward to this partnership with Hilary. I wish to thank the following authors who helped me to make this decision: Rahma Rodaah (for inspiring me to know that it was about time), Richard Scrimger (for making the introduction to Hilary after his initial offer to do so 3 years ago), SK Ali and Susan Yoon (for advice and listening ears), and Joanne Levy, Susin Nielsen, and Susan Juby (as well as Richard and Rahma) for their glowing recommendations of Hilary. I look forward to working with Hilary.

MFA highlights
In September, I began my second year of studies in the MFA in Creative Writing program at the University of Guelph. It has been a busy program. I have taken courses in fiction with Dionne Brand, screenwriting, creative nonfiction with Ayelet Tsabari, self-directed studies, and now drama and decolonial fiction. I continue to cohost the monthly online reading series, Speakeasy. My summer mentorship was with Jamaican Poet Laureate, Olive Senior and my thesis advisor is Shyam Selvadurai.

TD Grade One Book Giveaway My first picture book Malaika's Costume has been selected as this year's TD Grade One Giveaway. When I got the news, it felt unreal, maybe because I had dreamt this would/could happen one day. As a former Grade One teacher, it means that much more. Now over 550, 000 students across Canada will get a chance to read about Malaika in English and in French. For more info, visit: https://bookcentre.ca/programs/td-grade-one-book-giveaway

OLA Nomination Malaika’s Surprise was nominated for the 2022 Forest of Reading (Blue Spruce Award).🌳
This is a huge honour. The Forest of Reading is basically the #Canadian equivalent of the Kids’ Choice Awards but for books. This is my first Forest of Reading nomination.
It’s been twelve years now since I had read Blue Spruce nominated picture books 📚 to my second graders and helped them vote on their favourite. That year, Chester by Melanie Watt won!
And now, it’s my turn to be a part of the festivities as an author.
Congratulations to all of the nominees!

Cooking with Nadia L. Hohn. Cooking with Nadia L. Hohn: Caribbean Dishes Featured in Malaika's Surprise
Join me for Cooking with Nadia episode 1: Malaika's Surprise as I talk about and make Caribbean dishes featured in my newest picture book, Malaika's Surprise. On today's menu are fried plantains, cornmeal porridge, and doubles. I even take you to Trinidad and Tobago. Enjoy!
You can view my full video here on IGTV or my YouTube channel. Please see this link. For a downloadable copy of the recipes, please visit the link.

interviews by nadia Check out my first episode of #interviewsbynadia with Harriet's Daughter author/poet M. NourbeSe Philip on my YouTube channel here.
Check out my second episode of #interviewsbynadia with Facing the Sun author Janice Lynn Mather here. This book was the 2021 CCBC Amy Mathers Teen Book Award winner.
In the winter term of my MFA in Creative Writing program at the University of Guelph, I did a self-directed reading course with Professor Jennifer Schacker. I decided to focus on books featuring Black adolescent girlhoods. As part of this course, I interviewed two young adult authors— M. NourbeSe Philip and Janice Lynn Mather. I hope you enjoy these interviews.

Articles and Podcasts
“How Harriet’s Daughter Helped Me Find My Way as a Black Canadian and a Writer for Young People”, Arc Poetry magazine (Arc 96 Islands of Influence Caribbean Canadian edition) (Fall 2021).

“Kojo’s Holiday”, Chickadee magazine (December 2021).

“Writer with a Capital W”, University of Waterloo podcast

“Writer Finds Resilience Stories Black Women and Girls”, University of Waterloo magazine (Spring 2021).

Upcoming books
Journey to Grandma's House (Groundwood Books), Fall 2024.

Editor of Untitled anthology (Orca Books), Fall 2023.

Malaika #4 (Groundwood Books), Spring 2023.

Contributor to 100+ Voices for Miss Lou: Poetry, Tributes, Interviews, Essays anthology (UWI Press), 2021.

Published books
Interview in Contemporary Canadian Picture Books: A Critical Review for Educators, Librarians, Families, Researchers, & Writers by Beverley Brenna, Richard Dionne, and Theresa Tavares (Brill, 2021).

Malaika's Surprise (Groundwood Books), Spring 2021 https://houseofanansi.com/products/malaikas-surprise French version available in 2022 by Éditions Scholastic, Malaika's Surprise Book Trailer

A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett-Coverley Found Her Voice (Owlkids), Aug. 15, 2019

Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter (Harper Collins), 2018

Malaika's Winter Carnival (Groundwood Books), 2017 (available in French and English paperback http://scholastic.ca/editions/livres/view/le-carnaval-de-malaika)

Malaika's Costume (Groundwood Books www.groundwoodbooks.com), 2016 (available in French paperback www.scholastic.ca) 2021 TD Book Giveaway

Music in the Sankofa series (Rubicon Publishing), 2015 www.sankofacollection.com
Media in the Sankofa series (Rubicon Publishing), 2015 www.sankofacollection.com
Reprints
A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett-Coverley Found Her Voice

Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter

Malaika's Winter Carnival

Malaika's Costume

Upcoming Events
Monday, November 22 11:00-11:20am ET for OISE/UT Stay at Home Club on Twitter.
A big partnership this December that I can’t tell you about yet. (Follow my social media for details.)
Thursday, December 9 7pm ET Pre-Kwanzaa Pyjama Party on Zoom.
Past Events
Telling Tales 2021
Toronto International Festival of Authors 2021 (TIFAKids)
Upcoming in Winter 2021 Nadia’s Notables Newsletter…

MFA Update
Audioreads
Toronto Arts Council grant
Innisfil IDEALab Writer in Residence
TD Book Giveaway on the Road
MFA Update- The Thesis

© Nadia L. Hohn, 2021
Toronto, ON, Canada

Malaika’s Surprise Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award Nomination

10/17/2021

So this just happened...

#MalaikasSurprise was nominated for the 2022 Forest of Reading (Blue Spruce Award).🌳

This is a huge honour. The Forest of Reading is basically the #Canadian equivalent of the Kids’ Choice Awards but for books. This is my first Forest of Reading nomination.

It’s been twelve years now since I had read Blue Spruce nominated picture books 📚 to my second graders and helped them vote on their favourite. That year, Chester by Melanie Watt won!

And now, it’s my turn to be a part of the festivities as an author.

Congratulations to all of the nominees.

To see the full announcement on the Forest of Reading website, click here.

The TD Book Giveaway Copies of Malaika’s Costume are Here!

10/17/2021

Guess what came in the mail!

2021 TD Grade One Book Giveaway copies of #MalaikasCostume!

This book takes me all the way back at 2016 when Malaika's Costume was first published.

This was my very first picture book and it was illustrated by #IreneLuxbacher. Irene has worked hard to redo and revise several illustrations for the TD Grade One Book Giveaway 2021. I think they look gorgeous. (One revised illustration is shown here.)

My editor at the time, the late Sheila Barry, said Malaika's Costume would be big before I even signed the contract. I still wonder how she knew.

I've taken this story all over the world and now over 550,000 children will get a copy.

Enjoy!

Contemporary Canadian Picture Books

10/13/2021

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Okay, maybe a few months off the press so the press has cooled down now. I’m excited to share that I’m excited to be one of the spotlighted children’s picture book creators in CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN PICTURE BOOKS: A Critical Review for Educators, Librarians, Families, Researchers, & Writers by Beverley Brenna, Richard Dionne, and Theresa Tavares.

The book was published earlier in 2021.

Buy your copy here: https://brill.com/view/title/60329 or at the link here: linktr.ee/nadialahohn.

First Week of MFA, Year 2

9/30/2021

First week of year 2 #MFA #CreativeWriting program at 44 years old.

How'd it go?

This is my second Masters degree and it feels like such a better fit.

During my "first go" at grad school, I was 24 years old and no longer sure that I had made the right choice. I started with a clear idea of my research focus but then became lost and jaded for several reasons. The material was difficult and dense, the other students were older and seemed more knowledgeable, and I was exhausted constantly. As a result, my goal became to finish my degree as quickly as possible and I did, thankfully, complete my Masters in Education with a focus on Equity (MEd) in 2005.

The goal now is to graduate with my MFA in Creative Writing in summer 2022.

Here goes!

DID YOU KNOW...? Labour Day, Caribbean Migrant Workers and Books

9/7/2021

A Work in Progress

The story of Caribbean migrant labour has not been an easy one.

From the Panama Canal to migrant farm workers, #tradeunions and my own experiences, Caribbean people have often filled labour shortages and did undesirable jobs, travelling far to provide for themselves and their families, sometimes risking their lives to do so.

This is part of my family’s story and an inspiration of Malaika’s Costume and the series.

In this slide carousel, I share about about Caribbean migrant work.

This Labour Day, I reflect on Caribbean migrant workers, labour unions, books, and my work in teaching and writing.

Books featured here are:

They Call Me George: The Untold Story of Black Train Porters and the Birth of Modern Canada by Cecil Foster

My name's not George: The story of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters : personal reminiscences of Stanley G. Grizzle by Stanley Grizzle

Malaika’s Costume by Nadia L. Hohn (aka me)

Dying to Better Themselves: West Indians and the Building of the Panama Canal by Olive Senior

Fun facts: Stanley Grizzle was born in Toronto in 1918 of Jamaican parents and was the president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. He eventually became a Canadian Citizenship Judge. His daughter Nerene Virgin. Stanley died in 2016 and I had the pleasure of speaking with him on multiple occasions.

Please note: Stereotypes of the happygolucky or lazy Caribbean person are racist and utterly false.

To learn more about more Caribbean migrant experiences, read stories about domestic workers, nurses, trades people, and the Windrush generation.

I have a new logo

8/12/2021

If you have visited my social media lately, you’ve probably noticed that I have a new logo. This logo was designed by my social media manager/friend Denise Hastings with close consultation from myself. I really love this logo. Every piece of it is a deliberate representation of the work I do, my skill set, and my goal as a writer.

Blue is my favourite colour, then yellow. These were also my high school’s colours— blue and gold, actually. Light blue symbolizes creativity.

The blue butterfly 🦋 symbolizes many things for me. Firstly, I’m a thyroid cancer survivor. The thyroid gland is shaped like a butterfly and located in the base of the neck. My course of treatment included removing my thyroid. That year, I decided to start a blog called Blue Butterfly 🦋 about my cancer journey and becoming vegan. I named my blog this way for the reasons I provided. My blog also was important in starting my writing career. It gave me the first insight of what it means to be a professional writer and the realization that not only could my writing help people but I needed to pursue it seriously. Blue and yellow are the colours of the sun and the sea in the Caribbean.

During that time, I had done a lot of reading to heal my body. I was surprised to learn that in Ayurvedic or traditional Indian medicine, the location of the thyroid in the neck corresponds with the third chakra which is blue in colour and corresponds with self-expression and clear communication.

I was also surprised to learn that the blue butterfly is a rare insect. They reside in Central and South America and correspond with healing, as you can find in the film with the same title. A blue butterfly 🦋 also symbolizes rebirth and change.

As a Christian, change, rebirth, and even a representation of the Holy Spirit are evoked by the image of a butterfly. I look at my life as a state of constant renewal, relearning, and regrowth🦋.

I also grew up watching the television program Reading Rainbow in the 1980s. Without this show, I would not have discovered many diverse book. One of the books featured on this show influenced one of the books I made in childhood. If you want see the butterfly that flies in the Reading Rainbow opening credits, click here: https://youtu.be/0YtYMzh8lxk.

The open book was a later addition that reaffirms my identity as a writer and published author. The butterfly above an open book symbolizes my stories, ideas, and teachings taking flight.

If you have visited my social media lately, you’ve probably noticed that I have a new logo. This logo was designed by my social media manager/friend Denise Hastings with close consultation from myself. I really love this logo. Every piece of it is a deliberate representation of the work I do, my skill set, and my goal as a writer.

Blue is my favourite colour, then yellow. These were also my high school’s colours— blue and gold, actually. Light blue symbolizes creativity.

The blue butterfly 🦋 symbolizes many things for me. Firstly, I’m a thyroid cancer survivor. The thyroid gland is shaped like a butterfly and located in the base of the neck. My course of treatment included removing my thyroid. That year, I decided to start a blog called Blue Butterfly 🦋 about my cancer journey and becoming vegan. I named my blog this way for the reasons I provided. My blog also was important in starting my writing career. It gave me the first insight of what it means to be a professional writer and the realization that not only could my writing help people but I needed to pursue it seriously.

During that time, I had done a lot of reading to heal my body. I was surprised to learn that in Ayurvedic or traditional Indian medicine, the location of the thyroid in the neck corresponds with the third chakra which is blue in colour and corresponds with self-expression and clear communication.

I was also surprised to learn that the blue butterfly is a rare insect. They reside in Central and South America and correspond with healing, as you can find in the film with the same title. A blue butterfly 🦋 also symbolizes rebirth and change.

As a Christian, change, rebirth, and even a representation of the Holy Spirit are evoked by the image of a butterfly. I look at my life as a state of constant renewal. 🦋

The open book was a later addition that reaffirms my identity as a writer and published author. The butterfly above an open book symbolizes my stories, ideas, and teachings taking flight. The open book represents my current published stories being shared and those yet to come. The book also symbolizes my commitment to learning both as a teacher and a student.

The cursive script used for my name was chosen as it represents the very elemental nature of handwriting which is the method I've journaled since I was nine years old. Today, I have almost 100 journals.

I appreciated the recommendation of a logo (Denise’s idea). She became my assistant in 2002-2003, the final season of ICED IN BLACK: Canadian Black Experiences on Film, a Nationally Touring Film Festival that I founded. Thankfully, our friendship outlasted the festival. Tomorrow, you’ll learn more about how Denise helped me this summer to improve my social media presence. Thank you to the Ontario Arts Council for the grant to help make this possible.

@groundwoodbooks @authorsbooking @libertylustre @canscaip @ontarioartscouncil #writerlylife

Cooking with Nadia (episode 1): Malaika's Surprise

8/3/2021

In Malaika’s Surprise, my most recent picture book, we find Malaika settling into her new life in Canada. For many immigrants, food brings back familiar flavours and evokes feelings of life back home. I include food in my books as a part of setting readers into the world of my characters.

Please join me as I show you how to prepare Caribbean dishes featured in Malaika's Surprise.

On today's menu are fried plantains, cornmeal porridge, and doubles. I even take you to Trinidad and Tobago. Enjoy!

Putting this video together has been fun and represents months of work. I hope you enjoy it.

Below, you will find the cooking video as well as a link to the downloadable pdf with recipes.

Fun facts: My professional writing ✍️ career began in 2011 with a blog called Blue Butterfly focused on my journey through cancer and becoming a vegan. At one point, I dreamed of being a filmmaker, ran a nationally touring Black film festival, and worked at others. 🎞 🎥

cooking_with_nadia_episode_1_recipes_pdf.pdf
File Size:	19040 kb
File Type:	pdf

I have a literary agent!!!

3/16/2021

I now have a literary agent for the first time in my #writerlylife. I am happy to say my three and a half year search for representation has landed with Hilary McMahon, senior agent and executive vice-president of Westwood Creative Artists. Hilary is highly recommended and has a 20+ year track record as a literary agent. After 5 years as a published author who has secured 9 book contracts on my own, the last several years in my personal life have been eventful. I think the timing for an agent couldn’t be more perfect and I look forward to this partnership with Hilary. I wish to thank the following authors who helped me to make this decision:
Rahma Mohamed
(for inspiring me to realize that it was time),
Richard Scrimger
(for making the introduction to Hilary after his initial offer to introduce me 3 years ago), SK Ali and Susan Yoon (for advice and listening ears), and
Joanne Levy, Susin Nielsen, and Susan Juby
(as well as Richard and Rahma) for their glowing recommendations of Hilary. Stay tuned for more projects!