Episode #130: Memories!
Welcome back! On this week’s Book Friends Forever episode, Grace and Alvina discuss memories, including early childhood memories and nostalgia. As usual, they catch up on each other’s lives, talk about what’s on their minds, and share what they are grateful for.
There are no knew patrons to thank this week! Please consider joining the Book Friends Forever Patreon page for just $1.00 an episode! We appreciate your help in supporting the podcast. While supplies last, you’ll receive this notebook with artwork by Grace and a quote from Alvina’s mom: “If it is to be, it is up to me.” You will also get access to the Kids Ask Authors Random Questions Feed. Thank you!
“How have you been?”
Alvina recently attended the 2021 Pen American Literary Gala. While it felt a little surreal, she really enjoyed getting dressed up, wearing her $10 sparkly high heels, and enjoying an evening under the big blue whale at the Museum of Natural History. Some red carpet attendees were Jodi Foster, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Henry Louis Gates Jr. The event was hosted by actress and rapper, Awkwafina.
Alvina and Stephen recently uncovered some stone wall foundation while renovating their basement. They decided to keep it and turn it into a reading nook!
Grace took a family trip to Boston to visit some friends that she has not seen since before the pandemic. They went to the Immersive Van Gough exhibit which Grace felt was a little less immersive than she expected but still great to see. They also visited the Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience:
Memories!
What inspired this topic for today’s episode was an article Grace read from CNN a while ago about how kids don’t really form a memories until they can tell a story or a narrative about them. This was interesting because Grace’s daughter Hazel loved so many things as a young toddler but now she doesn’t really remember them, including all of the Peppa Pig episodes she watched! How could you not remember Peppa Pig!?
Alvina remembers being known in high school for having a great memory but she wonders if that’s because she kept a journal and wrote it all down. They talk about story telling and how it changes over time based on different experiences and interpretations. Are these false memories?
“What are some of your earliest childhood memories?” Alvina recalls a piano lesson moment when she was 3 of 4 years old and Grace remembers watching her mother cook in the kitchen. “Do you have a favorite childhood memory?” Grace recalls a trip to Taiwan with her family and going peach picking, and Alvina remembers most things about being such an older sibling to her younger brother.
Nostalgia! What exactly is nostalgia? Grace and Alvina break down all the good forms and the bad forms of being nostalgic for the past. Why do want to re-live some things from the past? (For example, civil war reenactments!) They talk about nostalgic books that are good to hold on to and ones that are outdated now and should not be read to children. What makes a nostalgic book or a movie stay nostalgic and why do some fall out of that category? For example, how do you feel about these nostalgic books today?:
Fortune Cookie Segment!: Books that have suffered because of the pandemic and because of supply chain issues:
Grace asks Alvina what are some of the issues with books hitting the shelves later? Are they stuck on the dock? Have they been printed yet? 50% of fall titles have had to shift. For example: Hurricane by John Rocco, I Am An American: The Wong Kim Art Story by Martha Brockenbrough, Grace Lin, and illustrated by Julia Kuo, and Chris Colfer’s graphic novel Goldilocks: Wanted Dead or Alive, illustrated by Jon Proctor.
“What are you grateful for?”
Alvina is grateful for all the work on their new basement! Grace is grateful for her friends in Boston.
*If you’re a patron, don’t forget to check out this week’s Random Questions feed! Authors Nanci Turner Steveson and Grace Lin answer the question, “How do you feel about pineapple on pizza?” Click here to listen! If you’re not a patron already, join today!
Thank you for tuning in! Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Alex at Pacyworks Studio for producing and editing this podcast. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and tell a friend about us. (Use the hashtag #bookfriendsforever.)
You can find Alvina @Planetalvina on Twitter and TikTok and @Alvinaling on Instagram
You can find Grace @Pacylin on Twitter and Instagram and @gracelinauthor on TikTok and @authorgracelin on Facebook
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