Episode #160: Chop Suey! Pride, #Ownvoices update, Public Speaking Tips, and Book Recs!
Grace and Alvina talk about the terrible Hide the Pride movement, recommend some LGBTQIA+ books, discuss WNDB's recent interview with librarians about how they've replaced the hashtag #ownvoices, give some public speaking tips, and Alison Morris provides book recommendations.
“How have you been?”
Alvina recently had lunch with Katrina Goldsaito, author of The Sound of Silence. She and her husband invented the ReachYou App being showcased at the Tribeca Festival. She also attended a zoom for the 2022 Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prize “Meet the Judges” event.
Grace is busy preparing for the upcoming ALA conference. (Deluxe pedicures and all!) Hazel returned from two nights away at summer camp and loved it. This was a big step towards her independence.
On today’s Chop Suey! episode, the Book Friends discuss a variety of topics:
TOPIC #1: Happy Pride Month! The topic is not a happy one though, it is something that is really upsetting. “Hide the Pride”…..A controversial conservative Catholic organization is urging parents to “Hide the Pride” during Pride Month — by checking out any LBGTQ-related books they see at their local libraries so that no children will see them. Grace recommends telling your local library how much you appreciate their PRIDE display if they have one. Keep the encouragement up! Here are some recommend LGBTQIA+ books published by Little Brown:
TOPIC #2: The Book Friends discuss how We Need Diverse Books is handling replacing their #ownvoices hashtag. What is being used instead? How does everyone feel about this change?
TOPIC #3: Public Speaking Tips! Grace and Alvina share their public speaking tips as Grace prepares for her upcoming acceptance speech at the ALA awards in DC.
Pride Book Recommendations! from Alison Morris:
Alison Morris is a nationally recognized children's book buyer with an infectious enthusiasm for reading and 20 years' experience matching books to readers. As the Senior Director of Title Selection for nonprofit First Book, she oversees the curation of children’s and young adult books on the First Book Marketplace, hand-selecting a diverse range of titles that speak to and address the needs of kids in underserved communities, with a keen eye to inclusion, authenticity, and kid-appeal. She previously served as Senior Editor at Scholastic Book Clubs, Children's Book Buyer for Wellesley Booksmith and The Dartmouth Bookstore, and was the founding blogger of the ShelfTalker children’s book blog for Publishers Weekly. She'll be joining us from her home near Washington, DC where she spends LOTS of time discussing books with her husband, illustrator and graphic novelist Gareth Hinds.
Gratefuls!
Alvina is grateful for living in Brooklyn. She loves the easy access to such vibrant culture and being able to walk everywhere. Grace is grateful for the opportunity to go to ALA in-person and accept her award with her friends and family. Grace is also grateful for her husband Alex. He is such a wonderful and present father to Hazel. Alison is also grateful to be in-person for the ALA Conference so that everyone can feel that community energy again.
Thank You!
*If you’re a patron, don’t forget to check out this week’s Random Questions feed! Authors Duncan Tonatiuh and Grace Lin answer the random question Would You Rather Be Bald Or Covered From Head To Toe In Hair? 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
Alison Morris is @AlisonLMorris on Twitter and @kidlitgirl on Instagram
