Lights in the Darkness: Adventures with Legacy Award-Winning Author and Illustrator Grace Lin

Children's picture books are one of our greatest treasures! Grace Lin won the American Library Association's Legacy Award this year and has been a persistent advocate for diversity and representation on children's book shelves, in libraries and classrooms, and even in museum exhibits. Her beautiful books draw on her Asian American heritage to reweave myths and folk literature, to share stories of families engaged in every day life, and to lift and inspire children and adults everywhere. Join us as we talk about the importance of diverse picture books, Grace's Legacy Award speech, fighting book banning, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, and the joy of creating and building connections.

Follow the show notes for a chance to win an autographed poster of Grace's One Hundred Years of the Newbery Award print. Entries must be received by 11/9/22.
[00:56] In Grace's 2016 TEDx Talk she recounted how it felt to grow up to never see yourself reflected in a book.
[02:41] How Grace's The Seven Chinese Sisters provided a window for one of my college students: “When I looked at this book, I started to cry.”
[6:58] Past Person, Present Person, Or Future Person? What Inspires Writing?
[08:16] A sneak peek at Chinese Menu (fall 2023).
[10:25] Where the Mountain Meets the Moon[12:54] The Wizard of Oz, Olive Lake, and how folk tales adapt and change.
[17:10] Winning the ALA Legacy Award "We are the lights that the world needs when everything has gone dark."
[24:02] Keeping the Lights On Amidst a Climate of Book Banning
[26:05] Pen America town hall strategies for combating book banning challenges [32:47] Taking Action Through Art -- the process behind the Newbery Centennial Horn Book Cover and its after-life as a print benefitting everylibrary.org[37:01] Beard licking, book signings, and curating special exhibits at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art[38:23] Asians, Everyday
[41:09] Once Upon a Book (co-written with Kate Messner)
[44:17] Book Friends Forever and Kids Ask Authors

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