Four years ago, I had not heard of the Asian Festival of Children's Content. I did not know that Singapore's National Library had 16 floors of books. And then, I was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award 2016, which was momentous enough for me to buy a festival pass and attend my first AFCC. I didn't win the award, but that was the beginning of a new journey - one that has led to my first Scholastic publication, Dragonflies, Jigsaws, and Seashells (originally Dragonflies, Jigsaws and a Rainbow).Then, in 2017, I answered a call for papers and was invited to speak at the AFCC. I spoke at a panel on writing about us, as Asians, something that I have started coming across much more frequently. At the AFCC 2017, I experienced the energy of the festival once more, as I went from session to session, making the most of an event that brought writers, illustrators, editors and … [Read more...]
Back from AFCC 2016
So much excitement, so much fun!I attended the Asian Festival of Children's Content at Singapore for the first time, and the opening ceremony was the grand event at which the winner of the Scholastic Asian Book Award 2016 was announced. My unpublished work, Dragonflies, Jigsaws and a Rainbow, was one of the five shortlisted entries, and it was a wonderful feeling being there, waiting, anticipating ...The shortlisted entries were: Chasing Freedom by Tina Cho (South Korea) Codex: The Lost Treasure of the Indus by Aditi Krishnakumar (India) Dragonflies, Jigsaws and a Rainbow by Varsha Seshan (India) Island Girl by Ho Lee Ling, Stephanie (Singapore) The Budding Traveller by Golda Mowe (Malaysia)Aditi Krishnakumar won the grand prize of 10,000 SGD and a publishing contract with Scholastic Asia. Tina Cho was the first runner-up, and Ho Lee Ling, Stephanie was the … [Read more...]
Shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award!
My work, Dragonflies, Jigsaws and a Rainbow, has been shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award!The award winner will be revealed at the opening ceremony of the Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) in May this year.The objectives of the award are:To recognise excellence in fiction in Asian stories for children To showcase the diversity of literary talent within Asian To encourage and inspire more Asian-themed books and storiesThe five titles were elected by a panel of experts in the field of children’s books. These works are in the running for the grand prize of $10,000 SGD, and the winning manuscript may be published by Scholastic Asia. Between 2011 and 2014, the world's largest children books publishing and distribution company had published six SABA winners’ and finalists’ works, with another three to be launched at the AFCC 2016. … [Read more...]