If you’re reading this, hope you’re having a wonderful summer. I am having a hectic one! In this short post this August, I wanted to share a list of august upcoming anthologies that I’m honored to be part of. But first, I am super excited to share that my next novel, SAFE HARBOR, is already available for pre-order! I was so moved to receive this wonderful blurb :
“Safe Harbor is an exquisite verse novel by one of my favorite poets. I fell in love with each heartfelt page. The perfect blend of personal and STEM themes is truly amazing.” – Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor winning author of The Surrender Tree, and Young People’s Poet Laureate Emeritus
Unlike my previous novels, SAFE HARBOR is set in Rhode island, and it’s the first of my books that draws on my time as an oceanographer. Within the vast field of marine science, I focused on pollution prevention, and this book is about a girl who rescues a baby seal that is stranded on a beach and that has almost lost its life because it is entangled in plastic. There weren’t a lot of BIPOC women in this field when I received my doctorate; so there are a lot of BIPOC female scientists in this book, and I hope it will be loved by readers, as much as I absolutely loved weaving together my love for science and my love for literature as I wrote this story. You can pre-order a copy and learn more about the book here.
With Banned Book Week coming up next month, I’d like to start my august anthologies list with BANNED TOGETHER, a YA anthology coming in 2025 from Holiday House, edited by Ashley Hope Pérez, activist, teacher, and author of OUT OF DARKNESS. It’s a collection of diverse types of writing ( fiction, memoir, poetry, graphic narratives, essays, and other genres) that explore the unprecedented censorship that book creators are facing right now, which addresses what we lose as a society when young readers are prevented from accessing books in which they can see themselves represented respectfully. And there’s more – it also has a marvelous list of resources that Ashley has put together (e.g. tips from the Vandegrift Banned Book Club and other teen activists, as well as extensive recommended book lists, a How to Start Your Own Little Free Library flier, etc.) to empower those who wish to actively fight extremist book challenges. In the words of the one and only Laurie Halse Anderson, Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Winner, and author of the Speak, which was one of the first YA books I read and a book that has been subjected to book banning, “This stunning book is the antidote we need against the hate-based book banners bent on destroying our freedoms. Read it, share it, and lift your voice to support everyone’s right to read.”
JUST YA is the brainchild of Prof. Sarah J Donovan. As part of my my charitable contributions for 2024, I sent her a short story, which can be accessed free of charge, along with other writers’ work, via her online resource at Open OkState which will be live September 2nd. This open-access collection encourages readers, teachers, parents, teachers and other educators to engage with literature written by diverse voices.
Poetry was my first love – and I still love writing poetry. So it’s always a joy to be invited to participate in any #poetryanthology put together by Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell. I was thrilled to write a poem called JOB JUGGLER, inspired by my “jobs” as an oceanographer and as a writer, for inclusion in CLARA’S KOOKY COMPENDIUM OF THIMBLETHOUGHTS AND WONDERFUZZ, which will be released this fall. Proceeds from the sale of this book go to charity, which shows you that Janet and Sylvia aren’t just amazing poets – they are also amazing people.
Last but not least on my list is ALL THE LOVE UNDER THE VAST SKY, a YA anthology celebrating love in all its forms, edited by Kip Wilson, author of WHITE ROSE and THE MOST DAZZLING GIRL IN BERLIN. This “enchanting, genre-crossing anthology delivers something for every reader with unique characters, global settings, and a dazzling mixture of myth, historical, speculative, and contemporary fiction” and is scheduled for release in January 2025.
