Tag: Padma Venkatraman

Making RI a Safe Harbor for Authors

Padma Venkatraman2 Comments
Cover image of Safe Harbor, created by artist Oriol Vidal. Used for this poster with the artist's permission. Artist is credited on posters and postcards using this image.

These past few months have been incredibly hectic for me, and I’ve hardly been able to celebrate the release of SAFE HARBOR – a novel that I, as a child who loved animals and had a special ability to communicate with them, would have added to my favorites shelf, though I say so myself! One of the things I’ve been very busy with is helping with legislation that will preserve democratic freedoms, including our right to write! The Freedom to Read bill (S0238) will also protect readers’ right to read. If you follow this newsletter and are a citizen of RI who is concerned about censorship that targets minorities and marginalized and historically underrepresented authors and illustrators, please consider sending in written testimony before 3:00 p.m. on Wed 12th March, or else speaking at the statehouse at the hearing. Sincere thanks to artist Oriol Vidal who gave us permission to use his gorgeous artwork for the Safe Harbor book cover for posters and postcards for our cause. Our posters and postcards provide credit by naming him, but we can’t thank him enough for his generosity.

Among the things that has kept me busy… and buoyed up… is the release of this powerful anthology, edited by Ashley Hope Perez. It’s already secured starred reviews in four journals and I really hope it gets huge recognition – it is probably the most important anthology of our time – and it is not only a brilliant collection of creative pieces, it is also filled with vital information for all who want to speak up against hate.

Jeanette Bradley and I have been working very hard, as co-leaders of the RI chapter of authors against book bans to broaden the coalition of groups supporting the Freedom to Read bill. We were hard at work at the RI statehouse last week, speaking to legislators and others, one on one, at the book giveaway to which we both contributed financially and in kind, in addition to receiving, with thanks, generous donations of books from publishers of books by RI creators that have been subjected to censorship in some way. When I spoke to NPR recently, I felt especially grateful that my publisher, Penguin Random House, is at the forefront of the battle from the publishers’ side, to safeguard our right to freedom of speech and expression.

On a personal note, I’m looking forward to a low-key and casual author event for Safe Harbor at the Toadstool Bookshop in Keene NH this Friday, March 14th, at 6 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Thank you so much to Porter Square Books and Kennedy School for hosting me for an event – I am SO GRATEFUL! HUGE THANKS and oodles of appreciation also to my publisher, and to the North Texas Teen Book Festival, for hosting me – it was an absolutely splendid time – every second I spent there was golden.

Ending this post with super exciting news – I will be one of the featured authors at the Texas Library Association‘s conference in Dallas in April! I CANNOT WAIT to back in Texas again!

Smooth sailing over the holidays and Safe Harbor in 2025!

Padma VenkatramanLeave a comment

It’s almost time to launch SAFE HARBOR – my sixth novel and my second novel-in-verse! I can’t believe how fast 2024 has flown! If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, here is the link: https://buff.ly/3XLA0eK

And… here below is the photo of the seal who inspired the novel, “lying like a sack of rice” on the sands of the beach near my home, in my Ocean State.

This seal was fine – but of course, as an author, seeing it made me wonder – what if there were another seal, and that one wasn’t fine – and I saw two brown kids saving a seal – and I had to find out who they were – and they led me to SAFE HARBOR. Here’s artist Oriol Vidal’s exquisite visual conception of Geetha and Miguel, and Santo the seal.

Yesterday I had the honor to chat with book champion Jennifer LaGarde and she noticed that Geetha is holding a flute. A simple Indian bamboo flute, like the one below. I love this instrument so much because it creates music so organically, with so little mechanics, and with just the principles of physics at play – and yet the music it can create can be so rich, so emotional, so vital. As I write these lines, I am reminded of the recent demise of the person I consider to have been the world’s greatest percussionist – Ustad Zakhir Hussain. I had the honor of hearing Zakhir-ji live more than once – and it was one of the most amazing, blessed experiences of my life.

Geetha’s flute brings a touch of realistic magic to SAFE HARBOR – reminding us that it’s not merely science that can save our planet. I’m an oceanographer, of course, so I’m not dissing science at all. It’s vital. But equally as vital are our ancient, traditional, healing and wholesome paradigms of the connectedness of creation. Music, to me, and to my protagonist, Geetha, is a universal language that connects all creatures on Earth – and through music, Geetha remains rooted in her heritage and reaches out to the seal. If you’re wondering – I play the veena, not the flute – and unlike Geetha I am NOT a gifted musician!

SAFE HARBOR, as I have discussed on other blogs, also has the first wonderful mother who lives with depression and anxiety that I’ve met in the pages of books – although I’ve met many in real life. She is independent, she’s there for her child, she breaks the stereotype of the adult failure with mental health issues (a stereotype that still unfortunately prevails in kidlit) – and I love her. I also love Miguel’s mom and Dr. Williams – powerful BIPOC women scientists who are part of the cast of SAFE HARBOR. I love the fact that in these pages, BIPOC female scientists are the norm (which they certainly weren’t when I began my journey toward my doctorate in oceanography).

So here’s to you, dear reader. Thank you for supporting my work. I hope you’ll love SAFE HARBOR and dive deep more than once to enjoy experiencing the many layers of complexity that lie beneath the surface of this story. I hope that it will leave you feeling empowered, just as Geetha does when she begins with trying to save one animal, which leads to other small steps to save our green earth and its blue seas, which in turn lead to dreams and larger actions to combat climate change and help preserve our planet and conserve all living creatures. Because no matter how large adversity may appear to loom, a heart filled with hope will never sink. Hope, as Geetha says, “is a cork that never stops bobbing on the waves of life’s ocean.”

I’m thrilled to share that I have created a brand-new fun and interactive presentation for grades 3-8 with environmental tie-ins. Do reach out to me through my Speaking Agency, The Author Village. My wonderful publisher has also helped arrange events in January to celebrate the launch – which I’ll share on my blog soon. In the meantime, you can also find a starter list of background resources to which I will be adding, if you choose to use SAFE HARBOR as a read aloud!

May you enjoy the end of this year – and sail smoothly into the next. May 2025 be filled with many a SAFE HARBOR for you.

Order Safe Harbor (176p. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. Jan. 2025. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780593112502): https://buff.ly/3XLA0eK

Author’s Speaking Agency: https://theauthorvillage.com/presenters/padma-venkatraman/

See you at NCTE 2024?

Padma VenkatramanLeave a comment

Looking forward with gratitude to connecting with #teachers #educators #librarians and the #kidlit community at #NCTE2024 in Boston. My excitingly hectic schedule begins on Thursday 11:30 Rm 204 A with a panel on Ecoliteracy, moderated by Nora Shalaway Carpenter and featuring Margarita Engle and Jewel Parker Rhodes, along with Karina Iceberg, Russ Mayo and Gabriel Valdez.

On Friday, I moderate a panel about Diversifying Verse, with speakers Lisa Stringfellow, Valerie Bolling and Suma Subramaniam, starting 11/22 3:30 p.m. in Room 162 B.

Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. I will be sharing a signing table with Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, who will sign copies of NIGHT WAR, while I sign galleys of SAFE HARBOR which Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Random House will be giving away at PRH booth #1000 in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center Exhibit Hall A (free to all who line up)!

Almost right after that signing, I’ll have another signing kindly hosted by Highlights Foundation, for which my publisher Penguin Random House has generously donated copies of BORN BEHIND BARS for a free giveaway! Join me 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Highlights Booth #131 on Saturday.

Sunday morning is packed! Educator Melissa Thom moderates a panel in Room 157 B at 9:00 a.m. My fellow panelists are Amina Luqman-Dawson, Erin Sonderberg Downing, Jennifer A Nielsen, Christina Soontornvat and Donna Barber Higuera.

Rushing off after that panel onto my grand finale, a panel moderated by Alison Green Myers and Alexandra Villasante, of the wonderful Highlights Foundation, Sunday morning 10:30 a.m. Room 103, with fellow panelists Christopher Paul Curtis and Daniel Nayeri!

Met me (or missed me) and would like to schedule a keynote, writing workshop or invite me to your school for an author event? I’m delighted to offer new workshops and talks focusing on conservation, ecology, mental health awareness, environmental racism or deepening our appreciation of nature. To arrange a visit, in-person or virtual, please reach out to my marvelous speaking agency, The Author Village: https://theauthorvillage.com/presenters/padma-venkatraman/

August Anthologies

Padma Venkatraman2 Comments

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.

Women’s History Month 2024

Padma Venkatraman9 Comments

We often say we’re speechless. I probably have said that before. But the first time I truly felt that way was when I saw this montage created by @readwithmalcom. I was immensely and deeply grateful when THE BRIDGE HOME was selected to be featured by Malcom Mitchell’s Share The Magic Foundation because I respect his achievements and very much admire his dedication to promoting books and reading. But to see my image on this composite along with photographs of Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, Margaret Atwood, Virginia Woolf and Jane Austen?

!!!!!

Honored beyond words.

!!!!!

Every day of this month, I’ve woken up blinking and thinking, surely this can’t be. Admittedly, I only recognized Maya Angelou…whose beautiful face I first saw during the Clinton inauguration when she read aloud…

Today, I printed out this image to keep, so I can hold it in my hands, not just my heart. I’ve felt so discouraged so often these past years. But this is an undreamed of honor that will keep me going. It feels like a blessing from above.

To keep going means to keep doing. So to end on a practical note, a quick heads-up that Diverse Verse will be hosting POEMS OF HOPE, a poetry competition for young poets in grades 3 – 12. For more on that, please visit the Diverse Verse website during poetry month (April 2024). Thank you, and Happy Women’s History Month to all who read this.

And btw, does anyone know who the 3 authors are in the image above whom I can’t identify?

Since the time I asked this question (when this post was published) my friend and famous poet and author Nikki Grimes identified Alice Walker (which an image search had misidentified), award-winning author Lisa Rogers identified Rupi Kaur (top left), superstar educators Robin Martin and Jean Holmblad identified several faces, including Kristi Yamaguchi, and my professor friend Kalpana Vijayavarathan identified Virginia Woolf. I know all of these people’s wonderful work, so I knew what they sounded like, but admittedly didn’t know what they looked like!

Right now, there is just one remaining author whom no one has identified (in the square above mine). Anyone know who that is?

Wish you a golden autumn!

Padma VenkatramanLeave a comment

After a hectic summer, I’ve decided to have a calmer fall. I plan to spend more time writing than traveling, but I will be doing a bit of teaching, too. I’m so honored and excitedly looking forward to teaching an online course in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. For the first half of the semester, I will present interactive lectures (instruction, discussion, and writing activities designed to hone skills and craft). The second half will include individualized feedback. I can’t wait! Among others, writer Hanh Bui (author of the picture book shown above) is registered! Looking forward to meeting many other talented writers. If you’d like to join us, do it soon, as we start this upcoming Monday. Registration and more information: https://slc.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&int_class_id=137&int_category_id=0&int_sub_category_id=0&int_catalog_id=0

I’m also looking forward greatly to being at the Chappaqua Book Festival in a few weeks! It’s on Saturday, September 30th at the Chappaqua Train Station, 10:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. and admission is free. Here’s more information about that: https://ccbfestival.org/authors/?query-36-page=4&cst I’m also delighted that BORN BEHIND BARS is on yet another wonderful state award list – Arizona! Below are some with photographs taken during a wonderful family trip to that state.

Fancy cactus cupcake I ate in Sedona, Arizona

We visited Arizona some years ago, when Kathy Short honored me with an invitation to be one of the featured authors at the incredible Tuscon Festival of Books, which, for me, began with a wonderful dinner, during which I met Margaret Peter Haddix (author of the bestselling novel RUNNING OUT OF TIME, and its recently released sequel, FALLING OUT OF TIME) – and we an absolutely scrumptious dessert (shown above) that was made to look like a book!

Here’s wishing you a wonderful autumn season! And if you’d like to try a writing exercise, here’s a link to my latest writing prompt, inspired by the book MASCOT: https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/2023/08/31/cooking-up-stories-mascot-plus-a-recipe-and-a-prompt/

Thank you, teachers, for your courage & dedication

Padma VenkatramanLeave a comment

“Fear is a Lock. Courage is a key.” That’s a quote from BORN BEHIND BARS. It’s a quote that I believe teachers, librarians and other educators live by. Especially these days, when our nation and our world seems so divided. This second day of #TeacherAppreciationWeek, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the teachers who’ve made a difference in my life, and the lives of every child I’ve ever met. Thank you for sharing knowledge so selflessly, and for your bravery – you are heroes.

In the wake of so many recent tragedies, I sometimes feel at a loss for words. Yet words are the only gift I can give to educators. I’m not sure what else I can give – and I realize nothing can ever fully express the depth of my gratitude. So here is a short list of a few new resources, which are free and which I hope you will enjoy and which I hope will help you in some small way.

  • My Opening Keynote for #TheEdCollabGathering is available online until July at: https://gathering.theeducatorcollaborative.com
  • I’m delighted to moderate a panel for PEN America. If you’re in New York City, you can visit our event during the #PENWorldVoicesFestival this Saturday afternoon (see the graphic below for information). The event won’t be live-streamed, but will be recorded and shared on PEN America’s YouTube channel in July, so you can catch up with us in summer if you can’t see us live: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXtC846wFrdIIp4NBrNPKHg
  • My latest #WritingPrompt for my #CookingUpStories series, edited by Alison Green Myers (Schneider Award Winning Author of BIRDS WILL SOAR) and accompanied by a brand new recipe contributed by the incredible Chef Amanda features a tip on writing dialogue, inspired by Torrey Maldonado’s latest novel, HANDS, which I loved holding in my hands, as you can see from the photo below! Here it is, thanks to Bobbie Coombs who regularly puts up these posts on the #HighlightsFoundation website: https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/2023/05/03/cooking-up-stories-hands-plus-a-recipe-and-a-prompt/
  • Finally, here’s a short story I wrote that you can access free of charge, along with discussion questions and more, which addresses the theme of bullying. It’s also uses the first person plural point of view (“we”) so it was a wonderful challenge to write, and provides and unusual address to explore while reading. https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/her-story

Thanks again. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week and Happy AAPI month!

Teacher Resources

Padma Venkatraman1 Comment

This spring began with so many delightful bits of news: The Bridge Home received another award – The Jerry, presented by WJRC! Born Behind Bars is also on Georgia’s state award list! I’ve been doing a lot of virtual visits, and over the next few weeks, I’ll be doing more.

On my slides, I quote from a lot of articles I’ve written about various aspects of diversity in the field of children’s and YA literature. I also point out that there are plenty of resources on this website for librarians and educators who’d like to use my books in classrooms. However, please note that many of the links may NOT work because of your school / library server. There’s nothing that can be done at my end to help solve that. However, most of the links can be accessed via my padlet.

So please click on this link for now, and thanks for your patience. You an also access many of my videos, including general writing prompts, via my YouTube channel and writing prompts may also be found on the COOKING UP STORIES blog that I write for the Highlights Foundation the first Friday of each month, in which I come up with a writing prompt and it’s paired with a colleague’s book and a delectable recipe by Chef Amanda. As for general diversity resources, an annotated list of some of my articles is below:

  • Weeding out racim’s invisible roots (SLJ) which was one of the most widely-read articles in School Library Journal
  • Compassion, as well as correctness (for Horn Book)
  • Accept, don’t just tolerate (on the importance of including religious diversity, for Kirkus Reviews)
  • My quarantine story (for PW)
  • Classics, colonization and a call for change (Nerdy Book Club)
  • No problem with problem books (about gender inequity in kidlit, for YA Wednesday)
  • A list of awards the celebrate underrepresented and marginalized voices / books for young people (SLJ)
  • Golden silence, gilded words (about microagressions, on author Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Cynsations blog)
  • Honoring the history of those who strove for diversity in our field and in our country (WNDB Walter Award acceptance speech, in a way – although the year I won it was the year COVID struck and the ceremony was cancelled)!
  • One of my very early books of nonfiction which was published before I considered myself an author, featured by Renaissance Learning
  • Essay on what writing and reading mean to me in 2022, especially in the context of book banning
  • The Importance of Reading Widely and Reading Beyond One’s Own Experiences (published in Brightly)
  • Chat with Colby Sharp about Born Behind Bars (a parent’s magazine book of the month selection), books featuring incarceration, and more
  • Expanding Our Embrace: Including Stories with International Settings
  • Better and Verse (about verse novels)
  • Diverse Verse (a website that I started which has grown into a marvelous group of poets and educators)
  • Authors Take Action
  • Padma Venkatraman on Voice
  • Speaking as a diversity educator

All Best For the Rest of 2021 and Happy 2022!

Padma VenkatramanLeave a comment
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year Wishes!

Can’t believe 2021 is nearly over. As this year winds down, I’m taking a moment to be grateful for all the honors and awards and praise Born Behind Bars has been blessed with. So far, to my knowledge, it’s on the Boston Globe, Kirkus, School Library Journal, CSMCL and India Currents Best Books of 2021 lists; on Mr. John Schu and Travis Jonker’s Top 20 Books of 2021 list; and in addition to the starred reviews to which it was released and the glowing reviews from the New York Times Book Review and Providence Journal, it was showcased as Parents Magazine’s November Book Club pick.

Born Behind Bars is also a Project LIT Community Selection! So honored!

If you’d like to order a copy, click the link below, and choose your favorite way to buy from the various possible options (and thank you)! https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647196/born-behind-bars-by-padma-venkatraman/

Here’s the Born Behind Bars Trailer in case you didn’t watch it yet…

If you’d like to hear the story-behind-the-story or download a discussion guide, Born Behind Bars related writing prompt or hear the first chapter of the audiobook, which I read, or access further reading suggestions or support resources, you’ll find them at the Born Behind Bars page of this website (resources tab top right, Born Behind Bars drop down menu).

Thank you to all the educators who worked so hard as this pandemic continued.

Sending my wishes out to the world for health, above all, and a safe and peaceful end to this year and joy in 2022.