I was thrilled a few weeks ago to learn that DELICATE MONSTERS had been nominated for this year’s Northern California Book Award in the Children’s Literature for Older Readers category, along with Tamara Ireland Stone’s fabulous EVERY LAST WORD, Sabaa Tahir’s gorgeous AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, and Kate Schatz’s amazing and beautifully illustrated RAD AMERICAN WOMEN A-Z: REBELS, TRAILBLAZERS, & VISIONARIES WHO SHAPED OUR HISTORY…AND OUR FUTURE! (illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl).
I was lucky enough to get to attend the award ceremony this past weekend in San Francisco, and it was such a special event. Having grown up in Berkeley, in a writing household, it was wonderful to be surrounded by that community and to feel connected to the unique literary world that exists in our neck of the woods. There’s really nothing like Northern California, and to have the chance to hear Fred Cody Award recipient Susan Griffin talk about the political significance of creating literature and the role it plays in our democracy, was nothing short of inspiring.
I was stunned, of course, when DELICATE MONSTERS won–oh, it’s such a tough, dark, book, but it holds so much of my heart–and somehow stumbled my way through a flustered speech. More than anything, I am so very thankful for everyone at Poetry Flash, the Northern California Book Reviewers, the Women’s National Book Association, PEN West, and the San Francisco Public Library for all of their hard work in making these awards happen, and for making me feel like a valued part of the community I grew up in. This is my home.
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