From Lee and Low Books:

The Lee & Low Books eleventh annual New Voices Award is accepting submissions through September 30th (postmark date).

The Award will be given for a children’s picture book manuscript by a writer of color. The Award winner receives a cash grant of $1000 and our standard publication contract, including our basic advance and royalties for a first time author. An Honor Award winner will receive a cash grant of $500.

Established in 2000, the New Voices Award encourages writers of color to submit their work to a publisher that takes pride in nurturing new talent. Past New Voices Award submissions that we have published include The Blue Roses, winner of the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People; Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People and a Texas Bluebonnet Masterlist selection; and Bird, an ALA Notable Children’s Book and a Cooperative Children’s Book Center “Choices” selection.

The contest is open to writers of color who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a children’s picture book published.

To learn more, click here.

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Skipping Stones Youth Honor Award Winners Announced

Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre 2010 Exhibits~ Australia

Beijing International Book Fair~ ongoing until Sep 3, Beijing, China

Taranaki Children’s Book Festival~ ongoing until  Sep 4, Taranaki, New Zealand

Western Australia Spring Poetry Festival and National Poetry Week~ ongoing until  Sep 5, Australia

Melbourne Writers Festival: Stories From Every Angle~ ongoing until Sep 5, Melbourne, Australia

Singapore International Storytelling Festival~ ongoing until Sep 8, Singapore

Childrens Books Ireland and SCBWI Ireland Present: Between The Lines, an information seminar on writing and illustrating for children ~ Sep 11, Dublin, Ireland

Dromkeen Exhibitions: Mbobo Tree, The Race for the Chinese Zodiac, and Stranded~ ongoing until Sep 17, Dromkeen, Australia

2010 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ ongoing until  Sep 26, Nishinomiya, Japan

An Exquisite Vision: The Art of Lisbeth Zwerger~ongoing until Sep 26, Amherst, MA, USA

Lee and Low’s Books New Voices Award Entry Submissions~ ongoing until Sep 30, USA

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibit: Golden Kite, Golden Dreams: the SCBWI Awards~ ongoing until Oct 1, Abilene, TX, USA

International Youth Library Exhibition: The Treasury of Binette Schroeder~ ongoing until Oct  1, Munich, Germany

Words+Pictures=Book, Contemporary Malaysian Picture Book Illustration~ ongoing until Oct 3, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Mirror, an Exhibition by Children’s Author and Artist Jeannie Baker~ ongoing until Oct 10, Australia

Dromkeen National Centre for Picture Book Art Exhibit: From the Collection~ ongoing until Oct 24, Riddells Creek, Australia

International Youth Library Exhibit: Shaun Tan, Pictures and Books~ ongoing until Oct 31, Munich, Germany

Everyday Adventures Growing Up: Art from Picture Books ~ ongoing until Nov 28, Chicago, IL, USA

Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award 2011~ entries accepted until Dec 31, Singapore

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Annual Conference~ Sep 1 – 3, Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane Writers Festival~ Sep 1 – 5, Brisbane, Australia

Moscow International Book Fair~ Sep 1 – 6, Moscow, Russia

Writers’ and Literary Translators’ International Congress ~ Sep 2 – 5, Istanbul, Turkey

Bendigo Children’s Literature Conference: Texts Mark the Spot – Getting Real: Debating the what, why and how of realism in children’s and YA texts~ Sep 3 – 4, Bendigo, Australia

Asian Digital Storytelling Congress: Beyond Words ~ Sep 4, Singapore

CYA Later, Alligator – Children’s and Young Adult Writers And Illustrators Conference~ Sep 4, Brisbane, Australia

KATHA’s I Love Reading! Week~ Sep 4 – 10, Delhi, India

International Literacy Day~ Sep 8

UNESCO Literary Prize Awards Presentation~ Sep 8, Paris, France

IBBY’s Biennial Congress: The Strength of Minorities~ Sep 8 – 12, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Nu Wa International Storytelling Tour of China~ Sep 10 – 26, China

The Kennedy Center’s 15th Annual Multicultural Children’s Book Festival~ Sep 11, Washington, D.C., USA

African Library Project’s 5th Anniversary Celebration and Fundraiser~ Sep 11, Menlo Park, CA, USA

SCBWI Ireland Conference~ Sep 11, Dublin, Ireland

First International Conference on Language, Literature and Cultural Studies~ Sep 11 – 13, Skele, Albania

Book Blogger Appreciation Week~ Sep 13 – 17

The Manila International Book Fair: Words Without Borders~ Sep 15 – 19, Manila, Philippines

International Children’s and Youth Literature Festival~ Sep 15 – 25, Berlin, Germany

Hispanic Heritage Month~ Sep 15 – Oct 15, USA

Chapter & Verse, a Book Club for Adults Discussing Children’s Lit~ Sep 16, USA

Children’s Author Virginia Pilegard to Speak at Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature~ Sep 17, Fresno, CA, USA

Eden Mills Writers’ Festival~ Sep 17 – 19, Eden Mills, ON, Canada

3rd International Biennial SCBWI Australia and New Zealand Conference~ Sep 17 – 19, Sydney, Australia

SCBWI Children’s Book Seminar~ Sep 18, Iloilo City, Philippines

Adarna House’s 30th Anniversary Celebration and Storybook Launch~ Sep 18, Pasay City, Philippines

PINKS Festival – Penang International Kids Storytelling Festival~ Sep 18, George Town, Malaysia

57th St. Children’s Book Fair~ Sep 19, Chicago, IL, USA

Telling Tales: A Family Festival of Stories~ Sep 19, Rockton, ON, Canada

Thin Air – Winnipeg International Writers Festival~ Sep 19 – 26, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

International Day of Peace~ Sep 21

What Children’s Literature Tells Us~ Sep 21, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Eric Carle: A Feast for the Eyes~ Sep 21 – Mar 20, Amherst, MA, USA

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Biennial Institute~ Sep 23 – 25, Atlanta, GA, USA

Göteborg Book Fair~ Sep 23 – 26, Göteborg, Sweden

Wigtown Book Festival~ Sep 24 – Oct 3, Wigtown, United Kingdom

Bath Festival of Children’s Literature~ Sep 24 – Oct 3, Bath, United Kingdom

Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales and Childhood~ Sep 25, Amherst, MA, USA

National Book Festival~ Sep 25, Washington, D.C., USA

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read~ Sep 25 – Oct 2, USA

The Word on the Street National Book and Magazine Festival: Celebrating Reading. Advocating Literacy. ~ Sep 26, Canada

School Library Association of Queensland / International Association of School Librarianship Joint Conference~ Sep 27 – Oct 2, Brisbane, Australia

Canwest Raise-a-Reader Day~ Sep 29, Canada

The Carle Honors 2010~ Sep 30, Amherst, MA, USA

Northwoods Children’s Book Conference~ Sep 30 – Oct 1, Cable, WI, USA

Reading Association of Ireland Annual Conference~ Sep 30 – Oct 2, Dublin, Ireland

The Children’s Bookshow: Stories From Around The World~ Sep 22 – Nov 17, United Kingdom

(Click on event name for more information)

Adarna House’s Workshops for Literacy~ Philipinnes

Cape Town Book Fair~ ongoing until Aug  2, Cape Town, South Africa

The 39th Annual SCBWI International Summer Conference~ ongoing until Aug 2, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Lima International Book Fair~ ongoing until Aug 4, Lima, Peru

Simply Life, Simply Color: An Exhibit of Illustrator Ruben de Jesus’ Work~ ongoing until Aug 8, Makati City, Philippines

2010 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ ongoing until Aug 16, Tokyo, Japan

Caroline Irby’s Exhibition: A Child From Everywhere~ ongoing until Aug 30, London, United Kingdom

An Exquisite Vision: The Art of Lisbeth Zwerger~ongoing until Sep 26, Amherst, MA, USA

Submissions Accepted for Lee & Low’s New Voices Writers Award~ ongoing until Sep 30, USA

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibit: Golden Kite, Golden Dreams: the SCBWI Awards~ ongoing until Oct 1, Abilene, TX, USA

Dromkeen National Centre for Picture Book Art Exhibit: From the Collection~ ongoing until Oct 24, Riddells Creek, Australia

Expo 2010~ ongoing until  Oct 31, Shanghai, China

International Youth Library Exhibit: Shaun Tan, Pictures and Books~ ongoing until Oct 31, Munich, Germany

Everyday Adventures Growing Up: Art from Picture Books~ ongoing until Nov 28, Chicago, IL, USA

Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award 2011~ entries accepted until Dec 31, Singapore

Seminar on Korean History & Culture for K – 12 Teachers and Administrators~ Aug 2  – 6, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Booktalkers: Girls Read Too~ Aug 2, Melbourne, Australia

International Youth Library Exhibition: The Treasury of Binette Schroeder~ Aug 4 – Oct 1, Munich, Germany

Kazakhstan Reading Association Conference~ Aug 5 – 7, Taraz, Kazakhstan

Books, Brushes, and Ashley Bryan~ Aug 8, Amherst, MA, USA

Landscapes of Literacy: From Library to Studio in the Early Childhood Centers of Pistoia, Italy~ Aug 8 – 9, Amherst, MA, USA

The Canadian Book Camp~ Aug 9 – 13, Vancouver, BC, Canada

World Library and Information Congress: 76th IFLA General Conference and Assembly~ Aug 10 – 15, Gothenburg, Sweden

FinRA Finnish Reading Association 2nd Baltic Sea Conference, 15th Nordic Reading Conference: Literacy Skills for Learning~ Aug 11 – 13, Åbo/Turku, Finland

Puffinalia: An Exhibition of Puffin Books 1940 – 2010~ Aug 11 – 31, Melbourne, Australia

21st International Book Biennial of São Paulo~ Aug 12 – 22, São Paulo, Brazil

SCBWI Austin Presents: Representing Diversity in Children’s Books~ Aug 14, Austin, TX, USA

Edinburgh International Book Festival~ Aug 14 – 30, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

The Storylines Festival of New Zealand Children’s Writers and Illustrators~ Aug 15 – 22, New Zealand

LIANZA Children’s Book Awards Ceremony~ Aug 16, Wellington, New Zealand

Library Week~ Aug 16 – 22, New Zealand

Reading Association of Nigeria Biennial Conference~ Aug 18 – 21, Makurdi, Nigeria

Chapter & Verse, a Book Club for Adults Discussing Children’s Lit~ Aug 19, USA

Children’s Book of the Year Awards Winners Announced~ Aug 20, Australia

The Crichton Award for New Illustrators Winner Announced~ Aug 21, Australia

Summer Dream Literary Arts Festival~ Aug 21, Vancouver, BC, Canada

CBCA’s Children’s Book Week: Across the Story Bridge~ Aug 21 – 27, Australia

2010 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ Aug 21 – Sep 26, Nishinomiya, Japan

Indigenous Literacy Project’s I Heart Art – Art Auction~ Aug 25, Sydney, Australia

Western Australia Spring Poetry Festival and National Poetry Week~ Aug 27 – Sep 5, Australia

Melbourne Writers Festival: Stories From Every Angle~ Aug 27 – Sep 5, Melbourne, Australia

Singapore International Storytelling Festival~ Aug 30 – Sep 8, Singapore

Taranaki Children’s Book Festival~ Aug 31 – Sep 4, Taranaki, New Zealand

Lee & Low Books’ New Voices Award is now open for submissions!

The Award will be given for a children’s picture book manuscript by a writer of color, previously unpublished in the field of picture books. The winner receives a cash grant of $1000 and a publication contract, including basic advance and royalties for a first time author. An honor award winner will receive a cash grant of $500.

To learn more, please visit the website.

The picture book biography Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story, illustrated by Dom Lee, was Korean-American writer Paula Yoo‘s first book. Her book contract came as a result of her manuscript winning the 2003 Lee & Low “New Voices Award“, an award which, since 2000, has been encouraging narratives that children of color can relate to and identify with.

Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds is the story of the prejudices and challenges faced by Sammy Lee on his journey to become the first Asian-American (and the first Korean-American) to win an Olympic Gold Medal, in 1948. The book received a string of well-deserved accolades, and Paula has since written Good Enough (HarperTeens, 2008), a young adult novel about a first-generation Korean-American teen that tries to both fit in and stand out, and the upcoming new picture book biography, illustrated by Lin Wang, Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story (Lee & Low), about the first Chinese-American movie star to break into Hollywood and to crusade for more meaningful roles for Asian-American actors.

For more on Paula Yoo’s books, check her website and blog. And see here for details on Lee & Low’s “New Voices Award”, which is accepting submissions until Sep 31, 2009. And speaking of awards, on Jun 1 PaperTigers current focus on Korea will give way to new features focusing on the theme of “Book Awards.” Keep your eyes peeled!

Lee & Low Books, an independent children’s book publisher focused on diversity, has announced the winner of the New Voices Award Honor for 2008 – Hayan Charara of Houston, Texas- for his poignant story, The Three Lucys.

The Three Lucys explores the realities of war from the perspective of Luli, a young Lebanese boy whose most beloved possessions are his three cats, all named Lucy. Returning home with his parents after a visit with his aunt and uncle, Luli discovers that conflicts between people can change some things forever. But in the end, Luli also learns to hope for a future in which change is possible as differences are put aside. Mr. Charara’s writing is honest and lyrical and captures a strong sense of place. The Three Lucys is based on the experiences of the author’s younger brother during the month-long war in Lebanon in the summer of 2006.

A first-generation Arab American born in Michigan, Mr. Charara is a poet, editor, and teacher. While this is his first foray into writing for children, Mr. Charara’s work for adults has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies.

Lee & Low Books established the New Voices Award in 2000 to encourage writers of color to submit their work to a publisher that takes pride in nurturing new talent. The award reflects the company’s mission of meeting the need for stories that children of color can identify with and that all children can enjoy. “When we started the company, there was a lot of interest in books focused on diversity,” says co-founder Tom Low, “but most of the titles were folktales about exotic people from distant lands. We felt strongly that it was important to have books with a contemporary setting that reflect how we live today.”

Lee & Low has published over 200 books since 1991. A number of their titles have won major awards and honors, including the Coretta Scott King Award, the Pura Belpré Honor Award, and The Jane Addams Peace Award.