Stories Beyond Borders: Middle Grade Storytellers
Influential and award-winning children’s authors Karina Yan Glaser, Wendy Wan-Long Shang, and Lisa Yee discuss their approach to writing for middle grade readers, honing their craft over their careers, and the importance of telling stories that celebrate the Chinese American and diasporic experience. Download the Stories Beyond Borders reading list at bit.ly/calastoriesbeyond
Karina Yan Glaser is the New York Times bestselling author of the Vanderbeeker series and the standalone middle grade novel A Duet for Home. She is a contributing editor for Book Riot and lives in Harlem with her husband, two kids, and an assortment of rescue animals and houseplants. One of her proudest achievements is raising two kids who can’t go anywhere without a book. Find her online at www.karinaglaser.com.
Lisa Yee is a Newbery Honoree, the winner of the Asian Pacific American Children's Literature Award and a National Book Award finalist for Maizy Chen’s Last Chance. She is also the author of over 21 books for young people, including the groundbreaking Millicent Min, Girl Genius; Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time; and the DC Super Hero Girls novel series. Lisa is a frequent contributor to NPR’s Books We Love. A third-generation Chinese American, Lisa says, “I wrote Maizy Chen’s Last Chance as a tribute to my grandparents and to all the immigrants who made the journey to America.” Lisa divides her time between Western Massachusetts and Los Angeles.
Wendy Wan-Long Shang is the author of numerous books featuring Chinese-American characters, including: THE GREAT WALL OF LUCY WU, winner of the Asian Pacific-American Librarian Association award, and the 2022 American Girl of the Year books. Wendy's most recent book is THE SECRET BATTLE OF EVAN PAO, an ALA Notable Book. In addition to her writing, Wendy works for the Pretrial Justice Institute. She lives in Falls Church, Virginia with her family.
Amy Chow (moderator) was born in Taiwan and grew up in Canada and has been a young adult and children’s librarian in public libraries. Presently, she is a school librarian at The Brearley School in New York City. Her interests include dragons, guinea pigs, dogs, camping and, of course, books. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY.