Kahani Magazine Shines From New England

Every year India New England showcases women who are "contributing to future generations." Award-winning Kahani magazine's Monika Jain and Sunitha Das were especially honored this year, and rightfully so. 

A quarterly for kids that "illuminates the richness and diversity that South Asian cultures bring to North America," Kahani was recently lauded by a member of the Child_Lit listserv: 

I love this magazine. I am not a kid, I do not have kids, and I do not have any kind of South Asian heritage (Germany is as close as it gets), but I LOVE getting this mag (and passing it on to local kids/schools when I finish). It's beautifully illustrated, well-conceived and often contains little gems of stories from familiar Child Lit names — all at a totally reasonable subscription price.

The magazine runs a wonderful contest for young writers and illustrators, and provides a community for those of us who share a South Asian heritage in the children's book world. (On a side note, two other children's bookish types were mentioned in India New England, Padma Venkatraman, author of CLIMBING THE STAIRS, and myself.)

Congratulations, Monika and Sunitha! And if you aren't already subscribing to Kahani, why wait?

First Daughter Reviews and Interviews

Check out these new reviews of First Daughter: White House Rules at Kahani magazine and Paper Tigers, and a couple of interviews at Harmony's Book Reviews and Robin Friedman's JerseyFresh Tude.

Enid Blyton, Disney, and Kahani Magazine

Scholastic editor Sandhya Nankani is guest-blogging at the always stimulating Sepia Mutiny site this month, and tells us about Disney's plans to diversify and update Enid Blyton's beloved Famous Five characters.

Among other innovations, the Mouse Factory is inventing a hip anglo-Indian character named Jyoti who is the daughter of the original hero of the books. Mutineers' comments reveal the impact that Brit Kid Lit, and especially Ms. Blyton (who wrote 800 books in 40 years!), had on South Asia and mixed feelings about this new venture.

Sandhya ends her post with a quote about Kahani magazine, a children’s literary magazine illuminating the richness and diversity that South Asian cultures bring to North America:

I feel so lucky that we have publications like the South Asian children’s literary magazine Kahani which ... just won the highly respected 2008 Parents’ Choice Award for magazines for the second year in a row. That’s a huge deal. This is a prestigious award from the Parents’ Choice Foundation which has been reviewing mainstream children’s media since 1978.

Full disclosure: I'm on the editorial advisory board of Kahani, have been an ardent fan since the magazine launched, and believe that libraries everywhere should order a subscription immediately.

Kahani Writing Contest For Kids

Spread the word about a great contest for kids organized by Kahani Magazine, a 2007 Parent's Choice Award Winner:

A gentle reminder that all short story submissions for Kahani's 3rd Annual Young Writers and Illustrators Contest is due Friday, November 23, 2007. That's the day after Thanksgiving, so make sure you leave yourself plenty of time before - or after - the partying to get your stories in. Entry forms have to be snail mailed and postmarked by that date. Go to the Kahani site for more details about prizes and rules. Winners also get their stories published in our Spring 2008 issue called Rock the Vote!

Cheers,

Kahani Staff

Kahani Magazine: Fall Holiday Issue

The Fall 2007 issue of Kahani: A South Asian Literary Magazine For Children has a holiday theme, and includes details about the magazine's third annual contest for young writers and illustrators. If you're educating and/or raising global young citizens, why wait? Head over there right now and subscribe.

Illustration by Mallika Sundaramurthy, Summer 2006, Kahani.

Kahani Magazine Wins Parents' Choice Award

Kahani (which means story in Hindi), a South Asian literary magazine for children, has won a 2007 Parents’ Choice Foundation Approved Award. Other winners in the same category include Sesame Street Magazine and American Girl.

Published four times a year, Kahani is an ad-free children’s literary magazine that features a vibrant mix of original short stories, nonfiction articles, biography series, interactive activities, comics, and book reviews. The editorial mission is simple: empower, educate, and entertain. While focused on the experiences of South Asian children raised in North America, “…this literary magazine reflects unique life experiences from which each of us can learn,” announced the Foundation.

The magazine won a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers last year and also received the 2006 Multicultural Children’s Periodical Award from the National Association for Multicultural Education. Why all the buzz about Kahani? Go there and see for yourself — it's fantastic.

Kahani Young Illustrators Contest

There's still time for young artists to enter Kahani's Second Annual Young Illustrators Contest. The task is to illustrate the prize-winning stories penned by young writers Shivani, age 7, and Varun, age 11 (the story contests were judged by editor Sangeeta Mehta of Simon Pulse). Lara Lakshmi, the talented artist behind the upcoming picture book, A Friend by Any Other Name, will judge the illustrations.

The text for each story has already been laid out carefully and the illustration spots and sizes clearly marked. Download the template for Varun's story, "Hey! Is That A Yellow Crocodile?" here, and for Shivani's story, "The Clever Cousins," here. Entries for the art contest will be divided into the 6-8 and 9-11 age groups, but kids may illustrate either story, and don't need to be of South Asian origin to enter. Attach an entry form to the artwork and mail by Saturday, March 31, 2007.

The first place stories and illustrations will be published in the Spring 2007 issue of Kahani. The winners will also get a check for $50 each. Second place winners will receive a $50 gift basket, courtesy of Barefoot Books, a Cambridge-based publisher of multicultural literature. Third place finishers will each get a $25 Borders gift card. See last year's winners here: Age Group 6-8 | Age Group 9-11.

News From Kahani: Contests and Awards

Kahani Magazine, a South Asian literary magazine for children, has won the National Association for Multicultural Education's 2006 Multicultural Children's Periodical Award! The judges said Kahani "fosters awareness, acceptance, and affirmation of diversity for pre-K-12th grade students; contributes to the development of multicultural education; and maintains high multicultural standards." So true, so true.

And there's still more Kahani news. The deadline for the mag's 2nd Annual Young Writers Contest is this weekend! You don't have to be of South Asian origin to enter this contest, so why not encourage your favorite home school or elementary school buddy to use the words cousin, river, and turmeric in a short story and enter the contest? S/he's got everything to gain, and nothing to lose: first place winners get their stories and illustrations published in the Spring 2007 issue of Kahani and checks for $50; second place finishers receive a $50 gift basket, courtesy of Barefoot Books, a Cambridge-based publisher of multicultural literature, and 3rd place winners each get a $25 Borders gift card. All manuscripts and entry forms must be received by Sunday, December 17, 2006, and you can even submit them on-line.

Note: Check out Cynthia Leitich Smith's interview with Kahani contributor and children's book author Anjali Banerjee. (Looking For Bapu, Wendy Lamb Books, Random House).

Making Peace With Massachusetts

As I face the onset of my seventh winter in Massachusetts, I'm sensing that my friends are a wee bit tired of my annual whining spell: "... blah, blah, blah early nightfall, icy streets, can't hike, ergonomically not designed for skiing, blah, blah, blah..."

That's why I've decided to morph myself into a Massachusetts woman for the holidays.

Yes. You heard it here first, fire escape friends. No more indulging in futile longing for the white sands of Zuma beach or day hikes in the Mount Diablo foothills. No more late-night cyber JetBlue visits to ferret out deals on the Boston-Oakland flight. And enough with gazing lustfully at my tropical island screensaver when I should be writing.

The first step in this transformation was predictable. Like every good nerd, I took a quiz and scored a 100% on "How Massachusetts Are You?" That's an A+, people.

Step two .... presenting the top ten reasons I'm thankful to be a Massachusettsian -- er, wait, is it Massachusettser, or Massachusian ...? Aw, fuggedabouded. Here's the kid lit perspective on why it's been GREAT to reside in the Bay State (listed in no particular order):

1. Membership in the Boston Author's Club gives me something in common with two of my favorite children's book writers -- Margaret Sidney and Dorothy Canfield Fisher.
2. The New England Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators hosts topnotch regional events for beginners and established writers alike.
3. The Foundation of Children's Books celebrates local writers, connects us to educators, and hosts wonderful events, so when you read about those fly NY parties that Fuse No. 8 describes, aim a nugget of your envy a bit further north and east.
4. Charlesbridge is two miles away from my writing nook.
5. I saw OzandEnds walking down the street as I was driving home today.
6. Newtonville Books, an indie that knows exactly how to love on authors, is only three blocks away.
7. My writer's group, founded by Karen Day (Tall Tales, Wendy Lamb Books, 2007), meets every month at the Newton Free Library.
8. The library is four blocks from home and in and of itself enough reason to remain here until death do us part (and I'm talking about me and the library here, not me and the husband.)
   
9. The welcoming house of Monika Jain (editor of Kahani Magazine) is on my daily drive to and from my kids' school, making it convenient to stop by and enjoy a cup of great chai every now and then.
10. The Newton Public Schools included my author presentation in their roster of Creative Arts and Sciences programs, and invites from local schools fill my calendar every fall and spring.

So thanks, Massachusetts. And now for step three in the transformation plan: browsing the LLBean winter catalog ...

Kahani's 2nd Annual Young Writers Contest

Kahani, a South Asian literary magazine for children, invites all storytellers between the ages of 6 and 11 to write a 500-word short story:

The theme? It's up to you. But your story must use the words turmeric, river, and cousin.

Entries will be divided into two age groups: 6-8 and 9-11. Sangeeta Mehta, associate editor at Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, will judge the stories. Manuscripts must be postmarked no later than Sunday, December 17, 2006. Visit Kahani for complete rules and an entry form.

The two 1st place stories will be announced in January 2007 and we will post them on our site for you to read. But young artists take note: we want you to illustrate the winning stories. That’s right! In Part II of the Kahani contest, we will post a call to artists to illustrate the 1st place stories. We will have more details on the illustration contest early next year. For now, start writing!

As the top prize, the 1st place stories and illustrations will be published in the Spring 2007 issue of Kahani. The winners will also get a check for $50 each. Second place winners will receive a $50 gift basket, courtesy of Barefoot Books, a Cambridge-based publisher of multicultural literature. Our 3rd place finishers will each get a $25 Borders gift card.

Crash, Rooftop, and Other Convergences

Finally saw Crash last night. The entire time my stomach was clenched like a fist. My take? The movie had enough deus ex machina to remind me of a Grimm's Fairy Tale, except that the hero was the villain was the victim was my prince. You couldn't really blame anyone, and you sorrowed over the plight of everyone. I found it interesting which characters were left with hope, and which were left devastated. With hope (after suffering): new Americans ... Persians, Mexicans, Chinese, and Cambodians. Without hope (still in the midst of suffering): African-American men and working class white people.

I'm also reading Rooftop by Paul Volponi aloud to my sons (a gripping, wonderful story), and recommend the combination of Crash with this novel to spur discussion about how racism is changing in America. (Warning: the movie's rated R for some graphic scenes, and Volponi uses street vernacular with skill.)

Speaking of changing times, who could have predicted a decade ago that a South Asian literary magazine for kids would win a prestigious award for publishing? Well, dreams do come true. Kahani magazine was honored this weekend with a Distinguished Achievement Award by the Association of Educational Publishers, and we're all going a little wild.

Kahani, New Moon, and Mixed Messages

I'm excited to announce three invitations I've received recently to partner with some great organizations:

• First, frequent visitors to the Fire Escape know that I'm a fan of Kahani, the South Asian quarterly literary magazine for kids, and I've been asked to become one of their editorial advisors. I'll be joining author Uma Krishnaswami, book designer Lisa Diercks, and publisher Nancy Gruver of New Moon magazine for girls and their dreams.
  
  
• Second, in a completely unrelated convergence of paths, New Moon girls picked Monsoon Summer as their May book club pick, so I'll be chatting live with them on May 22nd at 8:00 p.m.
  
  
• And third, I'll be on a kid lit panel at the South Asian Women's Creative Collective's Mixed Messages festival on Saturday, May 20th at Marymount Manhattan College from 11 am to 1 pm. If you're in New York, the event is free, so come and join us!
  

Kahani Fiction Contest Winners!

Judge Sangeeta Mehta, an editor at Little Brown Books For Young Readers, has made her decisions, and the winners of Kahani Magazine's First Annual Young Writers Fiction Contest are ... Now it's time for young illustrators out there to compete for prizes by illustrating the award-winning stories.

Kahani in the Boston Globe

Check out "Making the Connection" by David Mehegan about the awesome "between cultures" Kahani Magazine in today's Boston Globe (it includes a brief, supportive quote from yours truly).

Kahani Writing Contest

Kahani, the South Asian Literary magazine for kids, announces their first annual young writer's contest:

We invite all storytellers between the ages of 6 and 11 to write a 500-word short story for Kahani. The theme? It is up to you. But your story must use the words rickshaw, mango and elephant. Entries will be divided into 6-8 and 9-11 age groups. Sangeeta Mehta, editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of the Time Warner Book Group, will judge the stories. The deadline for manuscripts is Saturday, December 31, 2005. We will announce the two winning entries in January 2006 and you will get to read them on our Web site. But here’s the best part: we want you to illustrate the stories! That’s right. In Part II of this contest, we will solicit the best artwork that brings the winning stories to life. More details on that at a later date. As the first prize, the two short story packages will be published in the April 2006 issue of Kahani and we will award a check for $50 each to the two winning writers and illustrators. Runners-up will get published on the Kahani Web site and we are lining up even more exciting prizes.

I'm SO excited about this contest because Sangeeta is my editor at Little Brown, and she's wonderful. SPREAD THE WORD, as you DON'T need to be of South Asian origin to enter.

Kahani Magazine

I'm having chai this morning with my friend Monika Jain, who is the editor of Kahani Magazine. If you've not yet learned about this fantastic publication, you're missing out! Insider tip for writers: Monika makes outstanding chai.