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It's such an honor to be interviewed by the multi-talented Dr. Diane who created the Adventures in Learning podcast where she showcases authors, scientists, educators, and more.  Here's a description of the episode that I'm on that releases today:
What do starry nebula, Bruce Lee, and disgustingly cool science facts have in common? They are all products of the creative mind of author Teresa 何 Robeson. In this episode, we welcome back Teresa Robeson, a busy author with a rich background in science and storytelling. Teresa unveils her upcoming books, including Clear and Bright: A Ching Ming Festival Story; Disgustology: The Science of Gross; and a graphic biography, Who Smashed Hollywood Barriers with Gung Fu?: Bruce Lee. Teresa shares insights into the art of storytelling through visuals and the collaborative process of bringing science and historical moments to life. Our discussion ventures into the mesmerizing realms of astronomy and science literature, with highlights from NASA's stunning imagery that fueled her recent book, Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us. We also delve into the importance of diverse narratives, cultural acceptance, and the role of literature in building empathy. Plus there's a fun lightning fill in the break taken from listener questions (What language does Teresa speak to her chickens? What are the most disgusting facts she hasn't written about yet?) This episode celebrates diverse narratives, cultural tales, building our empathy muscles, and the transformative power of storytelling. Download on all podcast platforms, YouTube, or https://www.buzzsprout.com/2019975/episodes/16730026
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On the one hand, with the country in complete chaos, I feel like this is a terrible time to have a book launch. On the other hand, because of the hateful lunacy that is going on, there's probably no better time to remind people that this country belongs to all immigrants (and honestly, the country belongs to NO immigrants either since we are all squatting on land stolen from the Indigenous population who was here first). But since we immigrants are here, let's celebrate our unique identities and our place in North American history. Today is the Ching Ming (also known as Qing Ming or Qing Ming in Mandarin) Festival. It's been celebrated by the Chinese for over 2,500 years. My fond memories of celebrating it as a child in Hong Kong have never faded over the past five plus decades, and some years ago, I wrote a story that incorporated my warm, fuzzy feelings about it with a fictional Chinese family that had lived in America for several generations. It's the story of my heart but it took a while for the right people in publishing to appreciate it. Author and historian, Leonard Marcus, wrote some very kind words about the story which ended up winning Silver in the Astra International Picture Book Competition, and it was ultimately bought by Astra Young Readers for publication.  Astra found the most incredible illustrator for the story. William Low is a fine artist whose work is evocative and dreamy. He completely elevated the story and breathed such life into the characters.
One of my all time favorite poems is about Ching Ming (清明). Written by the poet 杜枚, who lived in the late Tang Dynasty, it goes: 清明時節雨紛紛， 路上行人欲斷魂。 借問酒家何處有， 牧童遙指杏花村。 There's a translation for the poem as well as a short video of a cute kid reciting it on the Cantonese for Families site. If you want to find out more about this very cool holiday, you can check out this brief Smithsonian article, or read my book, CLEAR AND BRIGHT, which comes out today to coincide with Ching Ming! Barnes&Noble is running a huge preorder sale from February 5th to 7th! If you want to preorder any of my books that will be released this year and get 25% off, join their free rewards program and use the code PREORDER25 at checkout! Click on the following links to be taken to the B&N pages: CLEAR AND BRIGHT: A CHING MING FESTIVAL STORY (March 4, 2025; Astra Young Readers) WHO SMASHED HOLLYWOOD BARRIERS WITH GUNG FU? BRUCE LEE (March 18, 2025; Penguin Workshop) DISGUSTOLOGY: THE SCIENCE OF GROSS (July 15, 2025; Odd Dot/Macmillan)  It's the Year of the Snake!  Unlike human "snakes" who are slimy, untrustworthy, and currently in the US government (that shaking beneath our feet is the Constitution writers collectively rolling over in their graves), real snakes are helpful, gentle (yes, ask how many run-ins we have had with even the venomous ones and have never been harmed), and will never try to con you. Oh, have I digressed? Sorry.  While the Lunar New Year is extremely important to Chinese people, there is another holiday that is possibly as ancient and significant to us. This holiday is Ching Ming (in Cantonese; Qing Ming in Mandarin). It means so much to me that I wrote a picture book about it. I was going to talk more about Ching Ming in this blog post but, surprise, I ran out of time and I'm currently frantically getting ready to go to the SCBWI Winter Conference, so the blog post will have to wait. In the meantime, if you're also stressing over current events like many of us sane folks are, head to Beth Stillborn's blog to see on what books authors (including me) turn to when they are anxious.
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