Grace Lin Explained

Grace Lin
Birth Name:Grace "Pacy" Lin
Birth Date:17 May 1974
Birth Place:New Hartford, New York, U.S.
Occupation:Author, illustrator
Education:Rhode Island School of Design (BFA)
Spouse:
    Children:1
    Awards:Newbery Honor Award (2010)
    National Book Award Finalist (2016)
    Caldecott Honor Award (2019)

    Grace Lin (born May 17, 1974) is a Taiwanese-American children's writer and illustrator. She is a Newbery, Geisel, and Caldecott honoree, known for contributing to and advocating for Asian-American representation and diversity in children’s literature. She has published more than 25 books, all of which are written for young and middle-grade audiences. Much of her work features young Asian and Asian-American characters in both everyday and fantastical settings.

    Early life and education

    Lin was born in New Hartford, New York to Taiwanese immigrants in 1974 Jer-Shang Lin, a doctor, and Lin-Lin Lin, a botanist.[1] [2] [3] She grew up in upstate New York, where she and her two sisters, Beatrice and Alice, were the only Asian students at their elementary school.[4] [5] Lin started creating books during her childhood, and in seventh grade, she entered a national book contest for students, winning fourth place and $1000.[6]

    She later attended Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1996 with a BFA in children's book illustration.[7] [8] [9]

    Career

    Writing and illustration

    After graduating from RISD and failing to garner attention from publishers, Lin worked for a giftware company, where she designed t-shirts and mugs.[10] After a couple of years, she got laid off from that job and decided to pursue her dream of being a children’s book author and illustrator. A senior editor from Charlesbridge Publishing contacted Lin after taking notice of her illustration samples, inquiring if she had a story to go along with these illustrations. At the time, Lin did not have a story ready, but told the editor that she did. Eventually, she created a corresponding story for these samples, ultimately publishing her first book, The Ugly Vegetables, in 1999.[11] She has since published more than 25 books, many of which she illustrated herself. Lin continues to write and illustrate.[12] Some of her work is housed in the University of Connecticut archives.[13]

    Other work

    In 2016, Lin gave a TEDx presentation entitled “The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf,” in which she advocates for increased awareness of diversity in children’s books. Since 2017, Lin has written nine commentaries for the New England Public Radio, most often writing about her personal experiences as a parent and Asian-American author.[14] In 2017 and 2018, she appeared on PBS NewsHour, speaking on representations of race and culture in children’s literature.[15] Lin hosts two podcasts, Book Friends Forever and Kids Ask Authors, started in 2019 and 2020 respectively.[16] [17] She also sits on the advisory committee of We Need Diverse Books, a non-profit organization that promotes diversity in children's literature.[18]

    Personal life

    She married Robert Mercer, an architect and fellow RISD alum, in 2001.[19] When he was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare type of cancer, he and Lin moved to Montreal created the fundraiser Robert’s Snow: For Cancer’s Cure based on Lin’s children’s book, Robert’s Snow. Lin and Mercer invited children’s book illustrators to paint wooden snowflakes ornaments which were then auctioned off to raise money for cancer research. The fundraiser auction was held twice, raising over $100,000.[20] Upon Mercer’s death in 2007, the fundraiser was discontinued.[21] She remarried in 2010 to Alexandre Ferron, with whom she has a daughter, Hazel, born in 2012.[22] Lin resides in Florence, Massachusetts with her family.[23]

    Style and themes

    Themes

    Lin often writes about cultural and racial identity, as well as peace and relationships between friends and family.[24] Many of Lin’s works revolve around the experiences of Asian and Asian-American characters, and she often draws directly from her own personal experiences, particularly in her Pacy series. By featuring Asian American protagonists in everyday situations and emphasizing diversity within the Asian American experience, argues Duke University Professor Susan Thananopavarn, Lin’s books confront and subvert both Western and global stereotypes surrounding the AAPI community. She also incorporates elements from traditional Chinese and Taiwanese fantasy folktales, which are most evident in her Where the Mountain Meets the Moon series.

    Illustration style

    Lin’s illustration style uses bright colors, graphic shapes, and intricate, layered patterns.[25] [26] Lin illustrates all her work by hand, with a preference for gouache.[27] Lin developed her current illustration style during her senior year at RISD. Lin has noted that her inspiration stems from a combination of traditional Chinese folk art and the work of European artists such as Matisse and Van Gogh.[28]

    Awards and reception

    Lin has won multiple literary awards for her work, including a Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon in 2010, a Theodor Seuss Geisel award for Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same! in 2011, a National Book Award finalist for When the Sea Turned Silver in 2016, and a Caldecott Honor for A Big Mooncake for Little Star in 2019.[29] [30] [31] [32] Many of her books have received starred reviews from outlets such as Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Horn Book Magazine, and she has been nominated for numerous awards throughout her career.[33] In 2016, she was recognized as one of ten Champions of Change for AAPI Art and Storytelling by the Obama administration, and her art was shown in the White House.[34] Furthermore, in recognition of her "significant and lasting contribution to literature for children," Lin won the 2022 Children's Literature Legacy Award.

    List of works

    Author and illustrator

    Pacy series

    Where the Mountain Meets the Moon series

    Ling & Ting series

    Other works

    Illustrator

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: TeachingBooks Author & Book Resources to Support Reading Education . 2022-04-27 . www.teachingbooks.net.
    2. Web site: Lin, Grace 1974– Encyclopedia.com . 2022-04-27 . www.encyclopedia.com.
    3. Web site: Grace Lin . 2022-04-27 . Britannica Kids . en-US.
    4. Web site: Blais . Madeleine . A Touch of Grace . 2022-04-27 . School Library Journal.
    5. Web site: 2013-08-09 . A video interview with Grace Lin . 2022-04-27 . Reading Rockets . en.
    6. Web site: Interview with Grace Lin . 2022-04-27 . Pine Manor College . en-US.
    7. Web site: TeachingBooks Author & Book Resources to Support Reading Education . 2022-04-27 . www.teachingbooks.net.
    8. Web site: Artists Start Early RISD . 2022-04-27 . www.risd.edu.
    9. Lim, Ji H. "Drawing the Child Inside: Grace Lin." Asianweek, 2001, pp. 22.
    10. Web site: Walton . Julie . July 8, 2010 . Q & A with Grace Lin .
    11. Web site: Grace Lin . 2021-06-24 . PBS LearningMedia . en.
    12. Zhuang, Victoria. "Grace Lin Led the Way on Diversity in Children's Literature." Boston Globe, 2021, pp. N.1.
    13. Web site: Collection: Grace Lin Papers UConn Archives & Special Collections ArchivesSpace . 2022-04-27 . archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu.
    14. Web site: Grace Lin . 2022-04-27 . New England Public Media . en.
    15. Web site: 2017-08-11 . What to do when you realize classic books from your childhood are racist . 2022-04-27 . PBS NewsHour . en-us.
    16. Web site: Kids Ask Authors . 2022-05-09 . Kids Ask Authors . en-US.
    17. Web site: Book Friends Forever . 2022-05-09 . Book Friends Forever . en-US.
    18. Web site: Grace Lin - Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures . 2022-04-27 . en-US.
    19. Maughan, Shannon. "Children's Artists Help Fund Cancer Research." Publishers Weekly, vol. 251, no. 39, 2004, pp. 30.
    20. Web site: sibookdragon . 2005-11-03 . Robert's Snow by Grace Lin and Robert's Snowflakes: Artists' Snowflakes for Cancer's Cure compiled by Grace Lin and Robert Mercer [in AsianWeek] ]. 2022-05-02 . BookDragon . en-US.
    21. Web site: 2007-11-06 . Robert's Snow: for Cancer's Cure . 2022-05-09 . ALSC Blog . en-US.
    22. Web site: Castillo. Andy. January 28, 2019. Dumplings for all: Author Grace Lin shares her Lunar New Year traditions.
    23. Web site: SZALUSKY . 2022-01-24 . Grace Lin wins 2022 Children's Literature Legacy Award . 2022-02-23 . News and Press Center . en.
    24. Thananopavarn, Susan. "Negotiating Asian American Childhood in the Twenty-First Century: Grace Lin's Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Dumpling Days." The Lion and the Unicorn, vol. 38, no. 1, 2014a, pp. 106-122.
    25. Web site: Grace Lin . 2022-04-27 . www.lasell.edu . en.
    26. Web site: TeachingBooks Author & Book Resources to Support Reading Education . 2022-04-27 . www.teachingbooks.net.
    27. Lin, Grace. "Gouache and I." Horn Book Magazine, vol. 90, no. 2, 2014, pp. 26-27.
    28. Web site: Interview with Grace Lin . 2022-04-27 . Pine Manor College . en-US.
    29. Web site: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Awards & Grants . 2022-04-27 . www.ala.org.
    30. Web site: A Big Mooncake for Little Star Awards & Grants . 2022-04-27 . www.ala.org.
    31. News: Dwyer . Colin . 2016-10-06 . These Are The 2016 National Book Award Finalists . en . NPR . 2022-04-27.
    32. Web site: LSCHULTE . 2019-12-20 . 2019 Caldecott Medal and Honor Books . 2022-04-27 . Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) . en.
    33. Web site: Awards for Grace Lin - FictionDB . 2021-06-24 . www.fictiondb.com.
    34. Web site: 2016-05-24 . AAPI Heritage Month Recap: Champions for Art and Storytelling . 2022-04-27 . whitehouse.gov . en.

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