Join us for this touching, poignant, and important conversation about family stories, shame, understanding our history, engaging our humanity, and the power of rewriting the stories we tell with picture book enthusiast Maria Marianayagam.
“We do need to share our stories and our histories and realize that regardless of how specific they are, I think the connection is there. These universal themes will connect with more people than we think.” –Maria Marianayagam
Today’s Picture Book: Watercress by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin.
Today’s Guest: Maria Marianayagam | Maria is a Sri Lankan-Canadian children's book author. She was born in India and grew up in Nigeria and four provinces across Canada. Maria is a former chemical engineer who fell in love with children’s books (again!) after becoming an Umma (mom). Maria enjoys writing lyrical picture books centered on STEM, faith, and South Asian culture, as well as high concept middle-grade grounded in culture. Her debut picture book THE AMAZING POWER OF GIRLS releases June, 2024 from Sourcebooks eXplore.
When Maria is not writing, she can be found traveling the world, devouring books, and spending time with her wonderful family. She resides in Alberta, Canada, with her husband and two daughters.
Book Description: While driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's Chinese immigrant parents spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. They stop the car, grabbing rusty scissors and an old paper bag, and the whole family wades into the mud to gather as much as they can. At first, she's embarrassed. Why can't her family just get food from the grocery store, like everyone else? But when her mother shares a bittersweet story of her family history in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged--and the memories left behind in pursuit of a new life. Together, they make a new memory of watercress.
Please consider supporting your local independent booksellers by purchasing Watercress. Find a store here: https://www.indiebound.org/
Other mentions in this episode:
“Good storytelling engages our fundamental humanity.” – from “The Power of Immersive Storytelling” by Cleary Vaughan-Lee:
SCBWI, Erin Murphy Literary Agency, Neal Porter Books
Maria’s debut picture book: The Amazing Power of Girls (June 2024)
Questions/Activities for further engagement based on the discussion:
1. Mine our memories for specific experiences true to our own lived experiences. Both happy and hard. Ask ourselves: how did I experience that as a child? How do I feel about that now? What understanding do I bring to this moment now that I didn’t have as a child?
2. Reflect on our own histories. Ask questions of one another to know how we came to be. Ask our families so that we can understand the sacrifices. And extend this to understanding these things about each other.
Find Maria: Website: https://www.marianayagam.com/ | Twitter/Instagram: @msmarianayagam | Newsletter: https://www.marianayagam.com/contact (scroll down)
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