En Pocas Palabras. Javier J. Jaspe
Washington D.C.
“The 2023 National Book Festival was held in the
nation’s capital at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday,
August 12, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Several programs were livestreamed, and video
of all talks can be viewed online shortly after the Festival’s conclusion. Mark your
calendars now for next year’s National Book Festival, scheduled for Aug. 24,
2024.”
EN: https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/about-this-event/
Una lista completa de los autores que participaron en
el Festival Nacional del Libro de 2023
(FNL2023) puede verse EN: https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/authors/
La serie que continuamos hoy se refiere a escritores de origen
latino que participaron en el FNL2023. Su objeto no consiste en realizar un
análisis de su obra, sino el de publicar material encontrado en Internet
relacionado con la misma y sus autores, para lo cual nos servirá de guía el
propio Website del FNL2023 en
inglés: https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/about-this-event/
Los textos de Internet se transcribirán en itálicas, en español o
inglés, según sea el caso, con indicación de su fuente. Esta octava entrega se
refiere al autor Mark Oshiro. Veamos:
Mark
Oshiro
Mark Oshiro is the author of the young adult books “Anger Is
a Gift” and “Each of Us a Desert.” Their middle grade books include “The
Insiders,” “You Only Live Once, David Bravo” and “Star Wars Hunters: Battle for
the Arena.” Oshiro is the co-author, with Rick Riordan, of “The Sun and The
Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure.” They received two Hugo Award nominations for
best fan writer for their work analyzing books and television series. Oshiro’s
new young adult book, “Into the Light,” will be featured at the 2023 National
Book Festival.
EN: https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/authors/item/no2018070257/mark-oshiro/
Conferencia/Entrevista
en el FNL 2023
2023 National Book
Festival: When Lies & Secrets Come Into the Light with Linda Kao & Mark
Oshiro
Video EN: https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/schedule/item/webcast-10983/
Website del autor:
Biografía
en el Website del autor:
Mark Oshiro (they/them) is the
award-winning author of the young adult books ANGER IS A GIFT (2019 Schneider
Family Book Award), EACH OF US A DESERT, and INTO THE LIGHT, as well as their
middle grade books THE INSIDERS, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, DAVID BRAVO, and STAR WARS
HUNTERS: BATTLE FOR THE ARENA. They are also the co-author (with Rick Riordan)
of the #1 New York Times Bestseller and #1 Indie Bestseller THE SUN AND THE
STAR: A NICO DI ANGELO ADVENTURE. When not writing, they are trying to pet
every dog in the world.
Mark
is based in Atlanta, GA.
EN: https://www.markoshiro.com/about/
Reportajes/Entrevistas
Colleen Mondor Reviews Into the Light by Mark Oshiro
EN: https://locusmag.com/2023/07/colleen-mondor-reviews-into-the-light-by-mark-oshiro/
Mark Oshiro masterfully takes on an enormously important topic with his compelling, realistic, horrific novel, Into the Light. In a narrative framed by three different timelines and told from two teen perspectives, Oshiro takes readers into the dangerous world of religious fundamentalism and conversion therapy. The primary protagonist, Manny, is lucky to be alive after forced therapy, while the secondary, Eli, is still ensconced with the group and in grave danger. Hovering over both of their stories is the news of a body discovered in the woods near Idyllwild, California where the conversion camp was located. To uncover the identity of the deceased, who might be his estranged sister, Manny must face everyone who tried to destroy him. Whether or not he will survive those confrontations, and the puzzling nature of his relationship to Eli, will propel readers on a reading binge. Hold on tight for the final pages, though, as Oshiro has a shocker up his sleeve that both dazzles and disturbs in equal measure.
Manny and his older
sister were largely raised in the foster care system. Soon after she became
obsessed by the videos of ‘‘Christ’s Dominion’’ and their leader, Deacon
Thompson, they were suddenly adopted by members of his flock. Forced into
homeschooling by new parents he does not know, Manny finds himself isolated and
ignored and then, shortly after meeting a teen boy in the neighborhood for whom
he develops a crush, Manny is whisked off to ‘‘Reconciliation,” an isolated
church camp where he meets a small group of equally confused adopted children
and the church’s compelling, controlling, and downright terrifying leader. In
flashbacks, readers learn all of this and the many bad things that happened at
the camp leading to Manny’s abandonment on the side of the road. That’s where
the current timeline is set, with Manny learning about the body in Idyllwild,
his reliance on a family with their own damaged backstory who are determined to
help him, and his decision to uncover the truth behind his adoption and the
‘‘parents’’ who cast him aside. All of this likely sounds far more
coming-of-age drama than paranormal mystery, but trust me, the paranormal is
coming. For that, you need to follow the third timeline, with Eli, who can’t
remember a huge swath of his life but is placidly happy at the camp even though
he really shouldn’t be. (I can’t stress that enough; he really should
not be happy.)
As the road trip to
Idyllwild continues, and Manny’s past is slowly revealed, Oshiro ratchets up
the tension, and Into the Light shifts from coming-of-age
drama into full-fledged thriller. The pressure becomes relentless, and every
scene with church leader Deacon Thompson is particularly unnerving, if not
downright terrifying, and when Manny and Eli’s joint history is revealed, it
arrives like a literary sonic boom. I wish this novel was not so timely, I wish
the way in which Deacon Thompson insinuates himself into the heads of his
happily willing followers was not so believable, and I really wish that what
happens to all of the kids did not ring so true. Into the Light is
powerful stuff, and Manny is a hero for our times. Keep writing, Mark Oshiro,
keep writing and making the world a better place.
Colleen Mondor, Contributing Editor, is a writer, historian, and reviewer who co-owns an aircraft leasing company with her husband. She is the author of “The Map of My Dead Pilots: The Dangerous Game of Flying in Alaska” and reviews regularly for the ALA’s Booklist. Currently at work on a book about the 1932 Mt. McKinley Cosmic Ray Expedition, she and her family reside in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. More info can be found on her website: www.colleenmondor.com.
Review: The Sun and The Star by Rick Riordan and
Mark Oshiro
By bethlylou
I have a lot of respect for Rick Riordan. He became
famous for writing stories based on Greek and Roman mythologies. In 2010, he
published the first of the Kane Chronicles which was based on Egyptian
mythology. The series is not bad but it was pretty obvious that he was a little
out of his depth. I believe this is what made him decide to start his own
imprint where he would publish authors of color who would right about their own
cultures mythologies and stories. That’s being an ally. Using his platform and
influence to prop up other authors and highlight different cultures that
wouldn’t normally have the opportunity. In The Sun and The Star, he follows the
same pattern by teaming up with Queer Author Mark Oshiro to right his story of
Nico. Nico has been a character from original Percy Jackson series that has
really grown over the course of the books. All of the demigods have a tragic
backstory but none more than Nico, the son of Hades. He was probably Rick’s
first gay character in all of his books. His coming out scene is probably the
most harrowing scenes in the whole saga. So it was good that Rick brought a
co-author who can speak to what Nico was going through.
Nico ad his
boyfriend Will go on a quest to Tartarus to save the Giant Bob. Bob was a
former Giant that in past books had run ins with Percy and Annabeth and Nico.
He was pushed into the River Lethe and lost his memories and becomes a janitor
in Hades Palace. In the Heroes of Olympus when Percy and Annabeth fall into
Tartarus, Bob saves them but they leave him behind and now Nico feels he has to
go rescue him. The quest isn’t really about saving Bob but also for Nico to
confront and to come to terms with his past. Nico is also probably one of the
complex characters in all of the Percyverse. This was a beautiful send off to a
great character. I don’t know what the future will be for Nico and the other
characters but at least he is finally in a healthy and happy place and I love
that for him and Will.
Book Review: The Insiders by Mark Oshiro
By Amanda MacGregor
EN: https://teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2021/09/24/book-review-the-insiders-by-mark-oshiro/
Publisher’s description
Three kids who don’t belong. A room that shouldn’t exist. A year
that will change everything.
Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Meg Medina, this debut
middle grade novel from award-winning author Mark Oshiro is a hopeful and
heartfelt coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit
in.
San Francisco and Orangevale may be in the same state, but for
Héctor Muñoz, they might as well be a million miles apart. Back home, being gay
didn’t mean feeling different. At Héctor’s new school, he couldn’t feel more
alone….
Image….
Most days, Héctor just wishes he could disappear. And he does. Right into the janitor’s closet. (Yes, he sees the irony.) But one day, when the door closes behind him, Héctor discovers he’s stumbled into a room that shouldn’t be possible. A room that connects him with two new friends from different corners of the country—and opens the door to a life-changing year full of magic, friendship, and adventure.
Amanda’s thoughts
When I sat down to
read this, I still had a long to-do list of tasks. But, oops, I sat there long
enough to finish the entire book and all of a sudden it was time to make
dinner. Don’t you love when you find a book that engrossing?
Héctor is not loving
his new middle school in his new town. He misses San
Francisco, his friends, and the school’s drama department. This school doesn’t
even have drama! He lands on the radar of the school bully, who really starts
to go after Héctor when Héctor says that he’s gay. It so wasn’t a thing at all
at his old school, but now that his bully is antagonizing him even more because
of this, he’s hesitant to come out to anyone else. He keeps trying to dodge the
bully and his crew, eventually hiding out in a janitorial closet. But it’s no
ordinary closet—it’s a secret portal/space that links him with two other
students seeking refuge—Chinese and Black Juliana, who likes girls, and
Filipino and white Sal, who uses they/them pronouns. Small note: Héctor lives
in CA, Juliana in SC, and Sal in AZ. Yep, magic. The closet/Room (as they start
to call it) seems to be a place that shows up to protect them and provide them
with what they need. And the biggest need for all three? To feel like they
belong, like they’re accepted, like they have their place in their schools.
Together, the three are able to support and help each other. And in
non-Room-related school stuff, Héctor begins to become friends with kids who
befriended him right away. He goes from lonely, not feeling like he belongs, and wanting to
just disappear to learning it’s okay to be himself, to trust new friends, and
to ask for help…..
Image….
Though all three
Room kids face uncertainty, confusion, fear, and anxiety, they are all
surrounded by support and love. Oshiro’s message is clear: nothing is better
than being yourself. Not even a magical Room that appears just when you need
it. A heartwarming and fun read.
Review copy (ARC)
courtesy of the publisher
ISBN-13:
9780063008106
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers
Publication
date: 09/21/2021
Age
Range: 8 – 12 Years
Q&A: Mark Oshiro, Author of ‘The Insiders’
Mimi Koehler
EN: https://thenerddaily.com/mark-oshiro-author-interview/
The Nerd Daily recently had the chance to chat with Mark Oshiro, award-winning author of Anger Is a Gift and Each of Us a Desert. Mark’s debut middle-grade novel, The Insiders, which releases September 21st, features three kids who don’t belong and a room that shouldn’t exist but becomes the refuge all three need. We got to ask Mark about their favourite middle-grade stories, their writing process and so much more!
Hi, Mark! Thanks so
much for joining us! Why don’t you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello all! I’m Mark Oshiro, a
kidlit writer who loves dogs, being outside, roller coasters, and good food. I
tend to write stories that have a hidden punch-to-your-heart in them.
Lightning Round!
Tell us a book that shaped your life, a book that made you feel all the feels
and one you wish you would have written!
Oh, this is an easy one: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. I was taught it at age 14, and it’s the book that made me realize that people like me could write. I love it so much that not only is a major character in Anger is a Gift named after the main character of Mango Street, but I like to think that Each of Us a Desert is my speculative fiction take on the book.
Now, onto The Insiders! What can readers
expect?
Chaos. Lots of it. Magical travel. The greatest pre-himbo you’ll ever meet. Lonely, isolated kids making friends! Adult characters who will—surprise!!!—punch you in the heart. And like… five of my best jokes.
Héctor is such a
vibrant, relatable protagonist. Where did you draw inspiration from for his
character or did he pop into your head fully formed?
Okay, so, truthfully? I’ve never had a character pop into my head fully formed! My process simply doesn’t work that way. I might have an idea for how I want to write a character, like Taylor, my pre-himbo. I wanted to write a young character who will totally grow up to be the sweet-but-simple jock later on in life. But that doesn’t mean I knew every part of his characterization until I wrote him. So, with Héctor, I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but it took a lot of work. Thankfully, a good portion of it was already done before I wrote The Insiders. This book is based on the first manuscript I ever wrote, so I’d done a great deal of character work in this first story. I still had to change him a lot, and he changed even more during editing!
The
Insiders is your middle-grade debut novel. How did
writing this story differ from your writing process for you?
The process itself didn’t really change much at all; it was more about developing craft skills during the editing! I had a wonderful editor on this book (Stephanie Stein, HarperCollins) who helped me shape and carve out Héctor’s voice, which I found to be the biggest challenge for me. There were times in the early drafts where I led the reader on too much, or I was writing out these complicated emotional beats that really didn’t make sense for someone that age. So Stephanie truly helped me get back into the headspace of a twelve-year-old kid, and that part was the biggest shift for me.
The room Héctor and
two others share is a magical place that adapts to their needs. If you had a
room like that as a kid, what would it have turned into when you needed it
most?
Actually, the answer to that is what I wrote for Sal! I’ve long been a huge bookworm, so the space I would have had as my Room would have been a comfy and cosy library. Functionally, that was my safe space in middle school. I lived in that library, as well as one of the branches of my local library in Riverside. There’s just something to me so comforting about a room full of books.
The room is also a
place where Héctor finds a queer community that accepts and supports him, away
from the bullying at school. What do you think needs to happen to create these
safe spaces in real life?
I think some of that answer is in the book. What helps a lot of these kids is finding community in other people, as I believe one of the hardest things about being queer and in an environment like Héctor’s is the loneliness. At the same time, that’s a more personal angle to this struggle. It was very important to me to show how bullying can be accepted (and even encouraged) by other people. There’s a dark and traumatic story at the heart of this book, yes, and sadly, the real-life stuff it’s based on is even worse than what I put in The Insiders. In that sense, this book is a power fantasy. What would have happened if the adults in my life when I was in middle school had listened to me? What would my school have looked like if they understood power imbalances? A lot of schools and administration members tout a refusal to accept bullying, but they completely do not understand bullying in the context of bigotry. I wanted to show why that hurts in this specific case and why schools need to do more than run anti-bullying campaigns if they’re serious about supporting their students.
The
Insiders is all about finding a place where you belong
when you’ve felt like you never fit in anywhere. Growing up, were there
middle-grade stories that made you find that space?
This is a hard question to answer because I’m of an age where there weren’t necessarily a whole lot of middle grade or young adult stories I was reading because a lot of kidlit as an age range wasn’t a thing? Plus, I read older most of my life, so I was reading what would be considered “middle grade” when I was in elementary school, and then reading what would now be young adult or straight-up adult in middle school.
That
being said: I was taught The Giver by
Lois Lowry in seventh grade, and that book had a HUGE impact on me. I had this
idea at the time I read it (in 1997) that it had been out FOREVER, but it had
only been published less than three years prior!!! So, it was pretty wonderful
that I was reading a book that had been published recently. On top of that, it
was the first real speculative fiction book I was taught in a school
environment, and my teacher—Ms. Stearns—did a fantastic job guiding us through
it. I haven’t re-read the book in a long time, but I was not at all surprised
when folks started comparing Each of Us a Desert to The Giver. That book clearly imprinted on
my subconscious, and the dystopian elements were clearly inspired
Interview with Author Mark Oshiro
By Michele Kirichanskaya
EN: https://www.geeksout.org/2023/07/01/interview-with-author-mark-oshiro/
……….
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little
about yourself?
Hello,
Geeks OUT! I’m Mark Oshiro. I’m a middle grade and young adult author based in
Atlanta. And I really love dogs. And vinyl records!
What can you tell us about one of your upcoming books, Into the Light? What was the inspiration for this series?
Well,
so far, this is still intended to be a standalone book! Some day, I’ll get an
idea that will become a series. Into the Light is my foray into writing a
thriller. It’s a very personal story because it is both inspired by and based
on a lot of my experiences as a teenager, particularly my upbringing as an
adoptee in a religious family. I wanted to write something that was
frightening, emotional, and would also challenge me as a writer.
In addition to your own original stories, you’ve also been
working on another, The
Sun and The Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure? What was it been like focusing on
a character with such as strong queer fandom and history? How would you
describe your connection to the Rick Riordan fandom before signing on to this
project, and what was your reaction afterward?
I’m
a latecomer to the Percy Jackson series. I read the books when I was on tour
for Anger
is a Gift back in 2018 and immediately fell hard for them. To
the surprise of NO ONE, once I met Nico in the third book, I instantly
connected with him. So to get the opportunity to write from his point of view?
It’s surreal. I create stories that often about kids dealing with trauma or
difficult childhoods, and I know that’s why I was drawn to Nico. In many ways,
I do feel uniquely qualified to contribute to bringing The Sun and
The Star to life. Suffice to say, this journey the past couple
of years has been one of the most rewarding and thrilling things I’ve ever
done.
As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling,
specifically speculative and young adult fiction?
Well,
I was drawn to storytelling mostly because it was the only thing I was both
good at AND interested in when I was a kid. I’ve been creating stories since I
was in the first grade. But it didn’t feel like a real possibility to me until
I was a freshman in high school. My English teacher that year (shout out to Ms.
Alford!) assigned us The House on Mango Street to read. It changed my
life. It was my first real sense that Latinx folks could be authors and that we
could write about our lives.
I’ve
generally always loved the weird and the strange! It’s very natural for me to
write in that space. The same goes for writing stories for a younger audience.
I’m genuinely trying to capture the excitement and wonder I felt as a teenager
who was a giant bookworm. So I’m absolutely writing the kind of stories I
wanted back then.
As an author whose switched between young adult and middle
grade, what is the appeal of writing between different age groups?
Right
now, I tend towards wackier and funnier plots in my middle grade books, while
my young adult work is far more intense, introspective, and complicated. From a
creative standpoint, it helps me feel more free to write whatever kind of story
I want. I also love how vastly different the two audiences are to interact with
as well. You can ask any author writing for multiple age categories about this,
but middle school and elementary visits/events are VERY different from young
adult ones. Though don’t be fooled: kids will still shade you or rip your soul
out of your body, no matter your age.
How would you describe your writing process?
Much
better than it used to be, ha! These days, I’ve figured out what works best for
me, so I do feel like it’s been streamlined in a sense. I take an idea and do
freewriting until I feel like it’s fleshed out enough that I have a vague
beginning, middle, and end. Then I write a detailed outline for all the scenes,
and once that’s done, I start drafting! I am a fast drafter in general, but
require a lot of time for re-writes and edits.
Growing up, were there any stories in which you felt touched by/
or reflected in? Are there any like that now?
I
mentioned The
House On Mango Street earlier. I was a huge fan of Poe,
Stephen King, Jane Austen… I devoured all the Goosebumps books
in elementary school. That’s where my love of story, structure, and horror came
from. It was a TV show, though, that actually made me see myself in the story: My So-Called
Life. Wilson Cruz’s portrayal of Ricky Vasquez changed my
whole life. He was the first queer Latinx person I had seen in any fictional
medium ever.
That’s
another purpose I imbue in my writing: I want to be someone else’s Ricky
Vasquez. I am thankful that there’s a lot more of us—those of us excluded from
so much of publishing or film or the TV industry—telling the stories that we want
to tell.
I
will say that the story that most resonated with me in the last few years?
Probably Midnight
Mass. And I have a bunch of recommendations for y’all at the
end of this!.....
Image….
As a writer, who or what would you say are some of your greatest
creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?
Every
day life. My childhood. Really, really good works of art. Extremely cursed
jokes in the group chat. 1am meals in diners.
What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you
consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging?
I
love a good framing device and a very voice-y first-person narrator. I’m also a
sucker for a mind-trip of a structure. Unfortunately, those are all really
challenging to pull off and I constantly keep using them. One day, I will write
something that’s a lot easier to execute.
Aside from writing, what are some things you would want others
to know about you?
I’m
a big lover of music; if I could be doing anything else, it would be writing
and playing music. I can talk anyone’s ear off about music in a
heartbeat. Into
the Light is also based heavily on my experience as a
transracial adoptee. I’m Latinx (as is my identical twin brother, who
thankfully never got separated from me), but my adoptive parents are white and
Japanese/Hawaiian. Hence the last name that often confuses people! Also, I love
long distance running.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish
you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
Oooh!
The question would be: What are the three albums you’ve listened to the most
while writing your books? And the answer would be: Sing the
Sorrow by AFI; The Other Shore by Murder by Death; Gone Forever by
God Forbid.
What advice might you have to give for aspiring writers?
Don’t
throw away any old drafts. I’ve turned old drafts into novels. Twice! And if
you struggle with perfectionism, the best thing I ever did for my process was
to write what’s called a zero draft: a draft that I show to literally no one.
Not friends, not my agent, not an editor. No one sees it. So I just write my
trash draft that’s littered with errors and might not make any sense, but the
story is on the page. I can do something with it. Give it a try!
Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty
to speak about?
I’m
currently in the development stage of what will hopefully be my eighth book and
third original middle grade novel. It’s a spooky and funny and will absolutely
also punch you in the heart because it’s a Mark Oshiro book. I’m also thinking
of branching out into adult horror, but that’s all I can say at the moment.
Also,
I’m pretty sure I know what my next YA novel is going to be, and unfortunately
for me, it is yet another speculative novel with a bizarre narrative structure.
I’ll see myself out now.
Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/authors would you recommend to the
readers of Geeks OUT?
Any
and everything by Leah
Johnson.
Nothing Burns As Bright As You by Ashley Woodfolk
We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
The Stars and the Blackness Between
Them by Junauda Petrus
Any
and everything by Sarah Gailey
Fifteen Hundred Miles From The Sun by Jonny Garza Villa
Other
interviews:
https://cultureshockmiami.com/2020-miami-book-fair-interview-mark-oshiro-author-each-us-desert
https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-mark-oshiro/
https://readsrainbow.com/2021/09/author-interview-mark-oshiro
https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/fandom/mark-oshiro-reads-leakycon-interview/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnKMKEtltvQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AUh5-r-Vz4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srBMWpuN04I
También puede verse:
https://paigesmith.net/tag/mark-oshiro-review/
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/mark-oshiro/into-the-light/
https://www.netgalley.com/book/269891/reviews?direction=desc&page=3&=r.updated
https://between-the-shelves.com/2023/02/review-into-the-light/
https://www.kaitgoodwin.com/books/review-of-anger-is-a-gift-by-mark-oshiro/
https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/pr241664
https://spinesinaline.wordpress.com/2020/11/13/review-each-of-us-a-desert-by-mark-oshiro/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK3JIEcnv94
https://www.storybookem.com/post/book-review-the-insiders-by-mark-oshiro
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