David Bowles's Blog: Meme Floe, page 4

Two Titles on SLJ Best Books 2021

School Library Journal has selected two books of mine for inclusion on their lists of Best Books of the year.

My Two Border Towns (illustrated by Erika Meza) is on the Best Picture Books List.

My translation and expansion of María García Esperón’s The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas placed on the Best Non-Fiction List.

NYT Article on M2BT

Online and in the November 14, 2021 print edition, the New York Times is featuring My Two Border Towns and three other books that stand out for “Picturing the Power of Community.”

“Calling to the Dead” by Kim Sowol

Like many folks around the world, I was introduced to the poetry of Kim Sowol—who published a single book of poems, Azaleas, before dying at age thirty-two—through the show The King: Eternal Monarch. In episode three, the eponymous ruler of alternate Earth Kingdom of Corea pulls Azaleas from a shelf in a bookstore, and we hear the voice of Head Court Lady Noh Ok-nam reading the following poem.

Note that “chohon” (the name of the poem in Korean) is a traditional rite in which a person climbs to the rooftop and waves their dearly departed’s honbaek (a special piece of silk that holds the soul right after death) and calls the deceased person’s name three times. The “hon” is the bright energy of the spirit that is being invoked.

Calling to the Dead

Shattered name!
Name scattered to the winds!
Name I call that has no owner!
Name that I will die calling!

Still lingering in my heart is the word
I could never bring myself to speak—
It was you that I loved!
It was you that I loved!

A herd of deer begins to weep.
The red sun clings to a western peak.
On the slopes where it slips away,
I call your name.

In sorrow I call it again and again.
In sorrow I call it again and again.
But my cries just drop back through the air—
the gap between heaven and earth is too vast.

Though I turn to stone here where I stand,
I will die calling your name!
It was you that I loved!
It was you that I loved!

—translated by David Bowles
October 19, 2021

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Original Korean

초혼

산산이 부서진 이름이여!
허공 중(虛空中)에 헤어진 이름이여!
불러도 주인(主人) 없는 이름이여!
부르다가 내가 죽을 이름이여!

심중(心中)에 남아 있는 말 한 마디는
끝끝내 마저 하지 못하였구나.
사랑하던 그 사람이여!
사랑하던 그 사람이여!

붉은 해는 서산(西山) 마루에 걸리었다.
사슴의 무리도 슬피 운다.
떨어져 나가 앉은 산(山) 위에서
나는 그대의 이름을 부르노라.

설움에 겹도록 부르노라.
설움에 겹도록 부르노라.
부르는 소리는 비껴 가지만
하늘과 땅 사이가 너무 넓구나.

선 채로 이 자리에 돌이 되어도
부르다가 내가 죽을 이름이여!
사랑하던 그 사람이여!
사랑하던 그 사람이여!

— 김소월

“The Gatekeeper” by Kim Haengsoon

One of the many things I love about watching K-drama is all the wonderful poetry I’ve been introduced to. During episode 10 of Hometown Cha Cha Cha, male protagonist Hong Ban-jang reads the poem “The Gatekeeper” by Kim Haengsook (so that female protagonist Yoon Hye-jin can fall asleep, though he stops at the word “love”).

Here’s my translation of this bittersweet poem.

Gatekeeper

It’s my job to say, “You can’t do that here.”
It’s my job to deny your objective.
It’s my job to deny you the next day, too.
It’s my job to wait for you the following day to deny you again.
It’s my job to wait for you the day after that and fall in love with you.
So it’s my job to deny my love.

“I won’t cry over my vocation,” I wrote.
But while writing in my diary,
I sometimes wept.

—translated by David Bowles
September 26, 2021

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Original Korean

문지기

여기서 이러시면 안 됩니다, 라고 말하는 것이 내 직업이다.
당신의 목적을 부정하는 것이 내 직업이다.
다음 날도 당신을 부정하는 것이 내 직업이다.
당신을 부정하기 위해 다음 날도 당신을 기다리는 것이 내 직업이다.
그다음 날도 당신을 기다리다가 당신을 사랑하게 되는 것이 내 직업이다.
그리하여 나의 사랑을 부정하는 것이 나의 직업이다.

나의 천직을 이유로 울지 않겠다, 라고 썼다. 일기를 쓸 때 나는 가끔 울었다.

—김행숙

“The Physics of Love” by Kim In-yook

Ever since I first watched the Korean drama 쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 – 도깨비, known in English as Guardian: The Great and Lonely God or simply Goblin, I have been obsessed with the poem the male lead (Kim Shin, an immortal goblin) reads from an anthology the female lead (Ji Eun-tak, his prophesized bride) carries around with her. That anthology became a bestseller in 2016 after audiences fell in love with the piece. Poet Kim In-yook then re-released the original collection of his that contained it, under the new title The Physics of Love, the name of the poem the goblin reads.

The subtitles contain a decent translation, but I thought I would try my hand at something slightly more poetic.

The Physics of Love

Mass is not proportional to volume.

That girl as small as a violet,
that girl who floats like a petal
pulls me toward her with a force
greater than the Earth’s mass.

In an instant,
like Newton’s apple,
I dropped with a thump
and rolled to her
without stopping.

Thump.
Thump.
My dizzy heart kept swinging
between Heaven and Earth—
it was my first love.

—translated by David Bowles
September 23, 2021

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Original Korean

사랑의 물리학

질량의 크기는 부피와 비례하지 않는다

제비꽃같이 조그마한 그 계집애가
꽃잎같이 하늘거리는 그 계집애가
지구보다 더 큰 질량으로 나를 끌어당긴다.
순간, 나는
뉴턴의 사과처럼
사정없이 그녀에게로 굴러 떨어졌다
쿵 소리를 내며, 쿵쿵 소리를 내며

심장이
하늘에서땅까지
아찔한 진자운동을 계속하였다
첫사랑이었다.

Debut Picture Book Out Today!

MY TWO BORDER TOWNS and MIS DOS PUEBLOS FRONTERIZOS have finally been published!

Romper featured MY TWO BORDER TOWNS in a round-up of 44 Children’s Books Starring Latinx Characters That Your Kids Will Love!

MY TWO BORDER TOWNS was included in Book Riot and Publishers Weekly (852k UVPM)September release round-ups!

Publishers Weekly also included MY TWO BORDER TOWNS in their New and Noteworthy Kids Releases and ran an interview with Erika and me for their In Coversation series!

The Austin American-Statesman included MY TWO BORDER TOWNS in a round-up of 9 new books for kids this fall, including exciting reads from Texas authors!

The New York Times Book Review will feature a review of MY TWO BORDER TOWNS in an upcoming issue!

My picks for Latinx Heritage Month will be featured in a piece on TODAY.com!

I will be featured in the September “Reading with…” feature in Shelf Awareness!

Kirkus and the Picturebooking Podcast interviewed me about MY TWO BORDER TOWNS!

HipLatina called MY TWO BORDER TOWNS one of the 10 Best Latinx Children’s Books Out in 2021!

Lone Star Literary Life included the launch event in their weekly bookish round-up and featured MY TWO BORDER TOWNS in their September Texas Books Preview!

Latinxs in Kid Lit revealed the cover of MY TWO BORDER TOWNS and also included it in their 2021 List of Books by/for/about Latinx!

Here Wee Read and Boricua Reads both included MY TWO BORDER TOWNS in release round-ups!

De Colores featured a wonderful review of MY TWO BORDER TOWNS, recommending it for all home, classroom, and library collections!

Seven Impossible Things will cover and feature some spreads from MY TWO BORDER TOWNS!

The Star Democrat will feature an interview with me!

…………………

Praise for MY TWO BORDER TOWNS

★ “Characters’ friendly greetings, the vibrant illustrations, and the thoughtful actions of this father and son come together to create a feeling of warmth and hope, while also bringing to the forefront the plight of so many like Élder and his family. An excellent addition to Spanish picture-book collections.”
—Booklist, starred review

★ “Bowles’ picture-book debut weaves weightier realities into a story of ordinary border town life, and does so with a gentle hand.”
—The Horn Book, starred review

★ “Meza (Balloons for Papa) pours artistry into mixed-media images of the towns, which mirror each other across the river… the father and son look forward—with warmth and care—to a ‘wonderful day,’ when passage between the border towns isn’t limited.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Beautiful, honest, complex.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

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MY TWO BORDER TOWNS by David Bowles, illustrated by Erika Meza

HC: 9780593111048; AUDIO: 9780593399736; EBOOK: 9780593111055

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MIS DOS PUEBLOS FRONTERIZOS by David Bowles, illustrated by Erika Meza

HC: 9780593325070; EBOOK: 9780593325087

Two-book Deal with Bloomsbury

So excited to announce that Mary Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury has acquired world rights to The Moon Conch by Guadalupe García McCall and me, along with a second book tentatively titled Hearts of Fire and Snow.

The Moon Conch, a YA fantasy romance, features a young Aztec warrior and a contemporary immigrant Mexican girl, who find themselves connected across the centuries by a sacred conch as they flee oppression and fight to survive. Against all odds, they struggle to find their way to each other, for even 500 years isn’t enough to keep them apart.

Publication is slated for 2023, so keep an eye out!

THE PATH GRANT

In conjunction with Estudio Tlalli, I have established THE PATH GRANT, which will award annual $2500 prizes to new and emerging BIPOC women writers of speculative fiction. Depending on funding, between two and ten recipients will be selected by a panel of judges by December 15th of each year. Funds will be awarded electronically by January 1st. 

APPLICATION WINDOW

Applications can be submitted between June 1 and 11:59 PM CST on October 1, 2021. Please follow the instructions on the Estudio Tlalli website.

Cover for Book 2 of THE PATH

Estudio Tlalli has wrapped up the cover for The Deepest Green, Book Two of The Path, my space opera quartet.

All royalties from the series underwrite THE PATH GRANT, which provides $2500 prizes to emerging women writers from communities of color.

Here’s the cover!

Front cover of The Deepest Green

Information
The Deepest Green
Book Two of The Path
Publication Date: July 13, 2021

Book Description
Twins Teri and Miwa Miranda are happy and popular high school students on the independent world of Terego. Their family is beloved by the community: their sweet half-brother Jakobo, caring stepmother Rhea, and doting father Nando, a model citizen in all aspects of his life.

But every bit of that life is a lie.

In reality, Nando Miranda is Brando D’Angelo, a wanted fugitive, raising the clones of his murdered wife and daughter, hoping he won’t be discovered. Now the armed forces of the Consortium have tracked him down. In an instant his carefully constructed identity is exploded, and the true nature of his daughters is revealed.

The devastated teens have little time to assimilate the news. Retreating from their community in shock, they find themselves abducted, drawn into a cataclysmic crisis that will shake the foundations of human society.

For humans are not the only species on Terego. In the deep green shadows of its impenetrable forests, fierce creatures are rallying for war.

And an ancient intelligence is awakening from its slumber.

GÜERO Sequel Coming 2022

I’m so excited to share that They Call Me Güero has a new home … and a sequel on the way!

Kokila will be publishing They Call Her Fregona, which delves into the life of Joanna Padilla and her relationship with Güero, the narrator of the first book.

The reprint of They Call Me Güero drops August 24, 2021.

They Call Her Fregona will hit shelves in the fall of 2022.