As a writer and activist, Jael Richardson's work centres around diverse storytelling in Canada. In her latest project, she has gathered racialized writers from across the country in a story collection for young readers.
(Scholastic Canada)
Today I Am is a book of 10 short stories by emerging writers in Canada that examines the meaning of home. Inspired by their varied cultural upbringings, each story follows a tween or teen searching for belonging. From growing up on a faraway planet to being stranded on an island to a difficult school assignment, this collection shows the adventurous and courageous nature of kids today.
Told through prose, verse and illustrations, Today I Am features writers Marty Chan, Rosena Fung, Michael Hutchinson, Chad Lucas, Angela Misri, Mahtab Narsimhan, Danny Ramadan, Liselle Sambury and Brandon Wint.
Richardson is a writer, editor and the executive director of the Festival for Literary Diversity (FOLD). Her other books include the picture book Because You Are and the nonfiction book The Stone Thrower, which was adapted into a picture book of the same name.
Her debut novel, Gutter Child, was published in 2021 and was a finalist for the 2021 Amazon Canada First Novel Award.
"Assembling a group like this and seeing the range not only in what they wrote about but in the genre and styles they chose to write it is why I took on this project," said Richardson in a statement about finding writers for Today I Am.
"This collection is everything I look for in a book, and I truly think there is something for everyone in those pages. The talent is staggering, and the stories reflect the experiences of tweens and young teens today."
Today I Am is for readers 10-14 and will be out on Aug. 6. Click here to read an excerpt from Richardson's story, The Invention of Serene Brown.