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Would You Write a Gay Book for Kids?
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Would you write a gay children’s storybook? Aside from it being a breakthrough in Philippine children’s book industry, you can win Php35,000 cash.
From artist-blogger friend, Palma Tayona:
we have a short-story writing competition for children and there’s still a month left to submit entries. i read through some of those who write you and it can easily be seen that some of them do have a good grasp of story telling. they have what is called the gift of gab. i just wonder though if they can actually translate this gift of writing about themselves to writing for others, specifically children.
now why am i telling you, someone who advances the cause of gay people, about this? contemporary literature is moved these days by liberal thoughts and ideas. many current issues and relevant topics are slowly being written about today in stories that children can absorb and help them relate towards the bigger and real world, the same kind of topics that were only spoken of in whispers a few decades ago. for example, i was reading through a children’s book written by Augie Rivera entitled “ANG LIHIM NI LEA”. it is about a very sensitive topic – incest. it is highly relevant and about time that someone wrote about it for the specific audience – our children – that must guard itself against. the book is well-crafted, beautifull illustrated and very well written. you can see it online here.
i have seen and read so many good stories written for children and yet i still have to see something about being different and being okay with it. i just wonder, how an excellent gay writer would write a story for children.
Interested to join the contest? Mechanics here.
(Palma is also inviting you to a children’s book launching at Serendra on March 8, 2009.)
