With the support of the Taipei Cultural Center in New York, Taiwanese picture book author Lian-En Lin (林廉恩) and translator Jenna Tang will participate in the 2024 Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) on September 21-22. This marks the sixth occasion that Taiwanese authors and translators have been featured at this prestigious event.
Lian-En Lin’s acclaimed picture book Home was published in the U.S. by Reycraft Books. The book, which won the 2021 Bologna Ragazzi Award in Fiction, uses minimalist text and detailed collage illustrations to depict a vibrant Taiwanese community, immersing readers in its sights, sounds, and spirit.
Jenna Tang’s featured work, Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise, is the most influential novel of Taiwan’s #MeToo movement. Written by Lin Yi-Han and first published in Taiwan in 2017, the novel explores themes of grooming, trauma, and survival. Tang’s English translation was released by HarperVia this year and has been praised for its sensitivity and skill.
At TIFA 2024, Lian-En Lin will engage with young readers through TIFA Kids events, where she will share Home and lead a collage workshop. Meanwhile, Jenna Tang will participate in a conversation with Nigerian-born author Chinenye Emezie, discussing raw and moving tales that echo across cultures and confront painful truths.
The Toronto International Festival of Authors, Canada’s largest and longest-running literary festival, has been a key event for contemporary authors since 1974. TIFA 2024, themed “Writing Home,” will take place from September 19-29 at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, featuring over 100 authors from 11 countries.
During their visit to Canada, Lian-En Lin will also conduct a special children’s workshop at the North York Central Library on September 23. Jenna Tang will host two book talks on September 23 and 24 at the University of Toronto, discussing her recent translation work, Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise (房思琪的初戀樂園).
Event Highlights
【TIFA】Children’s Storytelling & Workshop: Home, Sweet Home with Lian-En Lin
• Saturday, September 21, 3:30-4:15 pm ET
• Sunday, September 22, 3:30-4:15 pm ET
• Location: Harbour Kids Tent, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON
• Event Details: https://festivalofauthors.ca/event/tifa-kids-home-sweet-home/
【TIFA】Conversation: Wars Fought at Home: Writing Trauma with Chinenye Emezie and Jenna Tang
• Sunday, September 22, 5:30-6:30 pm ET
• Location: Brigantine Room, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON
• Event Details and Tickets: https://festivalofauthors.ca/event/wars-fought-at-home/
Children’s Workshop with Lian-En Lin featuring Home
• Monday, September 23, 4:30-6:00 pm ET
• Location: North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge St, North York, ON
• Event Details and Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms
Book Talks with Jenna Tang on Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise
• In English
• Monday, September 23, 3:00-5:00 pm ET
• Location: Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, University of Toronto, 130 St George St, 8th Floor, Toronto, ON
• Event Details and Registration: https://east.library.utoronto.ca/eal-newsletter/jenna-tang-conversation-dr-shana-ye-discussing-fang-si-chis-first-love-paradise
• In Mandarin
• Tuesday, September 24, 12:00-1:30 pm ET
• Location: Collaborative Digital Research Space (CDRS), MN3230(Maanjiwe nendamowinan), University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON
About Lian-En Lin
Born and raised in Taiwan, picture book author Lian-En Lin excels in using mixed media collage, acrylic paint and water-based crayons. Her creative content is often inspired by her current feelings and life experiences, typically starting with images before incorporating words. By day, she is a calm and gentle illustrator, but by night, she transforms into a frantic mother. Lian-En has been selected for the Bologna Children’s Illustration Award three times and has received the 2021 Bologna Ragazzi Award in the Literature Category as well as Taiwan’s 2021 Golden Tripod Award.
About Jenna Tang
Jenna Tang is a Taiwanese writer, educator and translator who translates between Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, French and English. She is a board member and chair of the Equity Advocates Committee at the American Literary Translators Association. Her translations and essays are published in McSweeney’s, Lit Hub, The Paris Review, Latin American Literature Today, World Literature Today, Catapult, AAWW, Words Without Borders and elsewhere. Her translations include Taiwanese feminist author Lin Yi-Han’s novel, Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise(房思琪的初戀樂園) (HarperVia).