Category: Uncategorized

See the full list of nominees here

April 30: Join me virtually at The Festival of Literary Diversity! The Festival of Literary Diversity is Canada’s first festival for diverse authors and storytellers, held in historic downtown Brampton. The FOLD provides one-of-a-kind events for kids and adults that engage readers, inspire writers, and empower educators by highlighting important and underrepresented voices.

July 3: Pride in the Word at Victoria Pride! More info coming soon.

May 28: Federation of BC Writers Summit Workshop: Writing Diversity: Can We Be Frank?

June 15: Tri-Cities Writers Festival Author Talk & Workshop (Writer’s Block). More info coming soon!

Excited to share I have three new projects on the go for 2025!

MESSY PERFECT: A YA novel with Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins. April, 2025.

Jennifer Ung at HarperCollins/Quill Tree has bought world rights to Messy Perfect by Tanya Boteju (Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens), a YA novel that explores questions of faith, sexuality, and responsibility in the story of overachieving teen Cassie Perera’s efforts to run an underground Gender and Sexuality Alliance and the complications that arise—because not only does she attend a Catholic high school, but she also happens to be closeted. Publication is scheduled for summer 2025; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret brokered the two-book deal. (Publishers Weekly)

ALLYSHIP AS ACTION: A middle grade, nonfiction book with Orca Book Publishers. August, 2025.

Kirstie Hudson at Orca Books has bought World rights to YA novelist Tanya Boteju’s first work of nonfiction, ALLYSHIP IN 7 ACTS, a guide to help middle grade readers take action in meaningful ways and participate more confidently in social change movements. Publication is scheduled for Spring 2025. Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret represented the author. (Publishers Weekly)

An upcoming short story in HOME HAS NO BORDERS: An anthology with HarperTeen. Winter, 2025.

Megan Ilnitzki at HarperTeen has acquired Home Has No Borders, a YA anthology of contemporary short stories by South Asian and diaspora authors that grapple with themes of home and belonging, edited by Samira Ahmed (l.) and Sona Charaipotra, with stories from S.K. Ali, Fatimah Asghar, Tashie Bhuiyan, Tanya Boteju, Tanuja Desai Hidier, Veera Hiranandani, Rajani LaRocca, Sheba Karim, Jasmin Kaur, Anuradha D. Rajurkar, Nisha Sharma, Nikesh Shukla, Navdeep Singh Dhillon, and an author from an open call for submissions. Publication is set for winter 2025; Joanna Volpe and Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media brokered the deal for world rights. (Publishers Weekly)

July 15 – Coquitlam Public Library Lounge at Evergreen Cultural Centre, Author Talk, 3pm

Sept. 16 – Write On Bowen Festival of Readers & Writers – Writer’s Block (aka I’m Afraid to Write Rubbish (Workshop)

Oct. 20 – Vancouver Writers Festival Panels (Moderating):

–Magic & Misfits: Enduring Fiction for Youth

–YA Stars: Coming of Ages.

Oct. 22 – Surrey International Writers Festival:

–Handing Serious Subjects in Books (Panel)

–“Writing Diversity”: Can We Be Frank? (Workshop)

Nov. 26 – Infusion YA Festival – 2022 Rewind! (Panel) – More info coming soon!

Feb. 15 – The Writers Union of Canada: In Conversation with Liselle Sambury 

Feb. 23 – Vancouver Winter Pride Panel (see here for related book review of Bruised!)

March 9 – Fiction-Writing Workshop (Surrey Public Library)