Janet wong linkedin
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Janet S. Wong
American children's book author
Janet S. Wong is an American poet and author of children's books. She has written over 30 books, primarily poetry, picture books, and middle grade fiction. At the age of seven, she had an active imagination. She used this later in her life to write poetry and books. She is the co-creator (with Sylvia Vardell) of The Poetry Friday Anthology series and the Poetry Friday Power Book series, published by Pomelo Books. Her most recent book is HOP TO IT: Poems to Get You Moving, an anthology of 100 poems by 90 poets that focuses on the topics of movement, the pandemic, and social justice. She is the winner of the 2021 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, a lifetime achievement award considered the most prestigious award that a children's poet can receive.
Personal life
Wong was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Koreatown, as the child of a Chinese immigrant father and a Korean immigrant mother. Her parents met while her father was serving in the U.S. Army in Korea. She grew up speaking neither Chi
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author
A Suitcase of Seaweed was originally published in 1996 by Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, as thirty-six poems plus three prose pieces.
The entire text of the original book is presented here in A Suitcase of Seaweed & More, along with 50 brand new pages—where you’ll find snippets of story about the inspiration behind the poems, extensions of the themes, and writing prompts to get teens thinking, talking, and writing about their own identities. Wong’s “Advice for Writers” might even inspire them to write their own books, too.
“Every page becomes a potential mentor text in how to create this feeling of seamless connection between poetry and prose.” —Paul W. Hankins
“Janet Wong’s ‘SUITCASE’ was, is, always will be, a must for any poetry library collection.” —Lee Bennett Hopkins
Here is an excerpt from the book that shows the interplay between poem, prose piece, and—most important—the writing prompt, which is designed to motivate young readers to write about their own experiences and hopes.
Find it at QEP or Amazon!