Three Short Interviews With Children’s Literature Authors

Linda Trinh

TALI VORON-LEIDERMAN: You’re the author of The Nguyen Kids series, four early chapter books illustrated by Clayton Nguyen and published by Annick Press. Each book in the series focuses on the experience of one of the Nguyen siblings as they use a gift left for them by their late Grandma Noi to explore their identity and heritage and navigate the challenges they each face. Can you share what inspired the series?

LINDA TRINH: I knew I wanted to write stories of my com- munity, write about experiences relevant to me, and to my family and friends. Stories I didn’t necessarily see in the books I read growing up. That meant writing about a Vietnamese Canadian family who made their home in Winnipeg. The layers came naturally. To explore Vietnamese-ness, that meant incorporating a large extended family and intergenerational relationships, ancestor veneration, food and celebrations, parental expectations, and existing between cultures. And whatever I’m writing, there’s always a touch of the spiritual and the unexplainable.

TVL: Throughout the series, you tackle challenging themes like racism, feminism, gender expression, loss, and identity. How do you approach writing complex topics for young audiences?

LT: I started drafting the series in 2021, when anti-Asian racism was widespread in North America tied to the pandemic. Before I had anything, I had my first line written: “Where are you from?” It’s a question typically asked of people of colour, immediately setting someone up as the “other.” I wrote The Secret of the Jade Bangle, the first book in the series, around that line, as sadly, I knew kids were facing racism and microaggressions. Remembering what I enjoyed reading as a kid and noticing how my kids consume content now, young readers are smart and intuitive. For young readers, some who may be facing tricky situations in their own lives, I wanted to invite them into the world of Anne, Liz, and Jacob. First-person present was an intentional choice for point of view. Accessible language was key. The situations the siblings faced were concrete and hopefully relatable. I wrote a lot about reactions in the body, how each person thought through, felt through, and talked through their issues.

TVL: In an article you wrote for Publisher’s Weekly,3 you said that your goal is to “reflect kids’ IRL experiences, and that means writing about “all the things.” [Your] intention is to integrate the siblings doing what all kids do—play, hang out with friends, go on adventures—and situations (out of their control) that may make them feel uncomfortable and question themselves.” In this series, you do exactly that while exploring Vietnamese culture and identity in various ways. Can you speak to the importance of representing diverse identities, cultural backgrounds, and experiences in children’s literature?

LT: The dedication of The Secret of the Jade Bangle is for my kids: “For Lexi and Evan—your stories matter.” This is also a key theme when I do author visits for schools and libraries. Representation matters. In the fall of 2023, the third book in the series, The Mystery of the Painted Fan, was shadow-banned by the Waterloo Catholic District School Board due to its content related to gender identity. The same week I found out about the shadow ban, I received this email from a woman in San Francisco of Vietnamese heritage who had read The Mystery of the Painted Fan with her daughter: “My best friend’s daughter is transgender and my six-year-old is still processing the change of her “cousin,” so this book helped us talk about it too. These are the stories I wish I had as a kid, and I’m so thankful my children have it.” It’s important for young readers to have access to stories about all different life experiences and different factors of identity. It’s valuable to be able to read about yourself AND it’s valuable to read about someone who is not like you. This builds empathy, and that skill is essential in this connected and divisive world.

TVL: In addition to writing for children, you also write for adults. Your fiction has appeared in anthologies, and your creative non-fiction has appeared in literary magazines and has been nominated for two National Magazine Awards. You have also written Seeking Spirit: A Vietnamese (Non) Buddhist Memoir, published by Guernica Editions. Can you speak to how you approach your varied writing projects, especially when writing for audiences of different ages?

LT: I think of it as I write about the same kinds of things: questions around spirituality and identity compel me to wonder, to write, to create. These themes bring me to the blank screen over and over again. I enjoy the challenge then of writing for different audiences about these same things. Writing fiction for young readers is so humbling, driving plot and character development focusing on accessible language. Writing creative non-fiction (CNF) challenges me to make meaning from experience and focus on form and structure. Writing my memoir, while I may have had the content and the events I wanted to explore, the chapters only came together after I figured out the structure and how to hold them in place to give the essays meaning. That’s the thrill of writing CNF.

TVL: What are you working on right now, or what is something you’re excited about right now?

LT: I’m working on a new four-book contemporary fantasy series with Annick Press. The Legendary Allies early chapter book series follows a team of adventuresome kids and their ally animals, inspired by Vietnamese mythical creatures, who are chosen to complete quests to further social justice in the magical land of Van Lang, and must learn to work together. As a kid, I loved reading stories of dragons, fairies, magic, and other worlds. Almost all of those books were anchored in Eurocentric history and mythology. Now I have the opportunity to write this Vietnamese-inspired fantasy series to add to the landscape of children’s fantasy literature. Book #1 is coming out in 2026! I’m also outlining and dreaming up my next non-fiction project that explores care: the intersection of child care, elder care, self care, and spiritual care in modern life. These writing projects will keep me happily busy for the next little while for sure. AND I’m so grateful to be doing what I love!

Linda Trinh, “Publishing in Canada 2022: Author Linda Trinh Seeks Authenticity,” Publishers Weekly, September 23, 2022.

Annick Press, “Annick Press Statement on Shadow-Banning,” November 9, 2023.

Linda Trinh

is a Vietnamese Canadian author who writes fiction and non-fiction for kids and adults. Her award-winning early chapter book series, The Nguyen Kids, explores Vietnamese culture and identity with elements of the supernatural, spirituality, and social justice woven in. Linda’s creative non-fiction and short fiction have appeared in anthologies and literary magazines such as The Fiddlehead, Room, Prairie Fire, and This Magazine. She has been nominated for two National Magazine Awards. Seeking Spirit: A Vietnamese (Non) Buddhist Memoir is published by Guernica Editions—MiroLand. She lives in Winnipeg with her family. Website: lindaytrinh.com.