284: Adapting Legends While Staying True to the Story - Interview with Virginia Loh-Hagan

Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan.

Virginia Loh-Hagan is an educator and author. She is the 2016 recipient of California Reading Association’s Marcus Foster Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in reading. Currently, she is directing the Liberal Studies program at San Diego State University. She has a B.A. in English and a Masters in Elementary Education (K-8) and Special Education, specializing in Learning Disabilities (K-12), from the University of Virginia.

She earned her Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in Literacy and her dissertation was a qualitative study on the cultural authenticity of Asian-American children's literature. She serves on various book award committees and is the Cover Editor and Book Nook columnist for "The California Reader," the premier professional journal for the California Reading Association.

She has published over 300 children's books and academic publications. She especially likes to write about her Chinese-American heritage. After all, she was born on Flag Day in the Year of the Dragon. She's also interested in writing fun facts about monsters, weird bodily noises, urban legends, hot dogs, and anything else that’s strange and awesome.

In this episode Virginia and I discuss:

• The inspiration behind Nian the Chinese New Year Dragon
• How a career in teaching informed Dr. Loh-Hagan’s writing
• Reading for comprehension versus reading for craft
• Using the rule of three in a picture book
• Staying true to the world you create

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/284