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"Bingo Love" and "Meal" Win Annual Virginia Library Association Graphic Novel Diversity Awards

Published Thu, 08 Aug 2019 12:00:53 -0500

Last updated Thu, 08 Aug 2019 12:09:40 -0500

The Diversity & Inclusion Forum of the Virginia Library Association have presented their annual VLA Graphic Novel Diversity Awards.

Created to recognize graphic novel titles dealing with diversity through storylines and characters to educate and promote reading at all levels, nominees must feature "a diverse protagonist (casual or issue-based), a diverse supporting character that impacts the story, or a diverse subject,"

Published in North America, the comics must consist of a stand-alone story and be submitted in either the Adult (18+) or (Youth 6-17) category.

Adult Category Winner – Bingo Love by Tee Franklin and Jenn St-Onge (Image Comics)

When Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray met at church bingo in 1963, it was love at first sight. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid-'60s, Hazel and Mari reunite again at a church bingo hall. Realizing their love for each other is still alive, what these grandmothers do next takes absolute strength and courage.
From TEE FRANKLIN (NAILBITER's "THE OUTFIT," Love is Love) and JENN ST-ONGE (Jem & The Misfits), BINGO LOVE is a touching story of love, family, and resiliency that spans over 60 years.
"A towering emotional achievement. BINGO LOVE is the graphic novel I didn't know I couldn't live without." -GAIL SIMONE

Youth Category Winner – Meal by Blue Delliquanti and Soleil Ho, (Iron Circus Comics)

Yarrow is a young chef determined to make her mark on the cutting edge of cookery with her insect-based creations. Though her enthusiasm is infectious, it rubs some of her fellow cooks the wrong way, especially Chanda Flores, Yarrow's personal hero and executive chef of an exciting new restaurant. Her people have been eating bugs for centuries, and she's deeply suspicious of this newbie's attempt to turn her traditions into the next foodie trend. While Chanda and her scrappy team of talented devotees struggle to open on time, Yarrow must win over Chanda — and Milani, the neighbor she's been crushing on for weeks — or lose this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to achieve her dreams.

Co-written with chef and food writer Soleil Ho (Edible Manhattan, Bitch), Blue Delliquanti's sweet coming-of-age story takes us deep into a world of art, mystery, and memory on the culinary frontier.