Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Winterfolk
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: janelkolby.com
CITY: Seattle
STATE: WA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
http://janelkolby.com/contact/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2018011225
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2018011225
HEADING: Kolby, Janel, 1971-
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100 1_ |a Kolby, Janel, |d 1971-
370 __ |e Redmond (Wash.) |e Seattle (Wash.) |2 naf
372 __ |a Poetry |a Management |a Children’s literature |a Young adult literature |2 lcsh
373 __ |a Amazon.com (Firm) |2 naf
374 __ |a Authors |2 lcdgt
374 __ |a Poets |a Executives |2 lcdgt
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377 __ |a eng
400 1_ |a Cheng, Jane Kolby
400 1_ |a Kolby, Jane
670 __ |a Kolby, Janel. Winterfolk, ©2018: |b title page (Janel Kolby) dust jacket (poet and story writer for teens and children; has an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University; lives in Seattle)
670 __ |a LinkedIn, Jan. 25, 2018 |b (Janel Kolby; has an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University; manager at Amazon; has worked in Redmond)
670 __ |a MyLife, Jan. 25. 2018 |b (Janel Kolby; Jane Kolby Cheng; Jane Kolby; born May 21, 1971; lives in Redmond, Wash.)
PERSONAL
Born May 5, 1971; children.
EDUCATION:Hamline University, M.F.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, poet, and children’s and young adult author.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Janel Kolby has an M.F.A. in creative writing for children and young adults. In an interview for the Storyteller’s Inkpot blog, Kolby remarked that she began writing poems and stories at a young age. She went on to note that she hid her writing aspirations from people except for her family. “As I got older and grew confidence, I began to accept how much happiness I receive from writing, and that it’s as much my future as it has been my past,” Kolby said in the interview for the Storyteller’s Inkpot. Kilby went on in the interview to note she has primarily focused on writing middle grade and young adult fiction, adding: “I tried out some picture books, and managed to create a passable one, but it’s not a strength yet.”
Kolby’s first young adult novel, Winterfolk, revolves around a young girl named Rain, who serves as the novel’s narrator. Rain is living in a homeless encampment outside of Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. Those living there call themselves the Winterfolk. Rain has been homeless for as long as she can remember and has learned to remain hidden. Living in a tent with her father for the past five years, being “invisible” is important she is told by her father, who wants to keep her hidden from child welfare authorities who could take her away. Rain’s life is so limited that the only entertainment she has is an old, stolen book of fairy tales. As Rain nears her sixteenth birthday, she learns through flyers distributed by the city that it plans on getting rid of the encampment and all the homeless people living there must disperse.
Rain’s friend, the 17-yearpold King, offers to show Rain the city for her birthday. Once in the city, they encounter a small-time drug dealer named Cook, an old enemy of King. The meeting leads to a series of problems as Rain becomes separated from King and wanders the city alone. Rain finds the wide world of Seattle and the civilization it represents not to her liking. As a result, she is desperate to return home. In the process of trying to find her way back to the encampment, Rain encounters numerous dangerous situations, with many of the men she meets along the way representing the most serious danger in terms of potential abuse. It also becomes clear, however, that even the men who want to protect her, such as her father , also have made her life isolated and precarious
Rain’s “journey leaves her changed, and more aware of who she truly is,” wrote NPR: National Public Radio website contributor Caitlyn Paxson, adding: “It’s rare to find a book that is so gentle and so brutal at once, but Rain will take your hand and show you the way through.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked: “Rain brings an outsider’s perspective to every detail she encounters, allowing readers to see them that way too.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, November 1, 2017, Caitlin Kling, review of Winterfolk, p. 67.
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2017, review of Winterfolk.
Publishers Weekly, November 27, 2017, review of Winterfolk, p. 63.
Voice of Youth Advocates, February, 2018. Heather Christensen and Zara Roy, review of Winterfolk, p. 57.
ONLINE
Janel Kolby Website, http://janelkolby.com (March 19, 2018).
NPR: National Public Radio website, https://www.npr.org/ (February 10, 2018), Caitlyn Paxson, “Winterfolk Cloaks Harsh Reality in Fairy Tale Mist.”
Seattle Book Review, https://seattlebookreview.com/ (February 11, 2018), review of Winterfolk.
Storyteller’s Inkpot, http://thestorytellersinkpot.blogspot.com/ (January 5, 2015): “Meet the Grad: Janel Kolby.”
Janel Kolby is a poet and story writer for teens and children. A graduate of Hamline University’s MFAC program and represented by Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency. She lives in Seattle with her family. Winterfolk is her debut novel, published by HarperCollins.
MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015
Meet the Grad: Janel Kolby
On January 18, 2015, on the final day of the upcoming residency, the MFAC program will have a Graduate Recognition ceremony, honoring the men and women who have just completed their studies and will receive an MFA from Hamline University. Between now and residency we'll be posting interviews with many of the grads. Janel Kolby is today's grad; she lives in Seattle, Washington and can also be found on Twitter: @JanelKolby.
Janel
What do you do when you’re not working on packets?
I try my best to be a good mom, a good partner, and a good friend. Sometimes it works. When it doesn’t, I could be reading or pondering an aspect of a story, and wouldn’t notice if you threw pennies at my head. My other profession is in software as a program manager.
How did you hear about the Hamline MFAC Program?
I attended a three-day SCBWI workshop in Washington in which Anne Ursu and [editor] Jordan Brown were the speakers. Anne talked about a magical place and her magical friends that turned out not to be in her imagination. Lucky for me.
What was your writing experience prior to entering the program?
Writing poems and stories are some of my earliest memories, and I never stopped writing. I didn’t know anyone as strange as that, and I kept that part of myself hidden from everyone but family. I couldn’t fool my family. As I got older and grew confidence, I began to accept how much happiness I receive from writing, and that it’s as much my future as it has been my past. About four years ago, I took the last novel I had written and tried to get it published. I received some responses to read the entire manuscript, but was ultimately rejected. That’s when I knew I needed help. I couldn’t do this on my own. I needed to learn more about my craft and the industry.
What do especially remember about your first residency?
I remember being embraced—by the staff, the alums, and almost everyone in the program. I wasn’t expecting that. I was expecting to be the odd ball again, and find myself a corner between lectures where I could turn inward. I was already scouting out those corners when I first entered the hall. I didn’t know I would meet some of the best friends I’ve ever had. I didn’t know Hamline was where I would find the support I needed to write.
Have you focused on any one form (PB, novel, nonfiction; graphic novel) or age group in your writing? Tried a form you never thought you’d try?
I have primarily focused on MG and YA fiction. I tried out some picture books, and managed to create a passable one, but it’s not a strength yet.
Tell us about your Creative Thesis.
RAIN lives on the outskirts of Seattle in a dangerous, wooded area known as The Jungle. She has lived there since she was six in a tent with her dad, and with KING, her only friend aside from the towering trees and woodland animals who she believes talk to her. She views herself as a type of ghost, since she has been taught to live as if she were invisible.
After reading The Little Mermaid, Rain has an idea to see the outside world on her next birthday, her thirteenth. Her dad reluctantly agrees for her to go, but for only one day.
The world is not as she expected, and proves to be more dangerous than staying in her tent. As King tries to protect her from a gang in his past, Rain and he become separated. There are a million things she doesn’t know, but she is stronger than she thinks, and in the end she must choose: to act upon her future or disappear as a ghost forever.
What changes have you seen in your writing during your studies?
Confidence and clarity. I have a greater sense about why I write; I now have the skills to pull together a coherent story; and am better equipped to manage the bits that make me unique.
With packet deadlines removed as an incentive, do you anticipate it will be harder to keep writing? Any plans for your post-Hamline writing life?
I plan to actively participate in workshops and conferences in the writing community to drive the incentives for my next deadlines.
Any thoughts for entering students or for people considering the program?Many times in the program I questioned whether I deserved to be at Hamline—to consider myself a writer. I know I’ll question whether I deserve to be an alum, and again, a writer. I can deal with that as long as I keep writing and have my Hamline friends.
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Print Marked Items
Kolby, Janel: WINTERFOLK
Kirkus Reviews.
(Nov. 15, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Kolby, Janel WINTERFOLK HarperTeen (Children's Fiction) $17.99 2, 6 ISBN: 978-0-06-248700-1
A young girl living in a homeless encampment ventures into the city for the first time in years.
White teen Rain lives in the Jungle: a vast homeless encampment outside of Seattle's Beacon Hill
neighborhood. Her home is a tent she shares with her father, and she hasn't left it in five years; an old book
of fairy tales is her sole, precious possession. Her father wants her to remain unseen so the authorities won't
take her away. But the city has other ideas; fliers declaring the Jungle will be demolished appear overnight.
No one can lawfully stay, but Rain doesn't want to leave. Her friend King, a 17-year-old racially ambiguous
boy with brown skin, proposes he show her the city for her 15th birthday, the day before they must find a
new home. What follows is a series of unfortunate events seen through Rain's fairy-tale-tinged perspective.
Rain ends up losing track of King and unwittingly carrying a dangerous man's property in secret. Her day in
the city acts as a lesson in what the outside world harbors and what she needs to learn to survive it.
Narrating in a clipped, stylized first-person, present-tense voice, Rain brings an outsider's perspective to
every detail she encounters, allowing readers to see them that way too, and the ending skillfully balances
hard realism with hope.
A thoughtful dive into a far-too-often-overlooked part of society. (Fiction. 14-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Kolby, Janel: WINTERFOLK." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A514267727/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=7248c487.
Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A514267727
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Kolby, Janel. Winterfolk
Heather Christensen and Zara Roy
Voice of Youth Advocates.
40.6 (Feb. 2018): p57+.
COPYRIGHT 2018 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
Kolby, Janel. Winterfolk. HarperTeen, February 2018. 308p. $17.99. 978-0-06248700-1.
4Q * 4P * J * S
Kolby's new novel features a naive teen struggling to understand her presence in the world. Rain has spent
most of her life in a homeless community in the woods outside of Seattle. As the only child, she was told to
"remain invisible," both for her own safety and the safety of the community. On the eve of her fifteenth
birthday, news arrives that Seattle plans to demolish the area and clear out all who are living there.
Suddenly, the safety and anonymity of her life feels threatened, and Rain wanders the city alone--separated
from her father and an older, protective friend. Yet, in becoming visible, she finds she has a voice of her
own--one that just might save her community.
Kolby uses ambiguity and uncertainty to blur the line between reality and fantasy. Lyrical prose and strong
imagery add to the ethereal tone. As Rain's presence becomes more visible to the world around her, she
changes from an innocent child to a teen who can act for herself, a metaphor for all teens, perhaps. Give this
to experienced readers who prefer the dreamy quality of magical realism.--Heather Christensen.
It is not often one encounters a book truly evocative of a dream-like feeling. Poetic and whimsical, this is
precisely what Winterfolk induces. Kolby does an excellent job of maintaining a lyrical flow as the reader
follows Rain, a homeless teen lost in Seattle. As the story slowly but surely comes full circle, a hymn-like
narrative for the outcasts of society draws itself out of the text. 3Q, 3P. --Zara Roy, Teen Reviewer.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Christensen, Heather, and Zara Roy. "Kolby, Janel. Winterfolk." Voice of Youth Advocates, Feb. 2018, p.
57+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A529357126/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=31e39ec1. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A529357126
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Winterfolk
Publishers Weekly.
264.48 (Nov. 27, 2017): p63.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Winterfolk
Janel Kolby. HarperTeen, $17.99 (320p)
ISBN 978-0-06-248700-1
Rain lives with her alcoholic father in a homeless camp outside Seattle. Despite threats to dismantle the
encampment, Rain believes that those who live there--the Winterfolk, she calls them--are essentially
invisible. Her only friend is King, a homeless 17-year-old who has taken it upon himself to look after her.
When King takes Rain into the city to celebrate her 15 th birthday, he crosses paths with Cook, a petty drug
dealer, and that's where the trouble begins. Debut novelist Kolby explores homelessness through the eyes of
a teenage girl who can't remember not living in a tent in the woods; a stripped-down narrative voice and the
language of fairy tales shape Rain's worldview. Kolby creates a believably nai've main character, but some
readers may find Rain's musings, which are often repetitive and opaque ("We step careful over the thorny
blackberry branches. I clench my teeth to keep from talking to the blackberries upon blackberries, mostly
fresh and waiting to rot, the rest smashed"), a barrier to fully appreciating her story. Ages 14-up. Agent:
Beth Phelan, Bent Agency (Feb.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Winterfolk." Publishers Weekly, 27 Nov. 2017, p. 63. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A517575744/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=0a011b45.
Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A517575744
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Winterfolk
Caitlin Kling
Booklist.
114.5 (Nov. 1, 2017): p67.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Winterfolk.
By Janel Kolby.
Feb. 2018. 320p. HarperTeen, $17.99 (9780062487001); e-book, $17.99 (9780062487667). Gr. 9-12.
Fans of Jandy Nelson and Anna-Marie McLemore's juxtapositions of the everyday with the fantastic will
revel in Kolby's emotional, layered prose that has a distinctly poetic quality. Fifteen-year-old Rain lives
with her father in the Jungle, a homeless community nestled in the mountains outside Seattle. Her father and
the others who live in the Jungle call themselves the Winterfolk and have taught Rain that to be in the world
means to be invisible. When the town hands out eviction notices to the Winterfolk, Rain and her mentor and
guardian, King, venture into the confusing, harsh streets of Seattle. As Rain makes sense of society--one
that is right next-door and yet utterly foreign to her--her naivete allows her to see the world touched with
magic and possibility instead of serving as an obstacle. Rain's haunting, endearing, unique voice will propel
readers through this impressive first novel that highlights a too-often overlooked part of the population.
Gorgeous, expressive magical realism from a promising debut author. --Caitlin Kling
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Kling, Caitlin. "Winterfolk." Booklist, 1 Nov. 2017, p. 67. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A515383112/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=e737a25d.
Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A515383112
This gorgeous and lyrical debut novel is perfect for fans of Nova Ren Suma, Laura Ruby, and Nina LaCour.
Rain doesn’t wish on stars anymore.
For as long as she can remember, her home has been among the Winterfolk, a group of homeless people living outside Seattle. Being homeless has taught Rain how to be invisible.
But when she discovers that the city plans to sweep out the Winterfolk’s camp, her world is shattered. Determined to face the world like she’s never had to before, she convinces her friend King to take her to Seattle.
The city is full of strange sights, sounds, people–and memories. When Rain and King are separated, she must fend for herself, and realizes that she’s not invisible after all. And if she’s going to save herself, King, and the Winterfolk, she’ll need to find a star big enough to make all of her wishes come true.
Janel Kolby is a poet and story writer for teens and children. She is a graduate of Hamline University’s MFAC program and lives in Seattle with her family and Sunny Arms community. Winterfolk is her debut novel. Join us for this launch party and reading.
REVIEW
BOOK REVIEWS
'Winterfolk' Cloaks Harsh Reality In Fairy Tale Mist
February 10, 20187:00 AM ET
CAITLYN PAXSON
Winterfolk
Winterfolk
by Janel Kolby
Hardcover, 307 pages purchase
Winterfolk is a brutally realist tale that's told as though it happened once upon a time.
Rain and her father live in a tent, somewhere on the outskirts of Seattle. For most of Rain's life, they've made their home at the edges of a community of homeless people who call themselves the Winterfolk. Rain knows how to be mostly invisible, both to those outside the community and to those within.
She spends much of her time alone, reading a stolen book of fairy tales and connecting with the natural environment around her. For company, she has her father and King, a young man who camps next to them and looks out for her when her father can't. Her world has hardship and loneliness, but it feels safe to her. Then, on the eve of her 16th birthday, flyers begin to appear, warning that the Winterfolk must abandon their settlement or else be forcibly removed.
King tells her not to worry, and takes her with him into the city for a special birthday surprise. It's been ages since Rain last left their camp, and the world seems very strange and full. They quickly run into an old enemy, and she is separated from King and left to fend for herself on a strange journey through the wilds of civilization. Even as she marvels at the luxuries and beauty that she encounters, she longs for the quiet and invisibility of her camp, and all the while, she feels the pressing fear that her home will soon be lost forever.
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BOOK REVIEWS
'The Hazel Wood' Has Few Uses For Enchantment
'Beasts Made Of Night' Is The Beginning Of A Great Saga
BOOK REVIEWS
'Beasts Made Of Night' Is The Beginning Of A Great Saga
Winterfolk is all about Rain's unique, poetic voice, and her distant, fairy tale view of the world. At one point, a young boy she meets asks if she's a mermaid, and it's clear that's not just because she has long mermaid hair and is soaking wet at the time. She drifts her way through the story, being washed from one adventure to the next, as lost as a fish making its way on the land.
Everyone and everything she encounters take on this same mythic quality. It's clear that to the outside world, King is a ruffian. But to Rain, he is a prince, sent to protect her. Through her eyes, Seattle becomes the dark forest of lore, full of dangers and helpers, which must be carefully traversed.
Because we are held so close to Rain's thoughts and feelings, it's difficult to decide what author Janel Kolby is ultimately trying to say. Rain is unimpressed by civilization at large, and fights tenaciously to return to her home and protect it. It's hard to not want what she wants for herself. But at the same time, we see how dangerously isolated she is, how vulnerable she is to the whims of the men who control her life, and how deprived she is: of food, of education, of socialization, and of comfort.
If this book were a fantasy, or set in the past, I'm sure that I would feel more compelled to champion the way of life that Rain wants to preserve. But set against the stark reality of present-day Seattle, her plight feels cruel and very dark.
If this book were a fantasy, or set in the past, I'm sure that I would feel more compelled to champion the way of life that Rain wants to preserve. But set against the stark reality of present-day Seattle, her plight feels cruel and very dark. The clearest way to put it is to say that Winterfolk does not romanticize homelessness, but Rain herself does.
The thing I find most harrowing is how vulnerable Rain is to abuse. All of the men in this story are a danger to her, whether it's through violent assault, an unwanted kiss, or the control of those who love her and want to protect her, but do so by imprisoning and depriving her. Kolby portrays this in a way that feels very real and true, and it hurts to read.
At the heart of Winterfolk is the hope that Rain, through seeing the greater world, will gain the ability to make her own choices and move forward with her life. In this sense, it is not dissimilar from the fairy tales that Rain reads again and again. Her journey leaves her changed, and more aware of who she truly is. It's rare to find a book that is so gentle and so brutal at once, but Rain will take your hand and show you the way through.
Caitlyn Paxson is a writer and performer. She is a regular reviewer for NPR Books and Quill & Quire.