Ming & Wah Chen
Author
She/Her
Hong Kong, USA, Eastern Asia, Northern America
Ming and Wah Chen are identical twins who love history, plucky heroes and anything by Agatha Christie. Graduates of Harvard and Columbia Universities respectively, they have published two previous children's books and live in Hong Kong and Los Angeles.
Q&A
Tell us something interesting about yourself:
When not writing children's books together, Ming can be found at her day job in education and Wah develops affordable housing. Together, they have run a combined 110 full marathons.
Current job title:
Co-Authors.
How would you describe your identity?
Ming and Wah are Chinese Americans who identify as Jersey Girls.
Tell us your favourite medium for reading:
Book-books. Printed word.
Tell us your favourite location for reading:
In a public library, no music, good lighting preferably by a window.
Book title:
Escape: One Day We Had to Run.
What inspired your creative process in writing or illustrating your book?
We are drawn to stories of escape, age-old tales of how people moved from one country to another. Today, it's been politicized as 'immigration' but when seen through the light of human stories, you realize that there is tremendous adventure and courage behind each movement.
Favourite character or moment from the book – and why?
Too many to choose just one —like the authors of Curious George who literally biked from Paris during the German invasion with their manuscript or Laura Alvarez, who is a personal friend, who had to cross a dangerous border.
What themes or messages does your book raise?
Migration, Refugees, Belonging, History, Displacement, Home "Throughout history, ordinary people have been forced to leave their families and homes because of war, famine, slavery, intolerance, economic and political upheaval, or climate change. These remarkable true stories of escape show how courageous people all around the world have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in their flight to freedom."
How would you describe your artistic or writing style in three words?
Creative, bold, compelling.
What aspect of the story did you most connect with, and how did it shape your illustrations?
We loved working with our talented illustrator Carmen Vela, it was very much a collaborative effort. Each of the stories of escape are bold examples of human courage and endurance, therefore we were drawn to using primary blocks of colors.
Materials and techniques used for this book’s illustrations:
Carmen Vela skillfully uses collage to illustrate each story of escape.
Favourite illustration – and why?
We love them all, but love the drama and geometry in the story of DEFY where a simple yet dangerous act of signing of exit visas is illustrated in dark shades of blue, black and grey.
Connect
IG: @demingaling
