Erin Dealey

We’re thrilled to welcome author Mia Wenjen, aka pragmaticmom, back to the blog in celebration of her new nonfiction picture book We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court, illustrated by Victor Bizar Gomez (Red Comet Press).

You may remember Mia from earlier posts about BOXER BABY BATTLES BEDTIME and Asian AAPI Heritage Month and /or her Thanksgiving post about FOOD FOR THE FUTURE: Sustainable Farms Around the World or the many wonderful things she does to support diverse children’s books.

And today, we have questions about this fascinating, and important nonfiction picture book!

Junior Library Guild Gold Selection

From the Publisher:
A compelling account of Simon Tam’s fight for free speech that ended with a landmark Supreme Court decision.

“VERDICT Books for young readers about contemporary court cases that relate to anti-racism are few and far between. Purchase this book to fill that gap, especially where there is an additional interest in biographies of musicians.”

―School Library Journal

Let’s ask some questions!

Q 1. How did you first become aware of Simon Tam’s free speech/trademark battle?

Mia Wenjen: Simon contacted me as an Asian American blogger to see if I would write a letter in support of his lawsuit for his appeal. I made him call me to get more details. I was so impressed by his eloquence both written and oral! I wrote a letter of support which I believe is included among the hundreds he received from Asian American organizations filed in his lawsuit. 

Q 2. How did you go about researching WE SING FROM THE HEART?

Mia Wenjen: I had been following  his case via social media after meeting him. I rejoiced when he won his case and the news happy to hear that he wrote a memoir [SLANTED: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court by Simon Tan ] about his experience:

After reading his memoir, I was determined to turn his story into a picture book. I asked Simon for his blessing and he was happy to support. 

“Make it sing.”

Q 3. Did you always have the idea of using lyrics from The Slants® ’ hit song? 

Mia Wenjen: No, I had a nibble from an editor who asked me to polish the manuscript to “make it sing.” That was the impetus for a revision that included the lyrics to the song about the band’s case. It’s also the title of the book.

Surprises

Q 4. What surprises or discoveries surfaced while you were working on this project?

Mia Wenjen: I didn’t realize the amount of racism that Simon faced growing up in San Diego. I also grew up in Southern California (Seal Beach), and I thought that because San Diego had and has a large Asian American population that it would be less racist. I believe that the racist experiences really steeled Simon for this trademark battle because he was so tired of being the victim of racism his entire life. 

Q 5. What surprises did the illustrator Victor Bizar Gomez bring to the project? 

Mia Wenjen: This was the first time that I saw nothing — no thumbnails, no sketches, no spreads — from my editor. I only saw final artwork and I was blown away by how incredible it was! 

Take aways

Q 6. What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

Mia Wenjen: The Supreme Court has shown over and over again that certain justices appear to be guilty of  corruption and bias. It’s not the first time but it’s certainly eye opening for many. I would like readers to realize that we have to fight for democracy and that our legal system can be subject to racism just like any other institution. 

What’s next?

Q 7. Please tell us about your other projects in the works.

Mia Wenjen: This is the first of six picture books with Red Comet Press including:

Barbed Wire Between Us, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación releases Fall 2025  

Fortune Cookies for Everyone, illustrated by Colleen Kong-Savage which also comes out Fall of 2025.

The Traveling Taco: The Amazing and Surprising Journey of Your Favorite Foods, illustrated by Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong releases spring 2025  

WOW!

Endless thanks to Mia Wenjen for joining us on the blog today.

To learn more about her work,

Connect with Mia on social media:

Blog: PragmaticMom, Instagram: PragmaticMom,

Twitter/X: PragmaticMom, Pinterest: PragmaticMom,

FaceBook: PragmaticMom, LinkedIn: Mia Wenjen, 

YouTube: Mia Wenjen, TikTok: ReadYourWorld, 

BlueSky: PragmaticMom, Threads: Mia Wenjen.

Next on the blog:

Miri’s Moving Day by co-authors Stephanie Wildman & Adam Ryan Chang / illo. Dream Chen, Kar-Ben