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Paula Yoo

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Paula Yoo
At SCBWI-LA Writer's Day in 2008
Born
Virginia, United States
EducationAvon High School
Alma materColumbia University's Graduate School of Journalism
Notable workFrom a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement

Paula Yoo is an American journalist, children's and young adult's author, and television screenwriter. She is also a professional freelance violinist and has performed with classical orchestras and contemporary rock bands.

Early life and education

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Yoo was born in Virginia, United States and is of Korean descent.[1][2] She was educated at Avon High School in Avon, Connecticut, United States.[1] She studied a master's degree at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, graduating in 1992.[3]

Career

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Journalism

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As a journalist, Yoo worked for publications including the Detroit News, Seattle Times and People.[4][5]

Screenwriting

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As a television screenwriter, Yoo has writing credits for television shows including Supergirl, Mozart in the Jungle, and The West Wing.[4][6] She was co-executive producer of Supergirl and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists.[7]

Children's and young adult books

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Yoo's debut children's narrative nonfiction book[8] Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story was an Honor Book at the 2006 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature (APAAL), awarded by the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA).[9]

Yoo's book My Kite is Stuck! and Other Stories was a finalist for the 2017 Cybils Award.[citation needed]

Yoo's young adult book From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement won the Children's Literature Council of Southern California's 2022 Peggy Miller Award for Young Adult Literature,[10] won the Chinese American Librarians Association's 2022 Best Young Adult Non-fiction Book Award,[11] and won the 2021 Nonfiction Boston Globe–Horn Book Award.[9] The book was also a finalist for the 2022 Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)'s Award for Excellence in Nonfiction[9] and was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.[6][12] It recounts the 1982 killing of Vincent Chin and the impact this had on Asian American people.[13][14][15]

Yoo's young adult book Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire narrates the 1992 Los Angeles uprising from multiple points of view in the Korean American and Black communities.[3][16]

Other works by Yoo include Good Enough,[17] Twenty-Two Cents: The Story of Muhammad Yunus (co-written with Jamel Akib),[9] Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story[9] and titles in the Confetti Kids picture book series.[18]

Music

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Yoo also works as a professional violinist and has performed with both classical orchestras and contemporary rock bands, such as Love, Fun and No Doubt.[citation needed]

Yoo supports organisations including the Orlando Youth Alliance, Stop AAPI Hate and We Need Diverse Books.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Lemanski, Michael (January 10, 2025). "Simsbury HS Welcomes Acclaimed Author/Avon HS Grad". CT Patch. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  2. ^ Reading Rockets (March 24, 2022). Paula Yoo: Navigating Two Cultures. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2025 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b Lee, Michelle (May 15, 2024). "Five Questions for Paula Yoo". The Horn Book. Archived from the original on August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Paula Yoo". National Book Foundation. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  5. ^ "Paula Yoo: From Journalism School to the Television Writer's Room". Reading Rockets. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Amazing Asians in the Arts: Paula Yoo". The Cre8sian Project. Archived from the original on June 24, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 5, 2019). "K-Pop-Themed Drama 'Olympic Boulevard' In Works At Peacock From Paula Yoo, Kyle Hanagami & Neil Meron". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  8. ^ "Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story by Paula Yoo". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Book Awards & Distinctions for Paula Yoo". TeachingBooks. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  10. ^ "2022 CLCSC Awards - Acceptance Speech by Winner Paula Yoo". Children's Literature Council of Southern California. Archived from the original on November 16, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  11. ^ "2022 CALA Best Book Award Recipients". Chinese American Librarians Association. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ "Rising from the Ashes with Paula Yoo & Philip Chung". Japanese American National Museum (JANM). Archived from the original on August 5, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  13. ^ Wang, Claire (April 16, 2021). "New YA book details how Vincent Chin's killing galvanized Asian American activism". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 16, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  14. ^ Simeon, Laura. "A Journalist Revisits the Case of Vincent Chin". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  15. ^ Pang, Valerie Ooka; Hokoda, Audrey; Pak, Yoon K. (May 1, 2024). "Social Justice, Inclusion, and Diversity in Asian American Literature for High School". Social Education. 88 (3): 154–160. Archived from the original on May 13, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  16. ^ Spisak, April (2024). "Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire by Paula Yoo (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 77 (7): 267–267. ISSN 1558-6766. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  17. ^ Adams, Ursula. (2008) "Yoo, Paula: Good Enough." Childhood Education 85 (2). pp. 127-128.
  18. ^ Dahlen, Sarah Park. (25 February 2019). "Asian American children’s literature." In Oxford research encyclopedia of literature.
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