A South-East Asian folk story collection edited by author Hanna Alkaf has won the Freeman Book Awards 2025 in the United States.
In a recent social media post, she shared that the collection The Beasts Beneath The Winds: Tales Of Southeast Asia’s Mythical Creatures was honoured in the Young Adult/Middle School Literature category.
The annual Freeman Book Awards recognise children’s and young adult books that deepen understanding of East and South-East Asia. They are sponsored by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA), the Committee on Teaching about Asia of the Association for Asian Studies, and Asia for Educators at Columbia University.
“So incredibly proud and happy to announce that The Beast Beneath The Winds, my dream anthology written by a brilliant roster of authors, has won the Freeman Award!" wrote Hanna.
“I have spent all week talking about this book in schools all over Hong Kong, and seeing kids get so excited about it kept reminding me anew about the magic and power of stories,” she added.
Illustrated by Jakarta-based artist twins Jes and Cin Wibowo, the book brings together stories of the region’s most elusive and legendary cryptids, with contributions from authors such as Hanna (The Weight Of Our Sky, Queen Of The Tiles), Nadia Mikail (The Cats We Meet Along The Way), Brandon Hoang (Gloria Buenrostro Is Not My Girlfriend), Mandy Moe Pwint Tu (Monsoon Daughter), Moniza Hossain (Being Ace), VT Bidania (Astrid & Apollo And The Happy New Year) and Emma Goddard.
The book also features stories from Dow Phumiruk (One Girl, Maya Lin), Erin Entrada Kelly (Hello Universe, We Dream of Space, The First State Of Being), Gail D. Villanueva (My Fate According To Butterfly, Sugar and Spite), Greg van Eekhout (The Boy At The End Of The World, COG), Jesse Q Sutanto (Dial A For Aunties), June CL Tan (Jade Fire Gold), Mae Respicio (The House That Lou Built, Any Day With You), Shing Yin Khor (The Legend Of Auntie Po), Van Hoang (Girl Giant & The Monkey King), Veeda Bybee (Courage On Ice, Lily And The Great Quake).
The Beasts Beneath The Winds: Tales Of Southeast Asia’s Mythical Creatures was released last October by Amulet Books, an imprint of Harry N. Abrams (Abrams Children's Books).
Coming full circle
For Hanna, 40, this is her second time winning a Freeman Book Award – her first win was for her debut novel The Weight Of Our Sky (2019).
“It’s been six years since I last won the Freeman Award. I’ve written many books since then and edited a few, and while how ‘good’ an author is remains subjective, the journey has helped me better understand the shapes of the stories I want to bring into the world – and how to carve those shapes out of words on the page," she said in recent interview.
Fresh off the latest Freeman Award win, however, the Selangor-based author feels the journey has come full circle – a long-held idea finally taking shape in the very kind of recognition that first inspired her to imagine such a book.
“As for how it feels – it feels wonderful! Awards aren’t the point, nor should they be the goal of writing books, but it’s such a solitary job that it’s always nice to get some external validation once in a while!” she said.
Touching on the book itself, Hanna said she had wanted to publish a South-East Asian anthology for children since becoming an author, though putting it together proved easier said than done.
“It’s always been a goal of mine to get more Malaysian and South-East Asian stories out there and into kids’ hands. But putting together an anthology as an editor is tricky because you need, for lack of a better term, clout," said Hanna.
"You need to have experience and a solid reputation within the industry, because otherwise how can you assemble an amazing roster of contributors? How do you get these incredibly talented, busy authors to trust you with your story?
“And then how do you trust yourself enough to know you can handle those stories well, make recommendations to strengthen them, put the whole thing together in a way that makes sense, fits your vision, and still honours their work? It takes time to grow into those skills too,” she added.
Hanna’s most recent book, The Hysterical Girls Of St Bernadette’s (late 2024), explored her obsessions with horror and the supernatural. Ever a prolific writer, she continues to craft new work, though she remains tight-lipped about upcoming projects.
“Stay tuned!” she concluded.
