Category: Favorite YA Authors

New Voices in YA Reading Recap

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The last week has been filled with writerly goodness. This weekend I was at the annual NESCBWI conference (more on that later); before that, I was part of the Brookline Public Library’s New Voices in YA and Children’s Literature series. It was awesome!

Confession: readings (or any kind of public speaking) make me nervous. I’ve never had a terrible experience, but I always get anxious a few hours before the actual event. Fortunately, the vibe at the reading was so enthusiastic and low-key that I quickly forgot about nerves.

I read with three other YA writers, two of whom (Beth Brenner and Mike Dwyer) are good friends. We all have fairly different styles, so it was cool getting to hear everyone’s readings. A few topics covered: girl detectives, reincarnated guards, magical families, and drivers ed. I’m sure it’s hard to plan for different styles in advance, but it worked out really well. Fellow New Voices writers, I need to hear more of your work, immediately.

Series organizer Dorrie was wonderful to work with. She made sure we had necessary info and felt taken care of beforehand, and she kept things interesting during the reading. Usually I stress about Q&A sessions, but Dorrie came up with fun questions that we all got into answering. Dorrie also included a drawing of a bird Amelia Earhart in the program handout. How cool is that?!

Many thanks to everyone who came out to hear us read. It made a huge difference to have so many friendly faces in the audience. And thanks to the wonderful librarians and staff at the Brookline Public Library for putting together such a cool event.

Star Light, Star Bright

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Can you believe we’re almost at the end of National Poetry Month? Which means it’s time to share another poem. This one is by Tracy K. Smith, who recently won the Pulitzer Prize for her collection of poetry, Life on Mars. The poem “My God, It’s Full of Stars,” is from that collection. The poem is pretty long, so I’ll just quote a cool section here:

MY GOD, IT’S FULL OF STARS

1.

We like to think of it as parallel to what we know,
Only bigger. One man against the authorities.
Or one man against a city of zombies. One man

Who is not, in fact, a man, sent to understand
The caravan of men now chasing him like red ants
Let loose down the pants of America. Man on the run.

Man with a ship to catch, a payload to drop,
This message going out to all of space…. Though
Maybe it’s more like life below the sea: silent,

Buoyant, bizarrely benign. Relics
Of an outmoded design. Some like to imagine
A cosmic mother watching through a spray of stars,

Mouthing yes, yes as we toddle toward the light,
Biting her lip if we teeter at some ledge. Longing
To sweep us to her breast, she hopes for the best

While the father storms through adjacent rooms
Ranting with the force of Kingdom Come,
Not caring anymore what might snap us in its jaw.

Sometimes, what I see is a library in a rural community.
All the tall shelves in the big open room. And the pencils
In a cup at Circulation, gnawed on by the entire population.

The books have lived here all along, belonging
For weeks at a time to one or another in the brief sequence
Of family names, speaking (at night mostly) to a face,

A pair of eyes. The most remarkable lies.

Read on at the Awl. Frankly, I think it’s awesome to write a poem that includes zombies, Kubrick, and the infinity of the universe.

You can also here Smith talk about her poem and read a part of it here.

(image by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, via the Smithsonian Institution)

Friday Fifteen

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Friday is back, and with it comes another Friday Fifteen, in which I review fifteen books in fifteen words or less.

1. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Hated Holden initially for losing the foils; ended up enjoying the book as a whole.

2. In the Hand of the Goddess (Song of the Lioness #2) by Tamora Pierce
Alanna (still a knight-in-training) gets to do a little more fighting this time.

3. The Boy Detective Fails by Joe Meno
Sad, sweet take on what happens when a boy detective grows up.

4. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Rich kids are running wild. Fanny Price holds it together. She deserves better than Edmund.

5. Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Combines my love of ducklings and my love of the Boston Public Gardens.

6. The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
Religion and sex ed clash in suburbia. Don’t remember too much about it.

7. The Worst Years of Your Life: Stories for the Geeked-Out, Angst-Ridden, Lust-Addled, and Deeply Misunderstood Adolescent in All of Us by Mark Jude Poirier
Probably expected too much based on the title, but I was disappointed in this collection.

8. My Family Vacation by Dayal Kaur Khalsa
A favorite growing up. Still think about it when I stay in a hotel.

9. The Natural by Bernard Malamud
Roy Hobbs got what he deserved.

10. Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft by Paul S. Boyer, Stephen Nissenbaum
Read for class on Salem Witch Trials, looks at social hierarchy in Salem.

11. The Judge: An Untrue Tale by Harve Zemach and Margot Zemach
Another picture book I loved, mostly because the unjust are eaten by a monster.

12. Witch Water by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Second in the series. Made me distrust crows.

13. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Killing yourself over your teenage relationship that’s lasted four days? Not a good idea!

14. Karen’s Wish (Baby-Sitters Little Sister Super Special #1) by Ann M. Martin
Will Nanny be back from the hospital in time for Christmas? Spoiler: Yes.

15. Making a Good Writer Great: A Creativity Workbook for Screenwriters by Linda Seger and Silman-James Press
Bought this in 9th grade without noticing it was for screenwriters. Solid advice for beginners.

It’s a Classic–So What?

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When I was little, my mom would suggest a particular food and say “Have some. It’s good for you.” Shockingly enough, this was not the best way to increase my culinary palette. (What would have worked? “Broccoli–they’re tiny trees you can eat!”) Bookshelvers Anonymous makes the point that this kind of argument doesn’t work for literature, either:

“When kids come into my store for classics, it’s because a teacher has given them a reading list. They’re being forced to read books that are presented to them as “classic,” which probably brings up the same caustic definition in their minds that I presented at the very beginning of this post. They don’t want to read these boring old books where everyone talks funny! And by “kids,” I mean everyone from elementary-schoolers to grad students.”

This brings up all kinds of issues about what books kids should be reading in school and is it possible to enjoy homework, anyway? Bookshelver suggests a certain level of autonomy for students:

“The books I loved most as a kid were the ones I found myself – the classic Beauty and the Beast, the full and unabridged Treasure Island, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I picked them, not teachers or professors. Even if schools aren’t willing to give kids full autonomy, partial autonomy is still possible. Some schools, instead of giving kids a list of ten books they must read, instead give the kids a list of thirty and tell them to pick ten. The kids pick things that interest them, the teachers still get to feed their students classics, and who knows? Maybe the kids will even start swapping books with fellow classmates, because what’s more contagious than a good book (just ask Harry Potter and Hunger Games)?”

My middle school did something similar. In 7th and 8th grade, part of our curriculum allowed us to choose books from a fairly extensive list, and create projects/write essays in response to our individual readings. As a result, I picked up A Tale of Two Cities, Jane Eyre, and Of Mice and Men, all of which I loved.

But if I hadn’t loved these books, that would have been okay, too. You don’t have to read or love a book just because it’s a classic. I tried Anna Karenina and didn’t get much out of it; I can’t stand Hemingway; I spent part of my 11th grade English final arguing that Willy Loman was a jerk, so Death of a Salesman was a theatrical failure. Some classics just won’t work for you–just like any other genre. It’s good to be exposed to books you might not pick up otherwise, and having a good teacher guide you through the text can be a huge help, but extolling the classics just because they’re “classic” is useless.

I subscribe to a “no book guilt” policy. If I don’t enjoy something–whether it’s a YA novel, a classic, or a volume of poetry–I can stop reading. There are way too many good books out there to waste time on ones that just aren’t working for you.

(image: Cambridge, King’s College Library by Cornell University Library)

Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood

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The next time someone tells you that the road less traveled by makes all the difference, you can tell them that Robert Frost didn’t really care what path you took:

“Frost is actually using an old technique known as the “unreliable narrator,” and he isn’t even being all that subtle about it: in spite of the famous quote’s insistence that one road is “less traveled by,” the second stanza of the poem clarifies that both roads are “worn… really about the same.”  Oh, and also, Frost himself admitted that he was actually mocking the idea that single decisions would change your life, and specifically making fun of a friend of his who had a tendency to over-think things that really weren’t that big a deal.”

Click through for more misunderstood lines in famous poems/plays/books. And heckle the next graduation speaker to use them incorrectly.

Making the Most of Writing Conferences

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This weekend is the NESCBWI 2012 conference, and I am psyched. The chance to hang out with awesome children’s/YA writers, artists, editors, agents, and general enthusiasts? Yes, please! Plus one of the keynote speakers is Sara Zarr, who’s one of my favorite YA writers.

Recently I stumbled across a couple of excellent posts about preparing for conferences and what to expect from the experience. One suggestion from agent Rachel Kent:

“When you select whom you’ll request appointments with, research beyond just reading an agent or editor’s brief description on the conference website. Check out websites, tweets, and blogs for those agents and editors. You’ll develop a better idea of who they are, which can help you to narrow down your top choices. Also, make sure that all of the agents and editors you request to meet are actually looking for what you’re writing. If you do have an agent, you should check in with him or her before finalizing your choices because sometimes agents have had discussions about your book with the editors that you aren’t aware of or know, because of recent conversations, what editors are looking for.”

This is obviously a great suggestion for planning what conferences to attend. It can be a major expense, so it’s only worth going if you there are specific reasons to attend–an author you want to hear, an agent you’d like to connect with, etc.

Julie True Kingsley has some great suggestions as well for making the most of your conference experience while you’re there. Some points I especially like:

“Work on good karma.  A lot of writers’ are introverts (not me, obviously), make a point to talk to those people.  Pull them into conversations at lunch, make them feel comfortable.  We are all in this together.  Make sure everyone is included.”

This is one thing I really liked about SCBWI in January. I was the newbie and people were so willing to include me in conversations or to introduce themselves. And for when you’re not socializing:

“Hide in your room.  Look at your work.  Make notes.  Revise.  This is important because you might have some really incredible breakthroughs with all of that creative energy floating around.”

Obviously being surrounded by people who love writing and books is fantastic; that’s part of the reason to go to conferences. But why not take that energy and go over your draft before breakfast? Might as well use up that enthusiasm before Monday rolls around and you’re back to the day job/cleaning your bathroom/running after your kids.

Based on my own experience at SCBWI and AWP, other suggestions I’d add:

  • Have mints/gum to share.
  • Don’t buy more books at the bookfair than you can carry home.
  • Don’t be afraid to say hi to agents or writers. It doesn’t mean you have to take up an hour of their time, but if they said something thoughtful in a lecture, it’s okay to tell them you enjoyed it.
  • Wear comfortable shoes.
  • You’re probably going to be inside most of the day. You don’t need to bring nine potential outfits.
  • Take notes. Being part of an inspiring workshop is great, but two months later you might not remember the details.
  • If you’re into social media, have fun tweeting/sharing pictures (within reason, of course). It can help connect you with other social media-savvy conference attendees.

Share your own conference suggestions/experiences in the comments. Hope to see some of you this weekend!

Writers Helping Writers

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Love this post by Meg Whalen Turner about how Diana Wynne Jones helped get her published. When Meg was still writing and trying to figure out if she was any good (nice to know she had those thoughts, too!), her husband suggested she send her work to someone whose writing she admired. Diana Wynne Jones came to mind:

“So two of the stories were mailed out and we got distracted by the arrival of a new family member and then one day a blue airmail envelope arrived at the door. It was a lovely letter. It is almost twenty years later and in my mind’s eye, I can still picture the font from an old-school typewriter. Diana liked my stories. That was all that mattered to me and that’s really all I took in the first time I read it. Not until my husband read the whole thing out loud did I realize that Diana Wynne Jones had given me the name of her editor in the United States, Susan Hirschman at Greenwillow Books, and recommended I send my stories to her.”

So I’m sure Meg’s stories were very good and worthy of being passed along. But even so, I think it’s highly unusual and admirable for an established writer to help make that connection for an unpublished stranger. It shows that Diana Wynne Jones really cared about the next generation of MG/YA writers and wanted to open a door for someone with a lot of talent. This story just warmed my heart!

Read the whole post for more on this interaction and how much Diana Wynne Jones meant to Meg Whalen Turner.

New Voices in YA Reading in Brookline–Including This Very Blogger!

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Hey there, Boston-area YA fans! Tomorrow night (Thursday, April 19) from 6:30-8pm I’ll be taking part in the Brookline Library’s New Voices in Y.A. and Children’s Literature series. Three other YA writers and I will read from our work and talk a little about what it means to write YA. Two of the other readers are also two extremely good friends and excellent writers, so it’s sure to be a fun time.

The details:

New Voices in Y.A. and Children’s Literature Reading
Thursday, April 19
6:30-8pm
The Public Library of Brookline
YA lit, new writers, refreshments, and general awesomeness

And if you’re headed to NESCBWI this weekend, you can consider this an unofficial conference kick-off event. (I sure am!)

Reading with Open Eyes

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As part of TLT’s Why YA series, author John Corey Whaley talks about why what YA fiction means to him. One of my favorite parts:

“But one thing we all have is the memory of being a teenager.  We remember how it felt, how awesome it was sometimes and how much it sucked other times.  We remember discovering things for ourselves and making mistakes we knew better than to make in the first place.  We all share so few things, but being a teenager and knowing what it means to be one is a damn important one…They’re just waiting to grow up and become more bruised and cynical by the ways of the world.  I write YA because teenagers read with open eyes and, you know what? Maybe more adults should do the same.”

High five, John Corey Whaley. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I think YA could easily be classified as coming-of-age novels. So many great works of literature–To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Piece, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, etc.–are about first encounters with the larger, complicated world and having to come to terms with oneself. As a teen, so much is new and imbued with importance. Why wouldn’t someone one to write about those experiences?