Welcome to YA Got Mail!, our weekly link round-up. Time to take a look at other interesting blog posts, Tweets, and articles that have hit the web this past week. What else is happening in the YA world?
Tweet of the Week:
Always ask yourself, “Would this story be better with queer girls in it?” I bet you’ll find the answer is yes literally always.
— Dahlia Adler ()
Author Chatter:
Kelly Jensen chatted with the Women Write About Comics team about her upcoming YA essay anthology Feminism for the Real World.
Julie Murphy talked about and how she dedicates it to girls told that they “take up too much space” on her personal Tumblr. Murphy also stopped by B&N Teen’s blog to talk about Dolly Parton and the role of the fat girl in YA.
Anna-Marie McLemore talks about .
Representation in YA:
Mira Jacob gave a speech about race to the publishing industry and the publishing industry didn’t listen.
Author Tristina Wright shared her thoughts on The Gay YA on why it’s important for stories about bisexual girls to include lady friendships. Also at The Gay YA, Claire Spaulding talked about what she wants to see in bisexual YA and why it’s so important to creating your identity. Author Molli Moran spoke about her experience as a bisexual woman in the South and passing for straight.
Author Marieke Nijkamp wrote about . Frankie, a 14-year-old boy with a disability, recently took on publishing about better representation in books.
Where is menstruation in fantasy YA? Over at Book Riot, Yash Kesanakurthy talks what books mention periods in YA and why it’s important.
Rob Flynn posted about his experience of teaching Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak at an all-boys school.
We Need Diverse Books is postponing their kidlit diversity festival in an announcement covered by Publisher’s Weekly.
Banned Books:
Over at Teen Reads, YA authors are sharing stories about banned books they love throughout Banned Books Week.
Ted Dawe spoke to the Observer about his book Into the River, which became the first book nationally banned by New Zealand in over twenty years.
#PotterthonYA:
Over at The Atlantic, David Sims comes to the defense of Hufflepuffs. Amy Sachs lists nine reasons why she’ll encourage her kids to read Harry Potter.
The #PotterItForward movement is sweeping through the fandom, with hundreds of fans leaving notes for future readers in copies of the Harry Potter books. Pottermore is relaunching the site with new material and a new angle for the people they see as their core demographic, according to The Bookseller. It features a new story about the history of the Potters, including more information about the Invisibility Cloak.
Plus, a Harry Potter-themed bar opened up Toronto.
Writing & Publishing:
Christa Desir talked about the ups and downs of the publishing industry, and what writers can do to feel in control.
Courtney Summers gave advice on two different accounts on her personal Tumblr: first, ; and second, .
At Tor.com, Chris Lough discusses about how there’s room for small stories in epic fantasy.
Publisher’s Weekly covered the huge online campaign for Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski’s Nightfall.
Literary Lists:
Kelly Jensen at Stacked rounded up a list of recent YA retellings of Arabian Nights.
At Buzzfeed, Farrah Penn made a list of 17 upcoming YA novels that “will make your heart happy” and likely make your wallet sad. Bookish made a list of the big, unmissable fall YA books. Bustle listed the top 25 YA books of September.
If you need books that start strong, Erin Bow listed five books with fabulous first sentences over on Tor.com.
John Hansen made a list of seven YA novels that show the lives of teenagers across the world over at The Guardian.
ComingSoon.net listed what they think are the best YA movies of all time.
Lit Reactor shared their list of bisexual and lesbian YA stories.
YA Interrobang Highlights:
As part of Bisexual Awareness Week (aka Biweek) and to celebrate Bisexual Visibility Day / Bisexual Awareness Day, Nicole Brinkley rounded up 10 YA titles with bisexual leads.
Fanartist Bobby “Niko” Merino shared his fanart and love for Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s work.
Kate Scelsa talked about the power of perspective and her YA debut Fans of the Impossible Life.
2015 debut YA author Kelly Loy Gilbert talked Conviction.
