You might remember that last summer I petitioned for a spot on the 2016 Printz Committee ballot. I got enough petition signatures to make it happen, and with the elections opening on March 19 — just a week and a half from now — I thought I’d formally announce that I am indeed on the ballot and give a little further information about my qualifications for those who are eligible to vote.

If you’re a YALSA member, you’ll get your ballot sometime that week, and you’ll have through the end of April to vote. I’d be honored if you’d vote for me for Printz. Here are my qualifications:

– I understand the award. This isn’t a popularity award and it’s not about best appeal. The Printz is about rewarding outstanding literary merit.

– That said, I’ve been working with teens and teen literature since 2009, when I graduated from library school and moved across the country. I worked for a year and a half as a reference and teen librarian, moved on to a youth services position, then back to a reference and teen position for the last couple of years. I’ve always been responsible for selection, as well as reader’s advisory, for teens.

– All of my jobs have been in the midwest, first in a Rockford, Illinois suburb, then in a small Wisconsin town, and now in a semi-urban Wisconsin town. I bring up where I’ve worked because I not only think it brings a different perspective and element of diversity to the committee in terms of experience, but I also bring it up because my experiences are tied to where I am. I don’t have big city nor big state resources at my fingertips, and the opportunities I’ve had with YALSA and via the CYBILS, as well as via blogging and writing for professional journals, have been extremely valuable and important to me.

– I’ve been blogging here since 2009 as well, and I like to think I’m able to critically and thoughtfully talk about YA lit. I’m comfortable reading and assessing a wide range of YA fiction.

– On the topic of blogging, I wrote for YALSA’s The Hub blog for a year and a half.

– In 2009, 2010, and 2011, I served on the CYBILS. All three years, I was part of the YA fiction judging panel, in 2009 on round two and in 2010 and 2011 on the round one panel. This meant I read a lot of books, discussed a lot of books, and did so in a short period of time. I learned how to work with and within a committee structure. I’m able to offer my own thoughts on books, as well as listen to and work with the thoughts others bring to books.

– In 2012, I served as the administrative assistant on the Alex Awards committee. It was my duty to be a point of contact to and for the publishers and coordinate requested titles, track their arrivals, and follow up on any questions regarding the committee and its process. At ALA and ALA Midwinter that year, I sat in on those committee discussions and got a first-hand look at how the process works for an awards committee.

– In 2013, I served on Outstanding Books for the College Bound. I read, discussed, and and worked with the committee to craft the list that is published every 5 years.

– I have published widely on the topic of YA fiction. I’ve written for The Horn Book, for VOYA, School Library Journal, and more. You can read my entire publication history here, if you’re interested.

– I’ve presented on the topic of YA fiction, as well. My presentation history is here.

– I am eager and willing to put in the time and effort to be a part of the committee. I have a very flexible job, and I’m able to attend both ALA events. Even though I am not financially supported by my institution — and never have been for any of my committee roles — it is a priority and an honor to me to to volunteer, and thus, I am able to make it happen.

I chose to petition for the Printz ballot because it’s a committee I have dreamed of being a part of since I began my career in teen librarianship. This was my opportunity to put myself out there for the possibility of making it happen. I’ve been active and involved in the YA lit world, and I believe I’m able to bring my knowledge and experience to the table, as well as sit embrace the knowledge and experience of other people on the committee.

I’ve spent a long time considering, too, what would happen here and at Book Riot were I to be elected, and honestly, I’m not worried. I would be unable to talk about current titles, but knowing how much there is TO talk about books, it’s not a concern of mine. I’m good at prioritizing and planning and being organized — all skills that’ll be beneficial on the committee — so finding a way to keep writing without talking about what I can’t talk about isn’t something I’m worried about.

I’m purposefully not talking about my favorite Printz books in this post because that’s coming soon elsewhere. I’ll link them when they go live, but I’ve been graciously given some space over at YALSA’s blogs to talk about my candidacy, and I’ve also been given space at a couple of other blogs run by librarians I admire to talk.

It’s really weird to talk about myself like this, because while I’m confident in my abilities, it’s uncomfortable to feel like I’m advertising myself here. But here it is, and I’m going to wrap up this post by highlighting two other folks on the Printz ballot in 2016 you should know: Lalitha Nataraj and Paige Battle. Lali I’ve known for a few years via social media, and she’s been involved with the Amelia Bloomer Project. I know Paige from the Alex Awards committee, where she’s served the last two years. Both would be excellent members of the committee, bringing great perspectives and insights into the discussion. (And selfishly, I’d love to work with both of them, too).