I’ve been talking a lot about girls and girls reading, as well as girls in YA fiction, over the last year. And while talking on the blog is important, I also think it’s important to take these conversations to other venues in order to keep the discussion fresh, vibrant, and engage new voices and ideas.
So with that, I’m really excited to share two pieces of news.
First, I will have an article in August’s issue of VOYA all about girls and girls reading. In it, I talk about why having this discussion is important and how as youth advocates, we can be better leaders and facilitators of girls reading. It includes a look at ten titles out in the last year that feature really interesting female main characters. I love all of the books I got to talk about and think they offer some really great ways into the conversation about girls, about female characters, and about girls and girls reading.
My second piece of news is one I am also extremely excited about.
The call for conference proposals for the Wisconsin Library Association meeting went out a few months ago, and I knew it was time to propose something for my own state’s meeting. The event’s only about a 2 hour drive, and I have never presented in my own state (a scheduling snafu last year meant the plans to do one before didn’t work out).
But this year, I’m presenting, and I am thrilled to be co-presenting with author Carrie Mesrobian.
We’ll be presenting on Wednesday, November 5 in the late afternoon and the title of our presentation is “Good Girls, Bad Girls, Real Girls: Teen Girls in YA Lit & In Your Library.”
If you’re around the Dells area or you’re going to WLA this year, I hope you come and hear us talk.
Congratulations on both pieces of news!