Yesterday, Holly Black, Gayle Forman, Rainbow Rowell and I road-tripped it to Staten Island for a reading/talk at IS2. The audience was awesome and had great questions. Obviously my co-readers were THE BEST. The NYC Teen Author Festival is STILL GOING ON through the weekend. You should go. Here's what's coming up:

Friday March 22, Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, Berger Forum, 2nd floor, 2-6)

2:00 – Introduction

2:10-3:00: He Said, She Said

Description: Not to be too mysterious, but I will email these authors separately about what I’m thinking for this.

He: Ted Goeglein Gordon Korman Lucas Klauss Michael Northrop

She: Susane Colasanti E. Lockhart Carolyn Mackler Sarah Mlynowski Leila Sales

moderator: David Levithan

3:00-4:00: Taking a Turn: YA Characters Dealing with Bad and Unexpected Choices

Description: In each of these authors’ novels, the main character’s life takes an unexpected twist. Sometimes this is because of a bad choice. Sometimes this is because of a secret revealed. And sometimes it doesn’t feel like a choice at all, but rather a reaction. We’ll talk about following these characters as they make these choices – both good and bad. Will include brief readings illuminating these choices.

Caela Carter Eireann Corrigan Alissa Grosso Terra Elan McVoy Jacquelyn Mitchard Elizabeth Scott K. M. Walton

moderator: Aaron Hartzler

4:00-4:10: Break

4:10-4:40: That’s So Nineteenth Century

Description: A Conversation About Playing with 19th Century Archetypes in the 21st Century

Sharon Cameron Leanna Renee Hieber Stephanie Strohm Suzanne Weyn

Moderator: Sarah Beth Durst

4:40-5:30: Alternate World vs. Imaginary World

Description: Of these authors, some have written stories involving alternate or parallel versions of our world, some have made up imaginary worlds for their characters, and still others have written books that do each. We’ll discuss the decision to either connect the world of a book to our world, or to take it out of the historical context of our world. How do each strategies help in telling story and developing character? Is one easier than the other? Is the stepping off point always reality, or can it sometimes be another fictional world?

Sarah Beth Durst Jeff Hirsch Emmy Laybourne Lauren Miller E. C. Myers Diana Peterfreund Mary Thompson

Moderator: Chris Shoemaker

Friday March 22, Barnes & Noble Reader’s Theater/Signing (Union Square B&N, 33 E 17th St, 7-8:30) Eireann Corrigan Elizabeth Eulberg Jeff Hirsch David Levithan Rainbow Rowell Nova Ren Suma

Saturday March 23, Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, Bergen Forum, 2nd Floor, 1-5) 1:00 – Introduction

1:10-2:10 – Defying Description: Tackling the Many Facets of Identity in YA

Description: As YA literature evolves, there is more of an acknowledgment of the many facets that go into a teenager’s identity, and even categories that once seemed absolute now have more nuance. Focusing particularly, but not exclusively, on LGBTQ characters and their depiction, we’ll discuss the complexities about writing about such a complex experience.

Marissa Calin Emily Danforth Aaron Hartzler A.S. King Jacqueline Woodson

moderator: David Levithan

2:10-2:40 -- New Voices Spotlight

Description: Each debut author will share a five-minute reading from her or his work

J. J. Howard Kimberly Sabatini Tiffany Schmidt Greg Takoudes

2:40-3:30 – Under Many Influences: Shaping Identity When You’re a Teen Girl

Description: Being a teen girl is to be under many influences – friends, parents, siblings, teachers, favorite bands, favorite boys, favorite web sites. These authors will talk about the influences that each of their main characters tap into – and then talk about what influences them as writers when they shape these characters.

Jen Calonita Deborah Heiligman Hilary Weisman Graham Kody Keplinger Amy Spalding Katie Sise Kathryn Williams

moderator: Terra Elan McVoy

3:30-3:40 – Break

3:40-4:20 – Born This Way: Nature, Nurture, and Paranormalcy

Description: Paranormal and supernatural fiction for teens constantly wrestles with issues of identity and the origin of identity. Whether their characters are born “different” or come into their powers over time, each of these authors uses the supernatural as a way to explore the nature of self.

Jessica Brody Gina Damico Maya Gold Alexandra Monir Lindsay Ribar Jeri Smith-Ready Jessica Spotswood

moderator: Adrienne Maria Vrettos

4:20-5:00 – The Next Big Thing

Description: Again, not to be too mysterious, but I will email these authors separately about what I’m thinking for this.

Jocelyn Davies Leanna Renee Hieber Barry Lyga Maryrose Wood

Saturday March 23: Mutual Admiration Society reading at McNally Jackson (McNally Jackson, Prince Street, 7-8:30):

Sharon Cameron A.S. King Michael Northrop Diana Peterfreund Victoria Schwab Nova Ren Suma

hosted by David Levithan

Sunday March 24: Our No-Foolin’ Mega-Signing at Books of Wonder (Books of Wonder, 1-4): 1-1:45: Jessica Brody (Unremembered, Macmillan) Marisa Calin (Between You and Me, Bloomsbury) Jen Calonita (The Grass is Always Greener, LB) Sharon Cameron (The Dark Unwinding, Scholastic) Caela Carter (Me, Him, Them, and It, Bloomsbury) Crissa Chappell (Narc, Flux) Susane Colasanti (Keep Holding On, Penguin) Zoraida Cordova (The Vicious Deep, Sourcebooks) Gina Damico (Scorch, HMH) Jocelyn Davies (A Fractured Light, HC) Sarah Beth Durst (Vessel, S&S) Gayle Forman (Just One Day, Penguin) Elizabeth Scott (Miracle, S&S)

1:45-2:30 T. M. Goeglein (Cold Fury, Penguin) Hilary Weisman Graham (Reunited, S&S) Alissa Grosso (Ferocity Summer, Flux) Aaron Hartzler (Rapture Practice, LB) Deborah Heiligman (Intentions, RH) Leanna Renee Hieber (The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart, Sourcebooks) Jeff Hirsch (Magisterium, Scholastic) J. J. Howard (That Time I Joined the Circus, Scholastic) Alaya Johnson (The Summer Prince, Scholastic) Beth Kephart (Small Damages, Penguin) Kody Keplinger (A Midsummer’s Nightmare, LB)

2:30-3:15 A.S. King (Ask the Passengers, LB) Emmy Laybourne (Monument 14, Macmillan) David Levithan (Every Day, RH) Barry Lyga (Yesterday Again, Scholastic) Brian Meehl (Suck it Up and Die, RH) Alexandra Monir (Timekeeper, RH) Michael Northrop (Rotten, Scholastic) Diana Peterfreund (For Darkness Shows the Stars, HC) Lindsay Ribar (The Art of Wishing, Penguin) Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor & Park, St. Martin’s) Kimberly Sabatini (Touching the Surface, S&S) Tiffany Schmidt (Send Me a Sign, Bloomsbury)

3:15-4:00 Victoria Schwab (The Archived, Hyperion) Jeri Smith-Ready (Shine, S&S) Amy Spalding (The Reece Malcolm List, Entangled) Stephanie Strohm (Pilgrims Don’t Wear Pink, HMH) Nova Ren Suma (17 & Gone, Penguin) Greg Takoudes (When We Wuz Famous, Macmillan) Mary Thompson (Wuftoom, HMH) Jess Verdi (My Life After Now, Sourcebooks) K.M. Walton (Empty, S&S) Suzanne Weyn (Dr. Frankenstein’s Daughters, Scholastic) Kathryn Williams (Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous, Macmillan)

Guys, you know that Soho Press has a YA line now, right? Soho Teen has six titles out this spring (enter to win them all here!). Exciting! One title is Who Done It? an anthology that includes dozens of awesome authors giving alibis in a murder case. So. Much. Fun. There was a party last night to benefit 826 NYC, and I was there (as were a ton of your favorite authors--check out the mugshot wall!).

I had partners in crime, though, including David Ostow, Michael Northrop and Micol Ostow, below. (Note that the "hide your beer" move that I learned for photos is not quite working here--but almost.)

group shot soho