These are some of the terrific authors I met while getting my MFA in creative writing at Emerson College in Boston. When I moved to Delaware and Tea moved to Milwaukee, we utilized the magic of the Internet to read and comment on each other's stuff just like we did when we were in school. If you want to read a cool article about how our group worked, click here. (Requires Adobe Acrobat.)
Sadly, our group could not survive the distance. This is partially because everyone started making babies, but also because Laurie and I were on constant deadline. Now I am with a local crit group, the WIPs (Works in Progress). There are eight of us who've been together for going on five years now, and they are some of the sharpest, funniest ladies I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Laurie Faria Stolarz :: author of the Blue is for Nightmares series; Bleed; and Projet 17
Tea Benduhn :: author of the Lammy-nominated Gravel Queen
Kim Ablon Whitney :: author of See You Down the Road and The Perfect Distance
Steven Goldman :: author of the forthcoming Two Parties, One Prom, and a Five-Paragraph Essay about the Letter 'Q'
Nowadays I read more young adult books than I do books written for people my age. Why? Because they're some of the best books ever written - honest, funny, heartbreaking. Plus, the people who write them are some of the kindest, most generous people I've ever known. If you haven't read anything by these authors, you need to get cracking.
Laurie Halse Anderson :: Speak, Prom
M. T. Anderson :: Burger Wuss, Feed
Catherine Atkins :: When Jeff Comes Home, Alt-Ed
Francesca Lia Block :: The Hanged Man, Dangerous Angels
Meg Cabot :: The Princess Diaries books, Teen Idol
Dorian Cirrone :: Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You
Sarah Dessen :: This Lullaby; Just Listen
Lola Douglas :: More Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet
Pete Hautman :: Sweetblood, Invisible
A. M. Jenkins :: Damage, Beating Heart
Rosemary Graham :: Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude (And Other Commandments I Have Broken)
John Green :: Looking for Alaska; An Abundance of Katherines
Jennfer Richard Jacobson :: Stained
E. Lockhart :: The Boyfriend List, Dramarama
David Lubar :: Dunk, Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie
Megan McCafferty :: Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings
Blake Nelson :: Girl; Rock Star Superstar
Mary E. Pearson :: Scribbler of Dreams; A Room on Lorelei Street
Marlene Perez :: Unexpected Development
Tanya Lee Stone :: A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl
Rob Thomas :: Rats Saw God, Doing Time
Nancy Werlin :: Black Mirror, Rules of Survival
Paul Zindel :: The Pigman, Pardon Me, You're Stepping on My Eyeball
Want to know more about your favorite young adult author? How to become an author? How to get an author to come to your school or library? Check out some of these sites.
Toni Buzzeo :: great resource for author/illustrator visits; lists authors by state
Sharyn November :: this editor's personal home page has tons of author links
Cynthia Leitich Smith :: a wealth of information, including links, author interviews, and more
AvengingSybil :: blog about sex in YA literature
Balkin Buddies :: booking agency that helps link authors and illustrators with schools, libraries, and conference organizers looking for great speakers
DownHomeBooks.com :: in-depth interviews with some of today's hottest authors
First Amendment First Aid Kit :: Random House Children's Books' guide for dealing with censorship
Flamingnet Book Reviews :: reviews by preteens and young adults
Genrefluent :: Di Herald's great site for book reviews across all genres
LYRE: Center for Literature for Young Readers :: more reviews, this time from the English Department at Youngstown State University
Reading Rants :: Jennifer Hubert's site with reviews organized by fun themed lists
Serving Older Teens :: A must-have guide for all librarians who work with older teenagers, written and edited by fellow Delawarean Sheila B. Anderson (who's also running for YALSA president in 2005!)
Smartwriters.com :: monthly online publication that has great articles, roundups, and reviews
Teenreads.com :: book reviews, author interviews, and contests; updated monthly
The Children's Book Council :: nonprofit trade association of publishers and packagers of trade books for children and young adults.
Book Sense :: If you like to order books online, but still want to support your local independent book store, Book Sense is the place for you.
