Tune in to hear about what it means to be a YA lit advocate and what YA advocacy work can look like. You'll learn strategies you can use to challenge misconceptions about YA lit. You'll also hear about a variety of fiction and nonfiction titles you can recommend to teen readers.

Being a YA Lit Advocate

Tune in to hear about specific things you can do to find the YA community at NCTE Annual Convention. You'll learn about the kinds of YA lit sessions that typically appear on the program, and you'll hear tips from YA advocates about how to make the most of the opportunity to meet authors, discover new books, and connect with others who love young adult literature as much as you do.

Finding the YA Community at NCTE Convention

In this episode, you'll hear about what goes on behind the scenes in audiobook production. You'll also hear samples from an array of distinguished audio titles including YA classics as well as newer works of contemporary realistic fiction, dystopian fiction, historical fiction, and novels written in verse.

Appreciating Audiobooks

Patty Campbell

Today's YA readers benefit from knowing the wise elders of our field: those who promoted, defended, and celebrated young adult literature when doing so was far less popular than it is now.  Tune in to hear about Patty Campbell: teen services librarian, writer/critic, and significant influence on the field.

A Tribute to Patty Campbell

Tune in to hear testimonials from a variety of this year's attendees. Some are relatively new to ALAN, while others have been involved for years. What they all have in common is a passion for the workshop and a willingness to talk about their experience with others.

An Invitation to the ALAN Workshop

Candace Fleming

In the world of young adult literature, some of today's best and most powerful stories are being told by authors of nonfiction.  Tune in to hear Candace Fleming discuss the origins of The Family Romanov, research as a process of questioning, and how authors of nonfiction are pushing the envelope in books for today's teens.

A Conversation with Candace Fleming

Even if they are few in number, diverse books do exist. Tune in to hear about recently-published YA titles that celebrate diversity in a range of genres. There's something for every reader here: comic book superheroes, Civil Rights history, love stories, humorous essays, poetry, artwork, and stories of suspense.

#weneeddiversebooks

Resilience

In this episode, you'll hear about teens who are dealing with a range of obstacles and hardships. Odd as it may sound, some of the books are funny. Others are suspenseful page-turners. What they all have in common is a main character who finds him or herself in a terrible situation, but finds a way to respond with strength and hope.

Resilience Literature

Many teens enjoy reading up—choosing books where the main character is just a few years older than they are, and then reading in order to imagine what their life might become.  Together the titles in this episode show teens the range of paths to adulthood and the struggles that are a natural part of the process.

Life After High School

Given the current level of energy and enthusiasm for young adult literature, now is a good time to pause and look beyond current bestsellers to older, lesser-known titles: that is, young adult novels from the past that never grabbed the popular culture spotlight but are still worth reading.

Still Worth Reading

Text Messages is a monthly podcast providing families, educators, out-of-school practitioners, and tutors reading recommendations they can pass along to teen readers. Each episode will feature in-depth recommendations of titles that will engage and excite teen readers.

As a librarian, I&#39;m enjoying this podcast and I&#39;m getting great ideas for books that I can share with my patrons.  Keep up the good work!

Educational and engaging!

ReadWriteThink - Text Messages: Recommendations for Adolescent Readers!

Walter Dean Myers

If there is anyone in the world of children's and young adult literature who could be described as a living legend, it's Walter Dean Myers.  Tune in to hear how his own experiences as a reader have shaped his approach to storytelling, what he seeks to offer young people through his writing, and the thinking behind a select handful of his novels – books that incorporate concepts as varied as magical realism, the social contract, and oral histories with our nation's war veterans.

A Conversation with Walter Dean Myers

In this episode, you'll hear about a variety of books that may deepen our thinking about complex texts, including collections of poems and works of historical fiction, graphic novels and informational texts, and novels built on interwoven storylines. Together they offer reading options for teens with diverse interests, tastes, and sensibilities.

Talking about Text Complexity

Rita Williams-Garcia

It's rare to find historical fiction that weaves rich period detail into the lives of memorable and endearing characters, but Rita Williams-Garcia's middle-grade novels One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven do just that.  Tune in to hear Rita explain how she drew on personal and historical contexts to develop her characters and tell their story. You'll also hear about her great love for her work and her commitment to spending as long as it takes to get the story right.

A Conversation with Rita Williams-Garcia

Books about teens who are living with disability highlight the courage and emotional strength that disabled people can summon. They also challenge us to reflect on how we treat disabled people in our own lives. Tune in to hear about young people who are coping with birth defects and cerebral palsy; autism, schizophrenia, and obsessive compulsive disorder; speech impediments and traumatic war injuries.

Exploring the Disability Experience

Young adult literature about teens and trauma provides a window into mental illness and the toll it takes on young people. Stories of teens who are dealing with depression, anger, or the wish to die can be difficult to read, but they are important. They give voice to a particular kind of suffering, and they help us develop a deeper understanding of emotional pain. Just as important, they show us how people survive that pain and begin the process of healing. Tune in to hear about six new novels that focus on teens, trauma, and mental illness.

Teens and Trauma

Kristin Cashore

Kristin Cashore is one of those rare authors whose books are deep and beautiful, and whose work helps readers gain perspective on their own lives.  Tune in to hear about Kristin's process of writing Bitterblue, how music helps her with writing, and how she copes when writing gets hard.

A Conversation with Kristin Cashore

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