YA Pride

Introduction to Black Lives Matter Series

By Vee|2020-03-28T13:42:20-05:00December 14th, 2014|Categories: Archive|Tags: Black, PoC|

As I set up this series, I had a number of people ask me “what made you think of connecting what’s happening to queer YA?” I want to address this question before we get into the actual posts. My intention with the Black Lives Matter series is not to connect police violence with queer YA—that would be impossible and inappropriate. Rather, I want to vocalize the Black Lives Matter phrase for our community. YA is extremely white, and queer YA is no exception. GayYA.org is a site that seeks to be a welcoming and inclusive space for everyone. Queer [...]

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GayYA Community Survey

By Vee|2016-05-24T14:50:35-05:00December 6th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Updates and Announcements|

Hey everyone! It's almost the end of 2014 (??!?!?!??!?!!!!!). We're looking ahead at the new year, and planning out what 2015 will look like. GayYA is driven by the community, and we want to go where your interests are. To do that, we need to get some basic info from ya'll, and feedback on things that are and are not working for you, and things that you'd like to see in the future. Go here and answer these 10 questions to help make 2015 an awesome year for GayYA! Also: if at any time you have have any comments, concerns, [...]

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The Question of Queering the Mainstream Novel: A Conversation with authors Rachel Manija Brown and Sherwood Smith

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:42:21-05:00December 5th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Author Guest Blog, Author Interview|Tags: Fantasy, gay, publishing, Queer Girls, Queer Guys, Representation, Speculative|

The story behind the story is sometimes, as they say, stranger than fiction. Stranger is the title of a Viking November release by Rachel Manija Brown and Sherwood Smith and, if you read this book, as I did (when Rachel asked me, in my paranormal YA novelist persona Tate Hallaway, to blurb it,) you might not think much more beyond how awesome and captivating a story of superpowers and survival in a post-apocalyptic future it is. Stranger (Viking Juveline, 2014) This book, however, almost didn’t get published. Sure, okay, you’re thinking, lots of great books don’t get published, what’s [...]

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How Do I Love “Teeth”

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:42:23-05:00December 4th, 2014|Categories: Archive|Tags: Fandom, Fantasy, Queer Guys|

by Chiara Teeth (Simon Pulse, 2013) How do I love Teeth? Let me count the ways. I love Teeth with the depth of the oceans, and the force of its waves. I love Teeth for the pain he took and the pleasure he gave. I love Teeth as the sun glints on scales. I love Teeth and his awful, ugly tail. I love Teeth with all his tortured innocence. I love Teeth and his voice’s dissonance. I love Teeth for all the pain in his eyes. I love Teeth because of how hard he tries. I [...]

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Call For Black Lives Matter Series Guest Bloggers

By Vee|2020-03-28T13:42:23-05:00November 28th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Updates and Announcements|

We are looking for up to seven guest bloggers to write posts for a Black Lives Matter series. Topics can range from what Black Lives Matter means to you in relation to queer YA, to fave queer Black characters to improving queer literary spaces to anything else you may be interested in or passionate about. Only caveat is that it must somehow be related to queer YA. Please email me (Vee) at victoria@gayya.org with a topic idea, and a little bit about yourself. Deadline for submissions is the 5th of December. We'd like to start the series on [...]

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Hey, Dollface: Pushing the Boundaries of YA in 1978

By Nathaniel|2020-03-28T13:42:23-05:00November 26th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Book Review|Tags: Historical, Queer Girls, Realistic|

It was around then I began to realize that there was some current between Chloe and me that was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before; it was a vague, clouded feeling that I couldn’t quite place or identify. It didn’t happen all of a sudden; it was more like moments of dim awareness, followed by a gradual recognition that it was there without my understanding what it was. Deborah Hautzig’s Hey, Dollface, written while she was a student at Sarah Lawrence College, was originally published in 1978, one of the first books of its kind. I’ve only ever [...]

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Shadowplay by Laura Lam: Review

By Georgie|2020-03-28T13:42:23-05:00November 25th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Book Club, Book Review|Tags: Fantasy, Intersex, Non Binary, Speculative|

by Georgie Having read Laura Lam’s Pantomime - and loved it - I was super excited to read its sequel, Shadowplay, which follows Micah Grey’s journey as a fugitive after the tragedy at the end of the last book. Pantomime’s closing moment saw Drystan, the white clown from the circus, telling Micah that he knew a magician who they can trust. At first their only problem is being on the run from the policiers, but more dangerous things soon start to happen. Micah’s being tracked by a Shadow who is absurdly skilled at following him. And when they [...]

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Author Interview: Becky Albertalli

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:42:23-05:00November 24th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Author Interview|Tags: gay, Realistic|

Maybe you have heard about this upcoming book called Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which releases next year (April 7th), or maybe you haven't, either way I'm here to tell you about it and about how excited I am for it! First things first (I'm the realest...I had to, I'm sorry), what is it about ? According to Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon [...]

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Author Interview: Ami Polonsky

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:42:24-05:00November 17th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Author Interview|Tags: Middle Grade, Realistic, Trans|

Gracefully Grayson, which we reviewed earlier this month, is a middle-grade book about a transgender girl and it's Ami Polonsky's debut novel. We had the pleasure of interviewing Ami about her amazing book and her writing process. Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky (Hyperion 2014) Q: Gracefully Grayson was just released on November 4th! What is it like to have your book out in the world? A: Thanks so much for interviewing me! It’s really exciting that GRACEFULLY GRAYSON is out in the world. I waited twenty-five months for pub day! On one hand, I love that people all over can read [...]

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Cover Reveal Exclusive: The Tear Collectors by Billy Jolie

By Vee|2020-03-28T13:42:24-05:00November 16th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Author Interview, Cover Reveal|Tags: gay, Realistic|

We have the great happiness of hosting our first ever exclusive cover reveal for The Tear Collectors by Billy Jolie. The Tear Collectors is a self published YA novel featuring a gay teen! THE TEAR COLLECTORS is the story of three teenage misfits whose lives entangle over the course of one summer; where secrets revealed give way to an explosive finale of love, angst, and casualty. Changes that accompany divorce can be hard. For Farrah, she’s forced to spend the summer at Crystal Lake with her alcoholic mother, but this is just the beginning of her problems. As her new [...]

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