Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Fantasy Crowdfunded Anthology – Guest Post
Today I want to welcome two special guests to the blog, Alisa Krasnostein and Julia Rios. Alisa and Julia are currently in the process of raising money for a very exciting young adult anthology. Here’s what they have to say about the project: We’re the editors of a new anthology of diverse YA fantasy stories called Kaleidoscope. We’re crowdfunding on Pozible until the end of this month, and if you visit our Pozible page you can watch a couple of videos we’ve made, and learn a bit about the project. In this post, we wanted to go into a little more depth to talk about...
Read MoreWe Are Here! What Can We Do?
We Are Here! What Can We Do? – Opportunities (or lack thereof) by Joyce Chng. You write speculative fiction? You write YA? What? What is YA science fiction? What is YA? These are the reactions when I tell people I write. Most of the time, I have to explain what YA is. No, it’s not a slang form for “you”. It means Young Adult. My own reactions include a bit of weariness, a bit of hair-tearing frustration and a bit of annoyance. (That’s not counting the times when I tell people I write urban fantasy – and their eyes light up and they go “Twilight?”) At the time of writing this...
Read MoreBeauty Queens by Libba Bray – Book Review
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray – Book Review by Tsana Dolichva From the Blurb: The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, first caught my attention when it was discussed on the Galactic Suburbia podcast a while ago. Although it’s...
Read More‘The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf’ The Tribe #1 by Ambelin Kwaymullina – Book Review
‘The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf’ The Tribe #1 by Ambelin Kwaymullina – Book Review by Danielle Binks From the BLURB: Ashala Wolf has been captured by Chief Administrator Neville Rose. A man who is intent on destroying Ashala’s Tribe – the runaway Illegals hiding in the Firstwood. Injured and vulnerable and with her Sleepwalker ability blocked, Ashala is forced to succumb to the machine that will pull secrets from her mind. And right beside her is Justin Connor, her betrayer, watching her every move. Will the Tribe survive the interrogation of Ashala Wolf? Ashala Jane Ambrose...
Read MoreWhat the “M” Word Means to Me
“What the “M” Word Means to Me” by J.M. Blackman I’ve always felt like the word “minority” is a loaded word. It seems to ask people to get up in arms, to demand some sort of awkwardness. I attribute most of this to the fact that “minority” has had a less-than-positive connotation. Because, if you’re a minority, you’ve been singled out as being the less-than, as being an underdog. Or you haven’t gotten any attention at all. But being a minority—whether it’s related to race, sex, orientation or ability—is a factor of all of our lives. Even if you’ve never felt like a...
Read MoreLGBTQ Characters in YA and Why They Matter
“LGBTQ Characters in YA and Why They Matter” by Allegra Davis Before starting to write this article, I went on a Google quest for young adult books with LGBTQ [Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer] themes. “Great Books for Gay Teens,” one header touted. Another article boasted a directory of “Gay Books for Teenagers and Young Adults.” Of course this was what I was looking for, but upon reading them, something about most of these pieces gave me pause. Yes, it’s true that teenagers on the LGBTQ spectrum may be particularly interested in reading books featuring characters they can...
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