Comments on: YA Ghetto, Take Two. http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/07/yaghettotwo/ Young adult fiction news and reviews Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:30:25 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Little Willow http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/07/yaghettotwo/comment-page-1/#comment-614 Little Willow Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:57:50 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=151#comment-614 Give Cures for Heartbreak a try, and see where you'd shelve it. I agree that Prep is quite YA, but the author wrote the protag with some distance - though only some years are implied, making her a young adult as she reflects on her experience - and I recommended LOOKING FOR ALASKA to every person that came up to the counter with Prep. Give Cures for Heartbreak a try, and see where you’d shelve it. I agree that Prep is quite YA, but the author wrote the protag with some distance – though only some years are implied, making her a young adult as she reflects on her experience – and I recommended LOOKING FOR ALASKA to every person that came up to the counter with Prep.

]]> By: Steph http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/07/yaghettotwo/comment-page-1/#comment-590 Steph Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:05:25 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=151#comment-590 Wow, just came across this and I really love your post. *claps* You said everything I wanted to say on this subject but couldn't. Nice blog! Steph Wow, just came across this and I really love your post. *claps* You said everything I wanted to say on this subject but couldn’t. Nice blog!

Steph

]]> By: brina http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/07/yaghettotwo/comment-page-1/#comment-517 brina Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:42:21 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=151#comment-517 Thank you, Margo, for stopping by and giving us the scoop on your intentions and clarifying your feelings a bit. I'll link to this so folks will know you've weighed in. Thanks again, and cheers! Thank you, Margo, for stopping by and giving us the scoop on your intentions and clarifying your feelings a bit. I’ll link to this so folks will know you’ve weighed in. Thanks again, and cheers!

]]> By: Margo Rabb http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/07/yaghettotwo/comment-page-1/#comment-509 Margo Rabb Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:44:42 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=151#comment-509 I'm a little bit late to the conversation here--I was at a conference in Tennessee all last week, so am just catching up on some blog posts now. The article is only 1400 words, so a lot of information did get left out. As Jill and G said, I'm also the author of a YA series called Missing Persons (there's a link on my website), so this essay really is about this particular book. I wrote Cures for Heartbreak as short stories originally, and many were published in magazines for adults. My surprise at it selling as YA was that as a writer, if I had intended for this book to be YA, I would've approached the material differently during the eight years I was writing it. It would've been a different book. It has a lot of bad language and sex, and a reflective tone that I assumed would disqualify it from consideration as YA. I think my surprise and confusion at its sale is being misinterpreted as disappointment, which isn't true. Also, this essay started out as a talk that I gave for the Associated Writing Programs (AWP) conference in NYC last winter. AWP is made up of academic MFA writing programs--very few of which even offer MFAs in YA--and there's a HUGE stigma against YA in traditional academia. Had I written this essay with YA writers in mind--who already know YA is fabulous--it would've been a different essay too. Hope this clarifies things a bit! I’m a little bit late to the conversation here–I was at a conference in Tennessee all last week, so am just catching up on some blog posts now.

The article is only 1400 words, so a lot of information did get left out. As Jill and G said, I’m also the author of a YA series called Missing Persons (there’s a link on my website), so this essay really is about this particular book. I wrote Cures for Heartbreak as short stories originally, and many were published in magazines for adults. My surprise at it selling as YA was that as a writer, if I had intended for this book to be YA, I would’ve approached the material differently during the eight years I was writing it. It would’ve been a different book. It has a lot of bad language and sex, and a reflective tone that I assumed would disqualify it from consideration as YA.

I think my surprise and confusion at its sale is being misinterpreted as disappointment, which isn’t true.

Also, this essay started out as a talk that I gave for the Associated Writing Programs (AWP) conference in NYC last winter. AWP is made up of academic MFA writing programs–very few of which even offer MFAs in YA–and there’s a HUGE stigma against YA in traditional academia. Had I written this essay with YA writers in mind–who already know YA is fabulous–it would’ve been a different essay too.

Hope this clarifies things a bit!

]]> By: Jill http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/07/yaghettotwo/comment-page-1/#comment-492 Jill Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:44:02 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=151#comment-492 There's some missing context to this story-- namely, that she is the author of a previous series of four YA books, Missing Persons. So she thought she was doing something different. Her new publisher is like "not so much..." She's all "geez, what's a writer gotta do?" There’s some missing context to this story– namely, that she is the author of a previous series of four YA books, Missing Persons. So she thought she was doing something different. Her new publisher is like “not so much…” She’s all “geez, what’s a writer gotta do?”

]]> By: Jami B. http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/07/yaghettotwo/comment-page-1/#comment-421 Jami B. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:15:45 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=151#comment-421 Oh jeez. If someone manages to get published, they should be glad and roll with it. Love the one you're with! Writers who are anti YA and yet write novels that end up categorized as YA should be smart enough to know that its a possibility (I assume her books are about YA aged protagonists?) and prepare for it, accordingly. Her frustration/befuddlement seems ... idiotic. If she wants shelf real estate in the adult literary section at Borders, she should write novels about 50-somethings. (Oh but wait, would anyone actually want to read those books?) Gah. Oh jeez. If someone manages to get published, they should be glad and roll with it. Love the one you’re with!

Writers who are anti YA and yet write novels that end up categorized as YA should be smart enough to know that its a possibility (I assume her books are about YA aged protagonists?) and prepare for it, accordingly.

Her frustration/befuddlement seems … idiotic. If she wants shelf real estate in the adult literary section at Borders, she should write novels about 50-somethings. (Oh but wait, would anyone actually want to read those books?)

Gah.

]]> By: G. http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/07/yaghettotwo/comment-page-1/#comment-413 G. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:23:08 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=151#comment-413 One thing: Margo Rabb actually published a four book young adult series before this one. http://www.amazon.com/Missing-Persons-Rose-Queen/dp/0142500410/ref=pd_sim_b_3 One thing:
Margo Rabb actually published a four book young adult series before this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Missing-Persons-Rose-Queen/dp/0142500410/ref=pd_sim_b_3

]]> By: brina http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/07/yaghettotwo/comment-page-1/#comment-389 brina Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:00:24 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=151#comment-389 Diana! So awesome of you to stop by. I'm eaterly awaiting your unicorn tale. And also, I know your Secret Society books aren't YA ... but the covers totally are. Seriously, the cut-off head thing is a huge YA trope and has been ever since <i>Gossip Girl</i>. Which reminds me, next time I allow myself to set foot ina book store, I've got to pick up some of your stuff so I can get schooled in secret society rites at Yale. Are there by any chance any a cappella groups in your books? I do love me a nice a cappella group ... Diana! So awesome of you to stop by. I’m eaterly awaiting your unicorn tale. And also, I know your Secret Society books aren’t YA … but the covers totally are. Seriously, the cut-off head thing is a huge YA trope and has been ever since Gossip Girl.

Which reminds me, next time I allow myself to set foot ina book store, I’ve got to pick up some of your stuff so I can get schooled in secret society rites at Yale. Are there by any chance any a cappella groups in your books? I do love me a nice a cappella group …

]]> By: Diana Peterfreund http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/07/yaghettotwo/comment-page-1/#comment-381 Diana Peterfreund Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:28:02 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=151#comment-381 Alternately, you could write books about twenty somethings published by an adult publisher and shelved in the adult section and still have people ask if/assume they are YA. Alternately, you could write books about twenty somethings published by an adult publisher and shelved in the adult section and still have people ask if/assume they are YA.

]]> By: Serafina Zane http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/07/yaghettotwo/comment-page-1/#comment-365 Serafina Zane Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:59:16 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=151#comment-365 Today, I found a copy of I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone in the Literature section of Borders. Today, I found a copy of I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone in the Literature section of Borders.

]]>