T210.
Feeling Heard in a World that Wants to Silence Us: LGBTQIA+ Rep in Young Adult
Thursday, February 8, 2024
1:45 pm to 3:00 pm
More anti-LGBTQIA+ bills are being introduced and passed at alarming rates, including book bans. In such a dark, dangerous climate, how can authors in that community feel motivated to keep writing stories? Five Young Adult authors bring a range of experiences to discuss the pull they feel to tell queer stories despite these challenges. We’ll talk about queer joy, relationships, and plots that drive us forward.
Participants
Jenna Miller (she/her) writes young adult contemporary romance books about fat, queer, nerdy girls who deserve to be seen and have their voices heard. Her first novel, Out of Character, released February 2023 from Quill Tree Books (HarperCollins), and her second YA novel will release February 2024.
Edward Underhill (he/him) is the author of Always the Almost and This Day Changes Everything, both from Wednesday Books. A queer trans man, he grew up in the suburbs of Wisconsin, where he could not walk to anything, so he had to make up his own adventures. He now lives in California.
Trang Thanh Tran is the author of the New York Times and national indie bestselling novel, She Is a Haunting.
