Guest Post: A.R. Capetta on Something Good Happened in 2016: Where Does LGBTQ YA Go From Here?

By A.R. Capetta

A.R. Capetta writing

While the goal of this blog series is to celebrate LGBTQ YA, there’s so much more room for growth.

It might seem like LGBTQ YA books are hitting new heights, when in reality they’re only beginning to find their audience.

In the words of Alex London,

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Guest Post: A.R. Capetta on Something Good Happened in 2016: LGBTQ YA Genre Fiction

By A.R.Capetta

One of the standout differences in the LGBTQ offerings in 2016, as opposed to previous years, is a boost in genre fiction.

While I love reading LGBTQ books of all kinds, in my truest and nerdiest heart, I’m a lifelong reader and devoted writer of genre fiction.

Stories with marginalized main characters tend to take a particular route through the publishing world–starting with “issue” books,

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Guest Post: A.R. Capetta on Something Good Happened in 2016: Intersectionality in LGBTQ YA

By A.R. Capetta

Rainbow Boxes is a charitable initiative to connect LGBTQIA fiction with readers across the United States.

When Cori McCarthy and I did our research for Rainbow Boxes (AKA the most fun research–it mainly consisted of reading every LGBTQ YA book we could find),

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Guest Post: A.R. Capetta on Something Good Happened in 2016: Celebrating LGBTQ YA

Rainbow Boxes co-founders Cori & A.R.

By A.R. Capetta

In 2015, it seemed like there was a slowly growing list of excellent YA books with central LGBTQ main characters–but there were clearly still barriers making it difficult for readers, especially teen readers, to find them.

Fellow YA author Cori McCarthy* and I created Rainbow Boxes to help bridge that gap,

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Author-Illustrator Interview: Ambelin Kwaymullina on Justice, Hope & Her Creative Family

Author-Illustrator Interview: Ambelin Kwaymullina on Justice, Hope & Her Creative Family

Sample chapter from Candlewick Press

By Cynthia Leitich Smith

The second of a four-installment dialogue with Ambelin and Cynthia.  

Our focus is on the creative life and process,
speculative fiction, diversity, privilege, indigenous literature, and books for young readers.

Yesterday,

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Book Trailer: Teen Frankenstein by Chandler Baker

Book Trailer: Teen Frankenstein by Chandler Baker

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Check out the book trailer for Teen Frankenstein by Chandler Baker (Feiwel & Friends, 2016). From the promotional copy:

High school meets classic horror in Teen Frankenstein, Chandler Baker’s modern re-imagining of Mary Shelley’s gothic novel.



It was a dark and stormy night when Tor Frankenstein accidentally hits someone with her car.

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Author Interview: Monique Gray Smith on My Heart Fills With Happiness & Advice for Beginning Writers

Author Interview: Monique Gray Smith on My Heart Fills With Happiness & Advice for Beginning Writers

By Cynthia Leitich Smith

Today I’m honored to feature Monique Gray Smith, “a mixed heritage woman of Cree, Lakota, and Scottish descent” and the author one of my favorite new titles–my official go-to gift book for 2016.

What put you on the path to writing for young readers?

I never set out to write for young readers and to be honest,

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