Children’s Lit Fabulosity

Empaneled

Charles Tan, aka the hardest working man in science fiction, recently hosted an email roundtable on YA speculative fiction with Malinda Lo, Tehani Wessely, Cheryl Morgan, Tarie Sabido, and yours truly. It was great fun to do, although apparently I was trying to see how many times I could use the word conversation. (Answer: LOTS.) I blame holiday madness.

The resulting conversationpanel is now live at SF Signal. Check it out if you're so inclined.

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A Trio of Tuesday Hangovers

…aka a pocketful of kidlit links:

  • Editor extraordinaire Andrew Karre has very smart things to say about why #yamatters at Hunger Mountain. A snippet: "It’s easy to spot disruption in tech and media. These things happen very fast and concern a lot of people (and their money) on a day-to-day basis. It’s harder to see these disruptions in smaller and slower-moving categories and subcategories. But I believe they’re there, and, as you’ve probably guessed, I believe modern novels for young readers—particularly YA novels—are a disruption in children’s books and maybe in books in general." Right on. (via Big Think)
  • Shannon Maughan has an excellent piece at PW about the history and importance of the Caldecott and Newbery awards, with extensive comments from Anita Silvey and Leonard Marcus. (I found the discussion about whether the best children's books really are "timeless" v. interesting.)
  • At Publisher Perspectives, author Beth Kephart talks with Pamela Paul about her approach as the new editor of the NYT's coverage of children's books. Snippet: “It’s a busy world,” says Paul, a journalist and author who was named to the post in late January of this year. “There’s so much competing for our time. My hope with the children’s pages is to make them relevant and essential for all the readers of the Times — to provide expanded coverage of everything from board books and middle grade stories to young adult fiction and nonfiction. There are so many ways to tell a story. I’m trying to make room for them all.”

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More Subterranean YA (Et Things!)

The new story posted this week in the Subterranean Special YA Summer Issue is Kelly Link's "Valley of the Girls." I believe this is Kelly's first new story published in some time (she also has a fabulous story coming out in this fall's Steampunk! anthology, which she and Gavin co-edited for Candlewick). "Valley of the Girls" is typically brilliant; a mash-up of ancient Egyptian culture and science fiction that only Kelly could come up with, let alone pull off.

And, after this, there's just one more story left to come in the issue. It's from Genevieve Valentine–who, coincidentally, will be stopping by here on Friday for an interview as part of the Summer Blog Blast Tour. You can see the full schedule for the SBBT over at Colleen's.

Now go forth and enjoy.

I'm officially back from vacay (oh, vacay, I miss you already), and will be around this week. Promise.

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This Week on Subterranean

This week's new story is Tobias Buckell's "Mirror, Mirror." I think you'll see why I was excited about this one–not only is it fabulous, it's science fiction, which I really wanted to include in the issue, but was afraid I wouldn't get from anyone.  (And actually Kelly Link's upcoming story is also SF. So that'll teach me.) Better yet, it has antique mirrorshades.

This is a nerdy writer thing, but I'd be remiss not to point out that Toby is doing something very, very interesting and cool with the use of tenses in this piece.

Go forth and read.

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More Subterranean YA Issue

I know, I know, it seems like I only stop in here lately to post pointers to these, but I'll do better starting this week. My schedule's less crazycakes than it was in April and May, and I plan to just have my regular workload moving forward. The house of cards almost came falling down, my friends.

Anyway, more soon.

But first, check out this week's new Subterranean YA issue story, "Seek-No-Further" by the fabulous Tiffany Trent. I've said all along that I feel incredibly lucky about how many different kinds of stories I got for this project. Tiffany sent me this supercreepy historical piece set in Appalachia (and with the perfect feel of an Appalachian ballad, I think). Hope you love it as much as I do.

I've just been delighted with people's reactions to all these stories, by the way. You make me happy.

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More Subterranean YA

And this week Alaya Dawn Johnson's "Their Changing Bodies" is added to the mix. I can guarantee you've never quite encountered a vampire story like this. (I particularly think you'll like this one, Justine.) I'd give a content warning, but that would ruin all the fun of this often hilarious, sometimes explicit, and ultimately sweet story of summer camp.

Enjoy!

(Back later with more nattering and talking about the loveliness of Wiscon.)

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This Week’s Subterranean Story

…is Richard Larson's fabulous "The Ghost Party," in which Charlee goes to an unusual party. I love how sharp this story is, and how fraught in that way YA does so well. I was delighted when I read it as a submission, and delighted anew reading it again today. Enjoy!

This also brings us to four stories live, almost half-way through the issue. The time, she does fly. Still, much wonderfulness left to come.

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More Summer Issue

And this week's new story in the special Subterranean YA issue is: Sarah Rees Brennan's "Queen of Atlantis."

As you probably already know, I adore Sarah's Demon's Lexicon series. So I was surprised when the story she sent me turned out to be this fabulous high fantasy story, instead of her usual fabulous contemporary urban fantasy. Surprised and thrilled, I should say. I do so love a writer with range. Check it out and enjoy.

ETA: Also, see Sarah's own post where she talks about this story.

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Summer Issue Continues

The Subterranean special YA summer issue continues with Karen Joy Fowler's "Younger Women." Just thinking about this story makes me happy. Given that it's from the point-of-view of a teenage girl's mother, rather than a teenager, I'm sure someone could make an argument it's not YA at all. But, in typical and wonderful KJF style, it is undeniably about YA… or at least about a very common dating situation in YA and so I declare that it counts.

Plus, it's just a really great story. Check it out. (And read Malinda Lo's "The Fox" if you haven't yet.) And, as they say, much more to come.

p.s. I know, I know, I haven't been around these parts much lately. I'm about two days from having some breathing room back, and look forward to burbling about various things.

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Summer Is Here–Well, the Summer Issue!

  Summer-2011

Yes, yay! The issue content is beginning to roll out, starting with an introduction from me and the first story, Malinda Lo's "The Fox," which features characters from her just-released new novel Huntress. Can you beat it?

Malinda's was the very first story I got in, and I did a little dance of joy after I read it. It's beautiful and seductive and haunting; there's so much packed into this brief story.

Go forth and read it. New stories (full TOC here) will be posted weekly until the issue's complete, and I'll be posting here as they go live.

Enjoy!

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