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young adult

Appearancesyoung adult
August 10, 2021

Wild and Unruly Anthologies Coming Your Way *

Anthologies are hot right now, and I have a couple of pieces appearing in two that will appeal to both YA and adult readers. One that you'll want to order now in preparation for Banned Books Week 2021 (supply chain problems being what they are) is You Can't Say That: Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell, edited by Leonard Marcus (Candlewick Press, July 2021.) There are few children's literature historians with Leonard Marcus's credentials, and in this starred collection of interviews with more than a dozen contemporary authors, he delves into society's impulse to censor what's unfamiliar or uncomfortable – all in the name of protecting children.  You'll find personal stories shared by people like Angie Thomas, R.L. Stine, David Levithan, and Robie H. Harris, to name just a few. We all had the chance to talk about why we wade into difficult terrain and how that has looked for each of us.  I'll be discussing the book this week with Leonard through the American Writer's Museum on August 12, 7:30 pm EST/ 6:30 CT.  Hope you can tune in and get a taste for what's in store. The second anthology is Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora, edited by Saraciea Fennell (September 14, 2021, Flatiron), whom you may know from her many accomplishments as the founder of the Bronx Book Festival and as part of the leadership at Latinx in Publishing. The collection is garnering lots of…
Meg Medina
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Appearanceswriting adviceyoung adult
May 17, 2021

Two Conversations with Master Storytellers

I learn a lot about the writing process from friends and colleagues. Something about the safety of our relationship allows me to share and listen deeply. There’s not a novel that I’ve written that hasn't included sage input from trusted friends. The scene in Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass between Piddy and Joey, when they’re in her room and he discovers her bruises? Thank Gigi Amateau for that. Merci deciding to sell her one, most meaningful belonging to fix a terrible mistake she made in Merci Suárez Can’t Dance? It’s got Lamar Giles' fingerprints all over it. The details about Son of Sam in Burn Baby Burn? My personal friends, Alice and John, connected me to their neighbor, who was one of the cops on the investigative team back in the day. I could go on. I tell you this as a way to explain why I’m so excited for two events this week, where I’ll be in deep conversation about writing with two of my writing heroes, Lilliam Rivera and Francisco Stork. Both are well-known talents in our circle of Latinx authors, and guess what - we're not going to be talking about diversity as the main subject. What a welcome relief! We get to talk about writing. When I first met Francisco Stork at an ALAN conference a few years ago, I was starstruck, mostly on the merits of his exquisite novel, Marcelo in the Real World. The picture here is taken on that date. Since then, I’ve been…
Meg Medina
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AppearancesAwards and newsmiddle gradeThe Writing Lifeyoung adult
May 28, 2019

Events! Events! Events! Join me in Las Vegas, New York City or Washington DC

I've recently had several glorious weeks filled with family, local friends, beautiful spring weather and time to write. It's been wonderful. BUT, I will be hitting the road again soon and I so hope to see you in one of my upcoming events. If you're near Las Vegas on May 29th and 30th, join Padma Venkatraman, Phil Bildner and me at the 2019 Summit on Teaching YA Literature at the University of Nevada. Next up, I'll be jetting to New York City for this year's ever-popular BookCon on June 1st! Join Tracey Baptiste, Soman Chainani, Raina Telgemeier and me for a conversation about the very best in middle grade. Soon after, I will be in the best company with my friends and well-respected authors Elizabeth Acevedo and Robin Benway for an evening conversation at Politics & Prose Bookstore at the Wharf. We'll chat about our writing and how our personal experiences and recent awards have influenced our work. See you there? Check out my calendar of events for more details and other upcoming dates. Until then, I'll have my head down working and enjoying my family and, of course, taking long walks with Hugo.    
Meg Medina
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Appearancesmiddle gradeThe Writing Lifeyoung adult
April 11, 2019

Coming Up: Sunny California for the L.A. Times Festival of Books

Sunny California, here I come. I'm in town for this weekend's LA Times Festival of Books and I couldn't be more excited. Come say hello! Here's where you can find me: On Sunday at 11am I'll be on a YA panel with friends and fabulous authors Ibi Zoboi and Elizabeth Acevedo:  "Young Adult Fiction: Writing the Real World, Conversation 2101." We'll be in the very good hands of Claudette S. McLinn, as moderator, who is the executive director of the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature. Later that day, I'll "change gears" (ha!) and chat with three wonderful authors Marie Cruz, Karyn Parsons, and Lisa Ramee for the "Middle Grade Fiction: Grown Up Challenges" panel at 1:30pm. My friend and Hamline MFA colleague Brandi Colbert will be our moderator. Besides these panels, I can't wait to meet up with fellow authors, librarians and, most of all, READERS! And, of course, enjoy some delicious California cuisine... See you there!
Meg Medina
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