|
HOST-Lara Z: WELCOME to the YA Authors Cafe! Tonight's chat will begin in a few minutes. We're waiting for a few more guests to arrive. In the meantime, please grab a cup of coffee and introduce yourself to others. HOST-Lara Z: A reminder: This is a multi-age chatroom with tender young and old ears alike. Please moderate your language accordingly. HOST-Lara Z: ****ATTENTION**** The chat is now beginning. We ask everyone to quiet down now, find a comfy seat, and hold all your comments and questions until the HOST opens up the floor. HOST-Lara Z: Hello, everyone! Welcome to the YA Author's Cafe!
Thanks for coming! I am HOST-Lara Z: I will make every effort to call on you in the order that the "?" are posted. I will type: (Your name GA) when it is your turn. GA stands for GO AHEAD. Let's begin! HOST-Lara Z: Tonight’s topic is “How Far is Too Far? Breaking Boundaries in YA.” Our guests will be discussing the roles violence, sex, and graphic language play in YA literature - as well as where they choose to draw the line between what's acceptable and what's not. HOST-Lara Z: First we have Alex Flinn, the award-winning author of BREATHING UNDERWATER (named a Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults in 2001!), BREAKING POINT, and most recently NOTHING TO LOSE. Alex is known for her unflinching depictions of violence: dating, school, and domestic. Her ability to tackle difficult subjects from fresh viewpoints is something I find very admirable. HOST-Lara Z: Next up is Hillary Frank, a woman who wears many, many hats - author, artist, radio producer, and educator. Hillary began to make waves in the YA universe with her debut novel, BETTER THAN RUNNING AT NIGHT, which has often been praised for its honest portrayal of female sexuality - still a rarity in this genre - as well as its sparkling prose. Her second effort, I CAN’T TELL YOU, is due out in late October. HOST-Lara Z: Last, but never least, is Kim Ablon Whitney, author of SEE YOU DOWN THE ROAD, an engaging novel about a little-known ethnic minority of Irish nomads called the Travelers. Kim’s bold style has earned her quite a bit of praise - not to mention a little controversy. HOST-Lara Z: In fact, each of these writers has seen at least a little controversy as a result of their work. I’d like to start by asking each of you which choice you’ve made as an author that has caused the most flak and why. Kim Ablon Whitney: Swears and my ending which wasn't the happy hollywood ending... Kim Ablon Whitney: I found a lot of people wanted my mc to leave her troubled life behind HOST-Lara Z: Kim, why don't you tell the group a little about Bridget and her dilemma? Kim Ablon Whitney: to realize the errors of their way of life and change for the better--a message driven ending Kim Ablon Whitney: she's an Irish traveler and basically they're con artist who steal for a living. Kim Ablon Whitney: in the end of the book she decides to stay with her family instead of leave-- Kim Ablon Whitney: now I've spoiled the ending, oh well! HOST-Lara Z: The story is in the journey! Kim Ablon Whitney: That's what I thought! HOST-Lara Z: Hillary, what about you? Hillary Frank: my flak was about a girl having sex and...her dad who offers her pot...often HOST-Lara Z: Sex and drugs ... what were some of the comments you received? If you don't mind sharing ... Hillary Frank: mostly just that people couldn't believe this would be read by people as young as 14, that i was showing them bad values HOST-Lara Z: Alex, can I throw the question to you, too? Alex Flinn: Sure. My most controversial book, by far, has been BREAKING POINT, which is about two boys who plant a bomb at their prep school and deals with issues of peer pressure and bullying. There's a lot of bad behavior in the book, for sure. Alex Flinn: Sure. My most controversial book, by far, has been BREAKING POINT, which is about two boys who plant a bomb at their prep school and deals with issues of peer pressure and bullying. There's a lot of bad behavior in the book, for sure. Alex Flinn: I had my first challenge this past year (at a school in Arkansas, which was specifically reading the book due to anti-school violence programs put in place after the Jonesboro shootings) Alex Flinn: The challengers talked about the profanity Alex Flinn: Which is minimal compared to a lot of YA's. Alex Flinn: But as the whole thing wore on, and people wrote letters to the town newspaper, etc. Alex Flinn: It seemed like they were really more concerned about the dark theme of the book and the unhappy ending. Alex Flinn: The comment I read was "It's not that bad!" Alex Flinn: But my reader mail tells me that, for some kids, it is. HOST-Lara Z: It's interesting - all of you seem to have gotten
some heat for not "moralizing" in some fashion. But
that doesn't seem like part of your job description - at least
not to me. Alex Flinn: So I guess just generally being too dark. Hillary Frank: for me, it's representing what's really going on in teens' lives, giving hem something to relate to Kim Ablon Whitney: I wanted to tell a good story and generate discussion with my book, not preach Alex Flinn: I actually do feel a strong sense of responsibility in my writing, that I hope that readers will carry something away from the book. HOST-Lara Z: But what constitutes that "something"? Does it have to be a lesson? Alex Flinn: Not that they always get it. I get a ton of reader mail about BREATHING UNDERWATER, saying that the reader wishes the abusive couple had gotten back together. Hillary Frank: no, not a lesson. something to make them feel like there are choices. Kim Ablon Whitney: I like books that get me thinking, what would I do in the mc's situation GA HOST-Lara Z: I couldn't agree more. Here's another toughie: It seems like anything goes in today's YA. Where do each of you draw your personal boundaries? Is there anything you absolutely wouldn’t do in a novel, either content-wise or stylistically? And for those of you who have children, does imagining them as your future readers influence your decisions at all? Alex Flinn: Maybe a moral of sorts, but I think that readers can learn by seeing characters make bad decisions. My characters are not paragons of virtue for sure. Hillary Frank: i don't have kids, but i like to think i'd want them to read my books when they got to be teens. Hillary Frank: and i can't think of any boundaries, but like i said, if it's happening in their lives, i think it's worth writing about Alex Flinn: Imagining my kids as future readers doesn't make me censor myself, but it might make me think about why I'm writing. Alex Flinn: Boundaries -- I'm not real comfortable with explicit sex, and (though some may laugh at this), I do try to keep profanity to that which I feel is necessary. Kim Ablon Whitney: I don't think there's anything I wouldn't write about if I wanted to but I do feel like I would either plan to write a very edgy no holds barred book or something tamer just because I think the middle ground can be a hard place to sell and market your book Alex Flinn: I cut anything I can't defend. GA HOST-Lara Z: Kim, what would you define as the "middle ground"? Kim Ablon Whitney: I guess just a book with some swears and some sex but not completely explicit Kim Ablon Whitney: I guess maybe my book that's out is middle ground in terms of swears and sex HOST-Lara Z: (All right gang, I am going to ask our guests one more question and then it will be time for you to ask your questions. When I give the go, type your "?", and then get your questions ready to send and for me to call on you.) Kim Ablon Whitney: and it's too much for many young readers and not enough for older readers... HOST-Lara Z: Even though you’re all considered established YA authors, none of you has been publishing for more than five years. As part of the “new guard” in YA lit, in which direction do you see the genre heading? Does any of it surprise or disappoint you? GA Kim Ablon Whitney: There's so much being published that I think it's hard to make your book stand out and a lot is getting lost GA Hillary Frank: i've been reading articles about how YA novels are all "issue" or "problem" novels Hillary Frank: and that you have to go to the adult stacks for anything steamy HOST-Lara Z: Except now they're calling them "edgy." :) Hillary Frank: but i think that's starting to not be true...and i hope we'll all prove that wrong in one way or another Alex Flinn: I think there is a big trend toward that which is stylistically daring -- whether it is a book written in free verse or one written all in IM's. Kim Ablon Whitney: yes, plain old normal story lines are often those getting lost GA Alex Flinn: I think that is great if the story flows naturally from that stylistic choice, but I worry that it sometimes gets lost. GA HOST-Lara Z: You guys are awesome! OK, now is the time! If you want to ask our guests a question, type ? and then I'll call on you in the order the request is received. UDLauren: do you think that racism is an important area to touch on in YA literature? or is it a topic you'd rather avoid? Hillary Frank: yes, i think it's really important. but i also think it's important to not do it in a pat way. Kim Ablon Whitney: I think racism is very important but I think in our pc world people might be wary of it... GA HOST-Lara Z: Who writes race well, in your opinion? Hillary Frank: ER Frank GA Kim Ablon Whitney: Not too many authors come to mind to me which is telling. What do you think Lara? You're soooo well read GA Dawn: ALEX: You mention cutting things you can't defend. Any examples? Alex Flinn: If another word would work in place of a swear word, I use that word instead . . . mostly because I have so many teachers who want to use my books for the topics and it makes their life hard if there's a ton of profanity. Alex Flinn: Then, I worry if that's a cop-out Cathy: For each of you, do you write what you want, or write toward the market? Kim Ablon Whitney: That's what I'm doing on my next book--I learned my lesson from a bad SLJ review Alex Flinn: No, I'm here. Funny enough, I had a teacher write me last week saying her class chose my book BECAUSE OF the profanity. GA Kim Ablon Whitney: I feel like before I published and got reviews and sales figures I wrote what I wanted. I still write what I want b/c otherwise I wouldn't keep writing but I'm definitely more conscious of the market which is sad Hillary Frank: always what i want. what entertains me. i couldn't do this if i wasn't kept entertained. it's lonely stuff. that said, i hope my audience is entertained as well. GA HOST-Lara Z: Hillary, isn't your next book a graphic novel? Hillary Frank: not exactly. though it does have lots of pictures Alex Flinn: I write what I want, but I also want teenagers
to be able to read it. I am gradually realizing that there are
all kinds of teens out there, and they aren't all as liberal
and savvy as in Miami. I am pleased when I hear from teens in,
say, the rural South. Hillary Frank: i think any topic should be portrayed as being in the context of the rest of life. that's how we experience things. it's never just sex and nothing else. GA Kim Ablon Whitney: What a great question. I say A. I found Doing It to be rather boring Nicole: If there were no critics or teachers to stop you, do you think your books would contain more "controversial" topics? Alex Flinn: I think it is important to acknowledge teen sex and not live in a fantasy world. Hillary Frank: not really. i'm not out to shock. and i don't feel like anyone's stopped me from writing what i want to write. Kim Ablon Whitney: Not really. Just maybe more swears! I love to swear! GA Alex Flinn: No. I write about exactly what I want. Even my boundaries are mine. GA HOST-Lara Z: *laughing about swears* teresab: I know most of you are still "young" when it comes to publishing, but have you ever had a situation where the editor or publisher tried to censor your work? or do you find most of the criticism about your work arriving afterwards? shadowbook: ?FOR ALEX: i've read breathing underwater and loved it...what inspired u to write IT sage: I'm in awe of all of you. Here's the ? Do you agents/editors now ask you to write to your edgy rep because the reader/buyers are expecting it now? I guess that one was answered, I will just say BRAVO on writing what feels right. Hillary Frank: the only thing i've had to change was the f word in the title of a chapter. we changed it to something like f*#@. and also i was asked to think about cutting a scene in my next book where these guys measure their appendages, but we left it in. Kim Ablon Whitney: my editor was really cool about all the swears and sex etc. I think she only suggested I not have three swears on the first page. Now I kind of wish she'd asked me to take out some others although it wouldn't have been as true to the characters. GA Alex Flinn: My editor actually encourages violence and profanity. However, she is definitely interested in making sure that the right choices are communicated in the book. Is that censorship? I don't actually mind. It gives me a chance to see how others might view what I am imparting. HOST-Lara Z: Kim and Hillary - do your editors question that your characters are making the right choices overall? HOST-Lara Z: I know I've discussed similar issues with my own editor. Hillary Frank: sorry, can you clarify? the characters making the right choices? Kim Ablon Whitney: my editor loved the choice my mc made at the end of my book and has stuck with me all the way... if that's what you mean about choices Hillary Frank: oh, if that's how you mean it... HOST-Lara Z: Maybe I should wait for Alex to clarify what she meant. (I'm assuming that it's a question of character choice/motivation - what's right for the character, not right as in "good.") Hillary Frank: my editor likes that i leave my books kinda unanswered. with no tied up ending. Alex Flinn: Not necessarily that the characters make the right choices . . . HOST-Lara Z: Hillary, I'm a fan of the open ending too, but I've heard that teens aren't. Alex Flinn: . . . but I think more that it is clear that I, the author, am not advocating the wrong ones. For example, she wanted to make very sure that my MC in BREAKING POINT knew that he was responsible for his actions. Hillary Frank: hmmm...i wonder if we have any teens out there who like the tied up ending...GA Alex Flinn: . . . even though he clearly made the wrong choices. GA Alex Flinn: Oh, teens want everything tied in a bow in my books. I keep hearing about how my books don't really have endings. UDMelissa: Do you think you need to censor the issues in your novels around the news/current events to avoid being labeled as "teaching bad morals" or giving YA's bad ideas (i.e. Columbine, etc.)? HOST-Lara Z: (So proud of my students, asking the good questions!) Alex Flinn: Well, I've heard that I *do* give teens bad ideas by writing about that very issue, so I guess no. I don't censor. GA Kim Ablon Whitney: I'm surprised I haven't gotten more reaction from people about my book in terms of the fact that it kind of teaches how to pull off some scams. HOST-Lara Z: Alex, I can't believe anyone would read BREAKING POINT and think that it's a good idea to copy Paul. Hillary Frank: i don't think we need to censor. but columbine-esque situations and all newsy events are so loaded that it's hard to write about them in a fresh way. GA HOST-Lara Z: Hillary, I totally agree. Which makes it that much better when an author DOES pull it off in a fresh way. Alex Flinn: Lara, you'd think. I do get kind of nervous when I tell kids at school visits that I got the idea to write BREAKING POINT because I read about how easy it was to find bomb instructions on the 'Net. Cathy: Kim, did you always know what choice Bridget would make(a brave choice, a right choice, I think, for the character)? Kim Ablon Whitney: No, I started out thinking she would leave her family and then as I was writing I realized realistically she couldn't leave... Kim Ablon Whitney: I was surprised but if felt right! GA HOST-Lara Z: I want to go back a second to what Alex said about the bomb instructions, because I think that speaks to authorial responsibility. You can find almost ANYTHING on the Internet, and look at what shows like CSI and Law & Order portray. If someone commits a similar crime, do we then blame the producers of the show? The actors for being convincing? HOST-Lara Z: I don't like the idea of authors having to limit what they write about because one kid somewhere might do something bad because of it. Like the JACKASS syndrome (MTV show, not an assassination on someone's character). Kim Ablon Whitney: It almost seems like the more wild our world gets in terms of TV and films and the Net the more conservative people want YA books to be. GA HOST-Lara Z: Alex and Hillary - final thoughts? Alex Flinn: I don't think so. But I've long since realized I'm not as conservative as I think I am. Some people just *look for* a reason to dislike a book. UDMelissa: Is that a stupid question, or should I try to re-phrase it? Melody: May I make a comment on this? Hillary Frank: it's such a tough question. but i think in most cases, the producers and authors aren't promoting the behavior HOST-Lara Z: (Melissa, it was a great question!) HOST-Lara Z: UDMelissa asked: Do you think you need to censor the issues in your novels around the news/current events to avoid being labeled as "teaching bad morals" or giving YA's bad ideas (i.e. Columbine, etc.)? Melody: About being afraid to write about bombs and such because a teen just might copy the book... I think you cannot predict human behavior.... Alex Flinn: Oh, okay. Answered that one. (Getting inferiority complex due to size of Internet connection;)) HOST-Lara Z: Well, folks, I hate to say it, but our "official" time for tonight is up--some of us need to go--but the rest of you are welcome to stay and chat as long as you like. Laurie S: Thanks Alex, Kim, Hillary, and Lara! Great chat! Good job, UD'ers! Gotta go. HOST-Lara Z: I just want to say thank you to Alex, Hillary,
and Kim - I wish we could have this conversation with coffee
and danish! Melody: So, that wouldn't be a good excuse, because the real life situation is out there. If you're going to ban the one (fiction), then ban it all. Kim Ablon Whitney: It was an honor to be on the panel especially with Alex & Hillary two authors I really admire! HOST-Lara Z: Join us at the YA Authors Café on September 28th for an open chat. There’s no set topic! There’s no host! YOU will control this chat! HOST-Lara Z: (Melody, I agree!) Cathy: Thanks to all and great hosting, Lara! shadowbook: how do u each get ideas for your books - r they based on real people ya know Alex Flinn: Ditto here, Kim. As you know, I really enjoyed SEE YOU DOWN THE ROAD. HOST-Lara Z: If you haven't read these authors' books, you're really missing out. HOST-Lara Z: Run to the bookstore. Run, I tell you! Alex Flinn: Shadow, I often get ideas from real situations, but not real people. melissa w.: Really wonderful panel! Thank you! Kim Ablon Whitney: Me too about ideas--I read an article on the travelers which inspired me to write about them. Alex Flinn: For example, the situation in my book, NOTHING TO LOSE, of a boy dealing with his stepfather's abuse of his mother . . . Alex Flinn: I had volunteered w/ battered women and knew that that sort of thing happened even in homes you'd think of as "happy." That's what I wanted to write about. But no specific people. HOST-Lara Z: Alex, didn't you choose the carnival setting for NOTHING TO LOSE simply because you were fascinated by carnivals? Alex Flinn: <~ feels a little bit like her 95-year-old grandmother, who is smart but always slightly behind the conversation. Kim Ablon Whitney: You are so funny, Alex!! HOST-Lara Z: And yet it works so well in the context of the story as a whole. Alex Flinn: Lara, yes I loved carnivals as a teen, but as an adult, I wondered what would make someone choose the carny lifestyle. Kim Ablon Whitney: does anyone know how to make my email stop sending those emails out?? Kim Ablon Whitney: Off topic, I know, but I'm mortified! HOST-Lara Z: Kim's story fascinated me too - and I knew about it long before it was published. We shared exactly one class period of one course at Emerson, and when Kim had to drop the class I was devastated! I kept saying, "Where's the gypsy girl? Where'd she go?" Alex Flinn: Kim, I haven't gotten any from you in the past hour. Just about 18 before that. HOST-Lara Z: Both of the moderators on YahooGroups banned Kim temporarily. Kim Ablon Whitney: Yeah, I stopped my send/rec'v but I think if I start it again it'll happen again. ugghh! thingschange: (Kim - who dissed you in SLJ?) HOST-Lara Z: Before you sign off, would each of the three of you mind telling us a little about your next project? It will appear in the transcript for the people who left early ... Kim Ablon Whitney: I don't remember her name. She was a catholic school teacher. Not the greatest person to review my book, huh? Considering it had swears and Catholics who were not very nice Alex Flinn: Patrick, if anyone can find out who reviewed my first two books for Kirkus, I'd love that info;-) Hillary Frank: yeah, sure. my new novel I CAN'T TELL YOU will be out in october. it's about a guy who stops talking and it's all his notes back and forth to people while he's not talking. but some of it isn't written -- it's drawings. like a drawing of a guy's puke on the floor. or the flour that the mc drops into a girl's hand. GA HOST-Lara Z: Hillary, it sounds great. Did you do the drawings yourself? Alex Flinn: My new book, FADE TO BLACK, will be released in April, 2005. It's about a hate crime against an HIV positive student, told in three viewpoints: Victim, accused perpetrator, and a witness who is girl with Down Syndrome who is having difficulty making herself heard. Hillary Frank: yes! Kim Ablon Whitney: My next book is about a the daughter of a Mexican groom at one of the biggest horseback riding stables in the U.S. and her quest to win at the biggest show in the country, the National Horse Show in NYC. It's something I know a lot about since I'm a rider myself. It'll be out fall 05. HOST-Lara Z: *rubs hands together* So many good books! I can't wait to read them all! Alex Flinn: The Down Syndrome character's sections are in free verse, which was a stretch for me. GA Kim Ablon Whitney: Hillary & Alex, your books sound awesome! HOST-Lara Z: Thanks again for "sitting" on the panel! HOST-Lara Z: It's been fun picking your brains. (Er, you know what I mean.) HOST-Lara Z: Hope you all have a great evening, and that we'll
see you back at the Cafe soon! |