Laurie Halse Anderson: I love writing YA fiction because it lets me be experimental.
Teenagers are very open to new art forms, and are willing to give unconventional
narratives and voices a chance. The name kind of sucks. Librarians and English teachers
know what YA fiction is. I don't think anyone else does. Why not just call it Teen
Fiction? This would make a great poll or contest for a teen magazine --- let the teenagers
decide what to call the books written for them.
The promotion is getting better, but it still has a way to go. I am thrilled to see
bookstores making room for teenagers. It used to be teenagers were stalked by store
employees afraid of shoplifters. Now they get their own section with books and magazines.
Next step? Comfy chairs! I think the folks who publish magazines for teenagers are ready
to be enlightened about the amazing things going on in Teen Lit. They could make a huge
difference. It would also help if curriculum designers loosened up a bit and made room for
current literature in high school English classes. Not everybody likes The Old Man and
the Sea. Oh, and I'd start selling books in music stores. We sell music in bookstores,
don't we?
Chris Crutcher: What do I think of the YA genre? I
think it's an afterthought. I think YA or adolescent literature often gets treated the
same way adolescents get treated in this culture --- as something that will pass. I don't
know if the category is limited by it's name, but the readership certainly is. I suppose I
would call it "Coming of Age" literature and try to market it in much the same
way mainstream literature is marketed, so it can reach a larger audience. I think that's a
lament a lot of so called YA authors have.
Garth Nix: Categories by
their very nature are limiting. I think that if you have any named category it will limit
itself; so changing the name wouldn't matter. I think what is most important is to package
the books so that they are not visually cued as being in a particular 'reading age'
category. It's also important for publishers, librarians, booksellers and other key
gatekeepers to push the point that YA does not mean for young adults only. I believe that
the best YA novels are simply adult novels that happen to be particularly attractive to
teenage readers.
Sarah Dessen: I think
that YA, as a genre, is really misunderstood. And there is a bit of a stigma to the name
itself, because often teens don't want to be reading what's being marketed right to them,
they want to read "up," i.e. what Oprah or their mothers are reading. It's kind
of like how I loved Seventeen Magazine when I was twelve and thirteen, but by the time I
was really 17 I wanted to read Cosmo and Glamour. As far as a new name, however, I have no
idea what I'd call it, but it seems like the magazines that incorporate Teen into their
titles (Teen People, Teen Vogue) don't have the same problem. So maybe it's just that
Young Adult sounds antiquated, like something from another era. It's very formal sounding,
very schoolmarm-esque, and I think teens in general shy away from that kind of thing.
Meg Cabot: YA books are
for and about people who are living through what are arguably the worst years of their
lives. I remember assiduously avoiding the YA section of the public library where I grew
up because I hated the idea of being caught reading what my friends called 'kids' books'.
The librarians finally seemed to catch on, and they moved the YA's to the same section as
the adult genre fiction, mysteries and romances and stuff, and stopped putting up those
stupid 'Reading is Fun!' (often with --- shudder --- teddy bears on them) posters. I still
consider this a stroke of genius on their parts. I wish all bookstores and libraries would
follow suit. Keep the YA stuff OUT of the children's section. Put it near the
"cool" books, like the sci-fi/fantasy section. Teens will respond, guaranteed.
And for the love of God, no teddy bears.
Walter Dean Myers: In
bookstores I would put young adult books on the shelves right next to adult books, perhaps
with a logo saying that the book is suitable for young adults. The Young Adult title is as
apt as 'Mystery' or 'Military.'
