In Miami, as a master writing teacher for the National Young Arts Foundation program, I had the opportunity to spend time with extraordinary young writers—but those of you who read this blog know that. I had asked these very special teens, before we'd met, to tell me about the books that had changed their idea of story, on the one hand, and of language, on the other. When it became clear that few of these teens are spending time with books written for them, I asked more questions and listened intently.
"Why (some) Teens Don't Read Young Adult Literature," my essay now up on
The Huffington Post, captures the essence of these conversations. It also showcases a pretty spectacular and diverse reading list—one that sent me out to stores to buy the (few) books I was missing.
You can read the essay
here.
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