Where to begin? The beginning, I suppose, but my heart is so full that it's difficult to organize my thoughts. What else is new?
A few weeks back I was given an opportunity by a longtime friend, Maria, to speak at an LGBTQ+ youth organization called Pride for Youth (PFY). PFY is a branch off of the Long Island Crisis Center (LICC). LICC opened PFY in 1992 when a large percentage of their calls were from LGBTQ+ community in need of help and services. Today PFY is going strong and servicing countless members of the LGBTQ+ community. Of the several groups and services that PFY offers, the most populated one is centered around kids between the ages of thirteen to twenty called Coffeehouse. Last night I made a presentation in front of around eighty of the clients that attend Coffeehouse, and I'd like to unpack this whirlwind of a night.
Having social anxiety and preparing to make a presentation in front of a group of people mixes about as well as oil and water. The two weeks leading up to last night were a whirlwind of talking to myself in the car, planning the direction I was going to take, and imagining every possible worst-case-scenario. What if the kids are bored? What if no one raises their hand when I ask a question? What if my nerves hit the kind of peak that I get sick right there on the floor. I'm happy to report that every single one of those 'what if' scenarios failed to occur.
My presentation began with a quick overview of how I started writing. I reflected on the first book I ever wrote, and how it fueled my passion for writing. I talked about the seven years it took me to write my next book and the endless lessons I learned from it. I finished expressing how proud of myself I was for completing my third book, and all of the heart I put into it. Quick side note--if I've learned anything from Maria, it's that it's important to vocalize things you're proud of yourself for doing. It's hard to do in practice, but the feeling it releases is powerful and important.
Try it right now. I'll wait. I moved on to discuss that I might have discovered my identity much earlier in life if I had access to more LGBTQ+ literature in my school and the library. From there, I delved into the importance of fanfiction--and you can bet there will be a blog post solely about that in the future, so get ready--and how that translates into a need for more representation in young adult literature where it can reach kids who are trying to discover their own identities. Minority groups need to see themselves reflected in the media they consume, and as I've said many times, I am determined to do whatever I can to help with that.
And that's what lead to the point of this entire presentation. I want to give LGBTQ+ and otherwise marginalized people representation in the stories I write, but the world is entirely different and they have access to more than I could have ever dreamed of. This is evidenced in the fact that there were eighty kids between the ages of thirteen and twenty sitting in a room who had begun a journey of self-exploration that I didn't dip a toe into until I was in college. I say this as a twenty-five year old. This goes even more for writers who are older than me.
So if us YA authors are writing for these kids, why don't we listen more to what they have to say? I posed that exact question at Coffeehouse last night. "What identities do you want to see?" I asked. "What kinds of stories would inspire you to grab a book of the shelf in a heartbeat?" I was humbled by the number and variety of responses.
Originally, I was going to fill this post with the ideas I was given, but I've since changed my mind, because I think to give only one blog post to this would be a disservice to what these kids were calling out for. So, I've decided going forward I will write blog posts on here using the tag #LearnFromThem devoted to exploring the potential behind their ideas. These ideas are free to use and draw inspiration from because I don't want to horde what I learned last night. I don't care who puts these stories out in the world so long as these stories get out there and into the hands of the kids they're written for.
What came after my presentation was what touched me the most. I told the kids that I was going to be around after the presentation if they had any questions, and that I had business cards readily available with my contact information if they ever wanted to talk about anything in the world. I spent the next several hours having different kids come up to me to talk about their passions or their ideas. They were talking over each other and building on each other's ideas, and I saw into this beautiful well of creativity that is going untapped.
It wasn't just ideas, though, but gratitude. My heart is full as I type this. The number of kids who thanked me for listening to their ideas, and for making an effort to tell their stories, leaves me humbled. There are so many writers out there who are already doing what these kids are asking for, and they deserve recognition. Those words of gratitude go out to them as well. I have always said that I write for myself, of course, but I write even more for those that might see themselves in the stories I put on the page. I got a glimpse into what a future as a published author could be like for me. I saw the kind of impact my words, and the words of the writing community, have on the kids who need us most. It makes every single rejection and doubt that comes with being an author worth it.
If any of you who watched my presentation last night are reading this, please know that you inspire me. You give me the courage to put my work out there. You give me the drive to never stop writing. You are all powerful, and brave, and amazing, and whether we spoke or not, this experience will live in my heart forever.
Going forward, I will be using the tag #LearnFromThem to talk about the ideas these amazing kids came up with. If you have something you want to share, or you want to join in this little movement, please use the tag and help spread the word.
These kids are who we write for, so let's raise their voices.
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