I began this post on the plane to NCTE 2016 (#ncte16) and the ALAN workshop (#alan16). By the time I got to Atlanta it was too late to finish and link everything. Then I spent all day in meetings. I was going to sit and finishing, but instead I went to hear Rich and Sandra Wallace. They delivered a powerful talk about their fantastic book, Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and his Sacrifice for Civil Rights. (#WhyMiddleMatters) Just when I had almost recovered for the force of their story, Antero Garcia and Laurie Halse Anderson began a powerful dialogue about reading, advocacy, and doing something now. So, in part here is the beginning of my action.
There is too much to say. I am looking for renewal. If you have never been to NCTE, I hope this post motivates you to get to a conference. If not, you can experience the event by browsing the webpage following twitter #ncte16 and by exploring the work of some of the authors and academics below. I will be posting short blog post, tweets (@sbickmore55), and Facebook entries throughout NCTE and the ALAN Workshop.
There is too much to say. I am looking for renewal. If you have never been to NCTE, I hope this post motivates you to get to a conference. If not, you can experience the event by browsing the webpage following twitter #ncte16 and by exploring the work of some of the authors and academics below. I will be posting short blog post, tweets (@sbickmore55), and Facebook entries throughout NCTE and the ALAN Workshop.
I am already sad that Teri Lesesne will be missing, I wish her well. I know of a few others who won’t be there; I hope we can connect in another way. I am glad that writers like Laurie Halse Anderson, Jo Knowles, Padma Venkatraman, and a host of others will be there. I have the pleasure of introducing Maggie Stiefvater at the ALAN Workshop. I am looking forward to meeting her. I am looking forward to one last round of meetings as a member of the CEE executive meeting. In the past NCTE has always been a place where I can find renewal; where I have a chance to recharge the batteries. For example, I know that I will have conversations with Chris Crowe, Crag Hill, Rick Williams, Mark Letcher, Shanetia Clark, Ken Lindblom, Molly Blackburn, Melanie Shoffner, Chris Goering, Sophia Sarigianides, Gretchen Rumorhr-Voskuil, Ebony Thomas, and Michael Moore. Of course, the list goes on. Many of these people I only speak with at NCTE, but the kindness, generosity, and genuine concern for education is inspirational. If you don’t know these folks, I would encourage you to drop in on a session. Indeed, many of you have your own circle of people that you connect with, that inspire your teaching, and help you move forward with enthusiasm. Any attempt to catalog influence is always to short.
If you haven’t meet someone that whose work you admire, I highly recommend that you go early to a session and introduce yourself. Yes, it can be intimidating, but do it. I can remember the first timid conversation I had with Louann Reid. I considered her a giant in English education. She was near the end of her tenure as the editor of the English Journal and probably beginning her work on CEE. She couldn’t have been more attentive and thoughtful. The same is true of Leila Christenbury. I knew about her (and everybody should); she has been a past editor of The ALAN Review and The English Journal, a past president of NCTE, and has a list of publications that could be intimidating to a new assistant professor who was trying to figure out what to do next. When Jackie Bach, Melanie Hundley, and I were putting together our application to be editors of The ALAN Review, we studied the work of previous editors. I saw Leila near the entrance to the exposition hall and slowly walked over. I introduced by self and she treated me as a long-lost colleague as I asked for a bit of guidance about working as an editor. I think I floated through the next couple of days of the conference. I consider these women silent mentors; I hope I don’t bother them too much, but in both cases a simple conversation has provided a level of confidence that has guided my efforts. As educators, we are lucky to work in a field where helping a colleague feels like the norm and not the exception. I have tried to pass it on. I look forward to meeting teachers, graduate students, and other teacher educators. I hope I have been encouraging.
Now for something new.
Introducing Maria Padian
I love finding that new author whose works dovetail directly into my own reading interests. If you have followed the blog for a while, you probably realize that I like YA that is realistic, directed to an “older” audience, and probably a bit Holdenesque. I might be indebted to Trevor Ingerson at Algonquin for putting me on to a “new” author, Maria Padian, for a long time. Trevor sent me a few books and on the cover of Wrecked he attached a personalized post-it note. He said, I think you might like this one, let me know what you think.
Introducing Maria Padian
I love finding that new author whose works dovetail directly into my own reading interests. If you have followed the blog for a while, you probably realize that I like YA that is realistic, directed to an “older” audience, and probably a bit Holdenesque. I might be indebted to Trevor Ingerson at Algonquin for putting me on to a “new” author, Maria Padian, for a long time. Trevor sent me a few books and on the cover of Wrecked he attached a personalized post-it note. He said, I think you might like this one, let me know what you think.
Well, I think the book is fantastic. It is an exploration of truth in the aftermath of a sexual assault. While it is set on a college campus, it focuses on the experiences of freshman students and reminds me of the many adolescent novels set in preparatory boarding schools or college--The Catcher in the Rye, Prep, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, Looking for Alaska, A Separate Peace, Winger, Fangirl, and Old School. You can certainly find more books in this category, but these will get you started--after you read Wrecked.
The book also works on the theme of self-discovery and truth, that places it the company of books like We Were Liars, Challenger Deep, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Speak, Tyrell, and Inexcusable. Padian works with character and point of view in a way that forces the reader to engage with the story’s complexity. Just as the books above have complicated narrations and uneasy endings, so does Wrecked. The story is primarily told from the point of view of two characters, Haley and Richard, who are falling for each other even as they are unaware of their respective connections to the Jenny, the victim of the assault. Padian tells the story without slipping into sentimentality and instead builds an exploration of the theme of male and female relationships that questions the power relationship, the nature of consent, and comments on the inescapable consequences. Discussing any more about the book would verge on telling too much. Instead, suffice it to say that Padian has contributed a quality novel to the field of YA literature.
The book also works on the theme of self-discovery and truth, that places it the company of books like We Were Liars, Challenger Deep, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Speak, Tyrell, and Inexcusable. Padian works with character and point of view in a way that forces the reader to engage with the story’s complexity. Just as the books above have complicated narrations and uneasy endings, so does Wrecked. The story is primarily told from the point of view of two characters, Haley and Richard, who are falling for each other even as they are unaware of their respective connections to the Jenny, the victim of the assault. Padian tells the story without slipping into sentimentality and instead builds an exploration of the theme of male and female relationships that questions the power relationship, the nature of consent, and comments on the inescapable consequences. Discussing any more about the book would verge on telling too much. Instead, suffice it to say that Padian has contributed a quality novel to the field of YA literature.
There is more good news. Maria Padian has other novels! As I explored more about the author, I found the other books--Out Of Nowhere, Jersey Tomatoes are the Best, and Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress. Maria has a wonderful website. It is easy to follow and informative about her books, her life, and her writing. I recommend that you check it out, right after you read her answers to the interview questions posted below. I hope she finds her way to NCTE and The ALAN Workshop next year in St. Louis.
Here are Maria's answers to the interview questions
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If you are interested in the posts that others have posted, please visit the contributor page. Each author's post has the title hyperlinked for easy navigation.
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