Young Adult fiction is a relatively new genre but in the past two decades has exploded in popularity. Whether fantasy, sci-fi, or contemporary, the genre is ripe for reflection for adolescent readers as they explore their identities in the context of contemporary issues like authenticity, privilege, and intersectionality. Join YA authors
Rie Lee and
Jennifer Yu in a conversation about writing themes of identity in books intended for teen readers. Rie Lee’s recent debut,
Vessel, is a dystopian novel centered around a girl wrestling with her forbidden sexuality as the poster child for her religious cult, and Jennifer Yu’s latest novel
Grief in the Fourth Dimension explores how identity, family, and community affect the ways our lives (and deaths) are remembered. The authors will discuss how speculative worlds can be used to balance accessibility, storytelling, and realistic characterization while exploring ever-shifting and nuanced senses of identity. This conversation will be moderated by festival intern and EWU MFA fiction candidate
Emily Ladd. Purchase the author's books
via Auntie's Bookstore!This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited, please arrive early to secure a spot! Thank you to the
Spokane Public Library for their partnership!
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