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working toward a world where teens will want to read YA because the books are written for them and not 40-year-old white women
i love that teens are gravitating more toward adult books nowadays. there are amazing things happening there. there’s also a whole other category that’s supposed to portray their experiences
honestly i think that the next generation of YA writers will be buried under the noise of people who are 30+ screeching about how after all these years, they can finally see themselves in a book, as 15-year-olds scream “what about us?” and nobody responds
because what’s actually happening in the practice of “i’m writing this so i can see myself” is that YA has become about self-indulgence for grown people, or a way to work through unsolved issues from their teen years, with a lack of awareness of care for current teens
YA as a category should be forward thinking as it’s setting up the next generation. but the people who on top in this industry are not forward thinking. examine where teens are in their understanding of our systems - they are looking for a way out
it’s not even that you have to look at what’s happening in the books (seems like no one does) as much as looking at the stagnation in plots. who is being erased from rep, whose stories are being bastardized and distorted, who is being fostered as future writers?
it’s accepted in editorial that the audience is older white women. that everything i should do should be for them because they are the ones reading. this is bereft of integrity and critical thought. they are the ones reading because they are who YA kills black writers to protect
and i don’t think this concept is difficult but it beats YA’s ass so it’s worth repeating - not all bipoc writing YA books are noble and good or have good intentions for their own communities. anyone can write a book for white women. anyone can write a harmful book, and they do
