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Gayle Forman is an award-winning author and journalist whose articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, The Nation, and The New York Times Magazine. She lives in Brooklyn with her family. Her book If I Stay was adapted as a motion picture.
Gayle Forman's website
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You started your career as a journalist and your first book is a travelogue about going around the world. Is YA literature a departure for you?
Actually, it's more of a homecoming. My first writing job was at Seventeen, where I spent five years on staff and as a contributor reporting the magazine's social-issues stories. I loved writing for teens then because--contrary to popular opinion--they really care about serious issues (from child soldiers in Africa to kids embroiled in the drug war here) and the engage in their reading with such passion. So, now that I'm writing young-adult literature, it feels like I've come full circle.
This book explores some serious themes. Why is this a book for kids and not adults?
It's a book for kids precisely because it explores serious themes. Teenagers are grappling with choices about life and love as much as adults, so why shouldn't their reading reflect that? I don't set out to write YA. It just seems like I'm drawn to stories about young people. That said, I think If I Stay is for adults, too. I love the idea of teens reading this book and then handing it off to their parents.
Many key characters are serious musicians, and songs are referenced throughout the book. Are you a ...
Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous international, national, and state ... (more)
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