YA Lit Love: First Time Reflections on ALAN Workshop

Christine DeStefano is a writer and master’s student in teaching with an emphasis in secondary English/language arts. She enjoys reading pretty much anything she can get her hands on, but especially books for young people. She lives with her husband and cat in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I first discovered Young Adult literature at the ripe old age of 12. I had long since outgrown the books for kids my age and longed for the experiences of teenagers. I fell in love with The Princess Diaries series; despite the fact that the pop culture references were way too old for me, I connected with Mia’s longing to live her life as a normal teenage girl.

My YAL experience has come a long way since then, as has the trend in the category overall. For a long time, though, reading (especially the reading of books for teens) was a solitary activity for me. Even as a teen, I felt ashamed of my reading choices. I figured that, as a future writer, I ought to be reading books of more literary quality. I continued to read YA in secret through my undergraduate years and into my fledgling adulthood. No matter my age difference from the characters, I connected with that youthful angst of trying to figure out who you are and who you might become in the wider world.

I am now in my second semester of a master’s program in teaching, and it has taken me this long to fully admit to the power that YA has. While I knew of the power of books to make me feel seen and understood, I had yet to contemplate this possibility on a wider scale within education as a system. Attending the 2020 ALAN Workshop enabled me to fully realize that I am not alone in my beliefs about YA’s transformative potential in the classroom.

Until this November, I had never attended a conference of any sort, much less one that’s entirely virtual. With the COVID-19 pandemic, education as a whole has pivoted out of necessity, and education conferences are obviously no different. Despite my complete lack of prior knowledge, I signed up to attend ALAN. Why not spend two days of my fall break hearing about YA books? Before ALAN, I already had an idea of the type of classroom reading environment I want to create: a space for students to explore different reading modalities and choose their own books; the opportunity for peer discussion about the nature of being a complex human being; the chance to work on developing our empathy through reading about others different from us. What I hadn’t fully realized until ALAN, though, was just how many teachers, teacher educators, and writers share my beliefs, my hopes, and my dreams for our educational future.

There is something magical about being in a room with other passionate reader-writer-teachers—even if that “room” in this case is a virtual one that spreads across the country. Not only did I get to receive insight into writing and teaching from inspiring authors such as Angie Thomas, Samira Ahmed, and Nina LaCour, but I also engaged in dialogue with other attendees through the chat function. I learned that I’m not the only one who would probably read Angie’s grocery list, or could listen in rapture to Tiffany D. Jackson’s conversations for hours on end if given the opportunity. I also discovered other educators who champion YAL in their classrooms, who shared joyful moments of classes who unanimously chose to read these books. I was able to watch in fascination as educators from around the country moderated conversations between authors who fiercely championed not only their own work but each other’s as well. I eagerly signed into each session with joy in my heart as I got to see a window into not only the authors’ insights, but also into their home bookshelves in the background of their video.

Even though I attended the conference alone from my apartment (and in my pajamas, no less), the ALAN Workshop served as a powerful reminder that I am not alone. The dreams that I’m fighting for—greater empathy and learning through exploration of YA in the classroom—aren’t just my dreams, but are shared by so many caring educators around the country. I’m not alone in my reading and teaching journey; I’m part of an entire movement! As Tracy Deonn put it during her panel with two other amazing Black women writing speculative fiction: “I feel like I just went to church.”

Books I’m most excited about from my ALAN box:

1) The Black Friend by Frederick Joseph – a really important book for folx of any age, but especially young white kids who are learning how to be critically empathetic and acknowledge privilege.

2) Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore – I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about this author, and this will be my first of their books.

3) This Is My America by Kim Johnson – again, I’ve heard really good things, and I appreciate the social justice orientation not only of the author but of the main character in this book.

4) All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson – I’m interested in the power of memoir to act as mirror and window for young people, and the intersections of race and queerness.