YA Book Stack: Recent Episodes
Education Officer
In conversation with VATE’s Education Officer, Emma Jenkins, each author invited to YA Book Stack discusses the application of their text in the middle years English classroom and the ways their text is reflective of the experiences of young adult readers and the world they engage with. Through a focus on the text in the classroom, YA Book Stack aims to encourage educators to embrace the flexibility of the middle years and explore a broader range of texts in their curriculum.
This episode features a conversation with Turkish-Australian author and editor Demet Divaroren about her dark fantasy novel Blood Moon Bride. Demet discusses the novel's long journey to publication, writing feminist speculative fiction, and the ways fantasy can be used to explore power, identity, resistance and belonging.
This episode also includes a discussion of world-building, symbolism and magic systems in fantasy, the influence of family history on storytelling, and the role of speculative fiction in examining real-world issues such as misogyny, injustice and cultural erasure. The conversation explores the concept of "coming of age" across a lifetime, the importance of critical thinking and self-determination for young people, and the ways literature can provide a safe space for readers to engage with complex social and emotional themes.
This episode features a conversation with Torres Strait Islander and African American author and editor Jasmin McGaughey about her debut YA novel Moonlight and Dust. Jasmin discusses writing First Nations speculative fiction, the importance of representation in Australian classrooms, and how genre can create space for stories of culture, family, identity and belonging. The discussion references reading and text recommendations such as:
- Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
- The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
- Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller
- Spirit of the Crocodile by Aaron Fa’Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker
- Works by Ambelin Kwaymullina
- Works by Claire G. Coleman
- Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
- The Pearl of Tagai Town by Lenora Thaker
- The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Also discussed are the role of setting and place in shaping novels and character identity, the use of Creole and code-switching in Moonlight and Dust, and the creative challenges of balancing mystery, magic and emotional realism in speculative fiction. The conversation explores the influence of genre novels on young readers and writers, the collaborative nature of the publishing process, and the importance of students seeing themselves, their communities and contemporary Australian settings reflected authentically in stories.
This special IDAHOBIT episode includes a discussion with educator and writer Ernest Price about the importance of queer representation in classrooms and practical ways teachers can create more inclusive, engaging reading experiences for all students. It references reading and text recommendations such as:
- Good Young Men by Gary Lonesborough
- Highway Bodies and Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans
- Will Kostakis novels
- Growing Up Queer in Australia
- The Sweetness Between Us and The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle
- The Family Law (SBS adaptation of Benjamin Law’s work
- The Heights (ABC series)
- Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko
- Ellen van Neerven short stories, poetry and non-fiction
- I'm Not Really Here by Gary Lonesborough
Also discussed are:
- How identity can shape teaching, writing and text selection
- The importance of contemporary texts "with heart" that reflect students’ real lives and identities, not just traditional canon texts
- Advocacy for diverse and queer representation in English classrooms, especially amid a current cultural and educational “backslide” toward conservative text choices
- Discussion of the role of English teachers in creating lifelong readers, balancing skills-based literacy with meaningful, engaging literature
- The power of own voices storytelling and the need for students to encounter LGBTQIA+ stories that go beyond “coming out” narratives
- Practical strategies for teachers about working with allies, being open about positionality and willing to learn
- Honest discussion about teacher fear and hesitation, with encouragement to learn through the process.
- Classroom strategies for handling challenging moments, including setting boundaries around respectful discussion and repairing if harmful comments occur
- The stakes of representation in terms of affirmation and visibility for queer students
- Emphasis on bravery and small actions as meaningful change
This episode includes a discussion of This Dream Will Devour Us by Emma Clancey, a young adult fantasy thriller that blends the author's passions for magic and medicine. It also references other reading and text recommendations such as:
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda
- Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan
- Books by Leigh Bardugo
- Books by Laini Taylor
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
- How to Be Normal by Ange Crawford
- Anomaly by Emma Lord
Also discussed are:
- The commodification of magic, and how this metaphor opens up rich discussion about pharmaceuticals, access, privilege, and the ethics of who gets to control resources;
- The allure and danger of wealth, celebrity and influencer culture, and how young people can critically examine power structures without losing sight of their own values;
- The balance between queer joy and queer trauma in contemporary YA, and the importance of offering affirming, escapist narratives alongside stories that tackle hardship;
- How genre blending can hook reluctant readers while still allowing for sophisticated exploration of class, authority and power;
- The role of limitations in world-building, and how clear rules within a magic system strengthen tension and narrative satisfaction;
- Comparative possibilities with The Great Gatsby, particularly around glamour, illusion, class aspiration and the corruption of the “dream” across different historical contexts;
- And, as always, the value of championing contemporary Australian genre fiction in classrooms to engage students with stories that feel both grounded and relevant to their lives.
his episode includes a discussion of summer reading recommendations that includes:
- Tenderfoot by Toni Jordan
- Gary Lonesborough
- Graham Akhurst
- Jared Thomas
- Salt River Road by Molly Schmidt
- Over This Backbone by Ya Reeves
- Arborescence by Rhett Davis
- Dusk by Robbie Arnott
- Andrea Nekic Is NOT Fine by Violeta Bagia
- We Saw What You Started by Carla Salmon
- Gus and the Burning Stones by Troy Hunter
- Catch by Sarah Brill
- This Stays Between Us by Margot McGovern
- Three Boys Gone by Mark Smith
- Diary of a Young Doctor by Ezzideen Shehab
- The Hiding Place by Kate Mildenhall
- I Am Nannertgarrook by Tasma Walton
- Pictures of You by Tony Birch
- Southsightedness by Gregory Day
- Seed by Bri Lee
The episode also contains discussions around:
- Teachers benefit from reading YA themselves, not just for curriculum use but to stay connected to student interests, identify engaging texts, and model genuine enthusiasm for reading.
- Reading for work vs reading for pleasure, and how hard it is to balance the joy of reading with the obligations of reading for reviews, panels, writing, or teaching.
- YA in Australia is growing in diversity but still needs more representation, especially stories that reflect the rapidly changing demographics of Australian schools.
- Teachers should prioritise student engagement when selecting texts. Page-turners matter, reluctant readers need accessible books, and educators sometimes overthink “how to teach” a book before considering whether students will actually read it.
- Reasons why Three Boys Gone, Mark Smith's debut adult novel, will resonate with anyone working in schools today, and having to navigate the near-impossibility of perfect duty of care.
This episode includes a discussion of This Stays Between Us by Margot McGovern, a contemporary young adult horror novel that explores friendship, fear, and power. It also references other reading and text recommendations such as:
- Neverland by Margot McGovern
- Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Blade Runner (1982)
- The Chosen Vessel by Barbara Baynton (short story)
- Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
- Lake Mungo (2008)
- Talk to Me (2022)
Also discussed are:
- The ways in which Margot has attempted to fill a gap in the market, including setting her horror novel in a distinctly Australian landscape;
- How reimagining the trope of the “final girl” can challenge the male gaze in horror by creating complex, emotionally authentic female protagonists;
- The exploration of friendship, secrets, consent, misinformation, and fear in the novel, and how these issues will resonate strongly with today’s students;
- Why its 48-hour timeframe, along with the use of foreshadowing, pacing, and symbolism, makes it ideal for studying narrative craft and genre conventions;
- Advocacy for open, supportive classroom discussions around trauma and consent, supported by clear content awareness;
- And, as always, the importance of teaching contemporary local texts to reflect and expand students’ understanding of Australian identity.
This episode includes a discussion of Desert Tracks, a time travelling novel about young people in central Australia, the historical legacy of racist policies and the relationship between history and the present.
Also discussed are:
- Using time travel as a genre to connect past and present, allowing for a powerful entry point for exploring history;
- Working as a writing team, blending different backgrounds and voices to create authentic characters and perspectives;
- Depicting colonial violence in ways that remain age-appropriate while still respecting readers’ intelligence and lived realities;
- Why including Aboriginal English terms in literature can offer opportunities for students to appreciate linguistic diversity, explore local language revitalisation projects, and understand cultural exchange;
- Storytelling as a vehicle for truth-telling and reconciliation;
- Offering advice for teachers on using Desert Tracks as a springboard for meaningful conversations around racism, history, and First Nations stories, while drawing on endorsed teaching resources to create safe and respectful learning environments.
This episode includes a discussion of How to Be Normal,as well as reading recommendations including:
- Someone Like Me: An anthology of non-fiction by Autistic writers
- Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
- The Complete Dramatic Works by Samuel Beckett
- Vikki Wakefield
- How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox
- Living on Hope Street by Demet Divaroren
- When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah
- Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller
- The Skin I'm In by Steph Tisdell
- Blood Moon Bride by Demet Divaroren
- Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King
- The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin
Also discussed are:
- The ways in which English teachers give students the frameworks to understand the people they want to be, in terms of critical thinking, feminist thought, anti-racism, etc.
- A defence of young adult novels as serious literature, capable of tackling complex issues like abuse, identity and resilience, in ways that resonate with students.
- The ways personal experiences (queerness, neurodivergence, family dynamics) can inform fiction, and shape more honest, nuanced representation.
- How schools can approach “dark” themes in text studies in way that is supportive, trauma-informed, and empowering.
- Using “normality” as a lens to interrogate social pressures and difference, and embrace diversity.
- How texts foster empathy, open dialogue, and give students language for experiences they may struggle to articulate otherwise.
This episode includes a discussion about booklisting with Prue Bon, and focuses on these titles:
The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks
Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by Katrina Nannestad
Outlaw Girls by Emily Gale and Nova Weetman
The Paperbark Tree Committee by Karys McEwen
The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor
Please Don't Hug Me by Kay Kerr
Future Girl by Asphyxia
The Foal in the Wire by Robbie Coburn
Grace Notes by Karen Comer
Sunshine on Vinegar Street by Karen Comer
Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore
One Hundred Days by Alice Pung
Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller
The Gaps by Leanne Hall
Things a Map Won't Show You
Where The Shoreline Used to Be
Stuff I'm (Not) Sorry For by Maxine Beneba Clarke
It's the Sound of the Thing by Maxine Beneba Clarke
How Decent Folk Behave by Maxine Beneba Clarke
The Saturday Portraits by Maxine Beneba Clarke
The End of the World is Bigger Than Love by Davina Bell
Chemutai Glasheen is a sessional academic at Curtin University, as well as a teacher and author. She writes fiction aimed at young readers, drawing inspiration from her background and passion for human rights and education. Her short story collection I am the Mau and Other Stories was published by Fremantle Press in 2023. Her creative work has appeared in various publications: Unlimited Futures, Meniscus Volume 9 Issue 2 and ACE: Arresting Contemporary Stories by Emerging Writers. She has held a writer-in-residence position at the Centre for Stories and has been invited to speak or present at events such as the Perth Writers Festival, the Disrupted Festival of Ideas, In Conversation: Human Rights, and the Great Big Book Club Tea Party.
This episode includes a discussion of I am the Mau and other stories,as well as reading recommendations including:
- Unlimited Futures: Speculative, Visionary Blak+Black Fiction
- Carpentaria by Alexis Wright
- Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
- I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
- Chinua Achebe
- A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Also discussed are:
- Identity formation through connections with other people
- The value of stories about minority communities
- Themes of place and displacement
- The appeal of the short story format for young readers (and the difficulty of the format for writers!)
- Exploring the balance between respecting and protecting cultural practices, while also accepting change when it is necessary
- The ways in which reading fiction can change opinion and help develop empathy and understanding
Erin Gough is a fiction writer living on Gadigal land in Sydney, whose award-winning work has been published globally. She is the author of three books for young adults: The Flywheel, which won the Ampersand Prize, Amelia Westlake, winner of the Readings Young Adult Book Prize and the NSW Premier’s Ethel Turner Prize for Young Adult Fiction, and Into the Mouth of the Wolf, recently shortlisted for the DANZ Children’s Book Award for Young Adult Fiction and the CBCA Award for Older Readers.
This episode includes a discussion of Into the Mouth of the Wolf by Erin Gough,as well as reading recommendations including:
An Open Swimmer by Tim Winton
The Flywheel by Erin Gough
Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough
How to Survive 1985 by Tegan Bennett Daylight
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Heat and Light by Ellen van Neerven
Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit
Also discussed are:
- The power of audiobooks from a very young age (pre-independent reading)
- The importance of validating Australian literature by including it on the curriculum
- Finding the right story (and the right voice) as a writer
- Themes of social justice, climate justice, power and privilege, community, and loyalty and trust in young adult fiction
- Processing grief about what's happening to the environment through literature, and realising that "the way through is together"
- The process of world-building when it comes to a familiar yet dystopian setting
- The things an author writes that don't end up in the novel, and some techniques for developing character outside the pages of the book
- The changing nature of the young adult literary landscape in Australia over the last few years
This episode includes a discussion with Dr Lilly Brown, CEO of Magabala Books, as well as reading recommendations including:
My Place by Sally Morgan
Love Unleashed by Melanie Saward
Dr Anita Heiss
Story About Feeling by Bill Neidjie
Desert Tracks by Linda Wells and Marly Wells
Bindi by Kirli Saunders
Black Cockatoo by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler
Hairy Holes 2 by Brenton E McKenna
Also discussed are:
- Books being more than just books
- The history and mission of Magabala Books, Australia's leading First Nations publishing house
- Ensuring that schools are safe learning places for all kids, through the literature we teach and the values we uphold in the English classroom
- Racial literacy and tips for building educator confidence when it comes to teaching First Nations texts
- The importance of National Reconciliation Week post-referendum, and how to meaningfully acknowledge this in schools
- The difference between cultural responsibility and the colonial burden
Kay Kerr is an autistic journalist and author who writes fiction and non-fiction that explores the oftentimes surreal life experiences of neurodivergent young people. She has published two Young Adult novels, and a narrative non-fiction book. Kay has a new novel coming out this year (2025) with Pan Macmillan called Might Cry Later, as well as an essay in the UQP anthology of autistic writers: Someone Like Me.
This episode includes a discussion of Love & Autism, Social Queue and Please Don't Hug Me, all by Kay Kerr, as well as reading recommendations including:
Peta Lyre's Rating Normal by Anna Whateley
Nina Kenwood novels
The Skin I'm In by Steph Tisdell
Also discussed are:
- Non-linear career paths
- Using romance texts in the classroom
- Writing diverse autistic characters, and using fiction to fight against outdated and monolithic understandings of what autism is
- The potential of 'communication' as a narrative theme to unpack in a text study
Solli Raphael is an award-winning author, poet, advocate, and acclaimed keynote speaker. His latest book, Starlight, aims to guide self-discovery and expression in kids and teens.
This episode includes a discussion of Starlight by Solli Raphael, as well as reading recommendations including:
Window by Jeannie Baker
Morris Gleitzman
Deborah Abela
Limelight by Solli Raphael
Spotlight by Solli Raphael
Robert Frost
Maya Angelou
Also discussed are:
- The experience of becoming a published author as a teenager
- Finding joy in both classic and contemporary poetry
- Injecting more philosophy into the English curriculum
- The importance of having conversations around identity
In this episode of YA Book Stack, Karys is joined by Keshe Chow (she/her), a #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy, romance, and speculative fiction. Born in Malaysia, Keshe moved to Australia when she was two years old. Currently she resides in Naarm (Melbourne) with her husband, two kids, one cat, and way too many house plants. They discuss Keshe's novel, The Girl with No Reflection as well as reading recommendations including:
- "Fauna of Mirrors" from The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borge
- Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
- Various titles by Sue Lynn Tan
- The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker
- Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge
- Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker
- An Ocean Apart by Jill Tew
- I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang
Also discussed in this episode:
- The role of genre fiction within the English curriculum
- World-building, voice and character development
- Chinese mythology, and themes of feminism and patriarchy
- The importance of representation in text studies
Karys McEwen is a school librarian, children’s author, bookseller, vice president of the Victorian branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, and education advisor for the Melbourne Writers Festival. She is passionate about the role libraries and books can play in the wellbeing of young people, and she is currently writing a Substack newsletter for educators and parents called I Read A Lot. Her debut middle grade novel, All the Little Tricky Things, was published by Text Publishing in 2022, and her second middle grade novel, The Paperbark Tree Committee, is coming out on 1 April, 2025.
Emily Gale has worked in the children’s book industry for 25 years in various roles including in-house editor, consultant to a literary agent, children’s book buyer, reviewer, freelance manuscript assessor, and as a writer-in-residence in a high school library. Some of her books for various ages from YA to early readers include I Am Out With Lanterns, The Other Side of Summer and Aussie Stem Stars: Gisela Kaplan. Her latest novels are Elsewhere Girls and Outlaw Girls, with Nova Weetman, and The Goodbye Year.
You can find Emily on Series 3 of Story Tools, creative writing videos to inspire and instruct children in the art of storytelling. And she has a Substack newsletter called Voracious.
This episode includes a discussion of summer reading recommendations including:
Some Shall Break by Ellie Marney
Eleanor Jones is Not a Murderer by Amy Doak
This Camp is Doomed by Anna Zobel
The Midwatch by Judith Rossell
The First Summer of Callie McGee by A L Tait
The Wedding Forecast by Nina Kenwood
Thunderhead by Sophie Beer
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
Also discussed are:
- This year's Davitt Awards
- Girl books and boy books (and how outdated that concept is)
- Illustrated novels for olders readers
- The importance of adults reading what kids are reading
Robyn Dennison joins Emma for YA Book Stack to chat about her debut novel, Blind Spot. Blind Spot was shortlisted for the Text Prize in 2021. 'Intense' seems to be a fitting word to describe the novel but Blind Spot is not without moments of celebration and light. At its core, Blind Spot follows Dale, the male protagonist, who witnesses but doesn't intervene in the sexual assault of a girl from his school and the fall-out of his inaction as he grapples with why he didn't do anything. While this incident is the motivator for the narrative, the novel also provides the reader with warm and relaxed representations of queer relationships, positive demonstrations of consent and healthy relationships, and a cast of nuanced, dynamic, and complex characters. In many respects, Blind Spot gives readers the opportunity and the script to explore difficult things "that hopefully don't happen, but maybe they have, or maybe they will."
For more about YA Book Stack visit the VATE website.
Please note: this episode of YA Book Stack discusses sexual violence, disordered eating, and substance use.
Robyn Dennison's fiction has appeared in Australian literary journals, including as a runner-up for the Overland VU Short Story Prize. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, where she teaches creative writing. Blind Spot, her first novel, was shortlisted for the Text Prize.
In the first YA Book Stack interview for 2023, Will Kostakis shares his inspiration for his new novel, We Could Be Something. The book is marketed as a ‘rollercoaster’ about two young men, each on their own journey of discovery. The novel is just that – a heartwarming, fun and funny read for high school students following the lives of two young people, two decades apart in Sydney's Darlinghurst. We Could Be Something sits on the cusp of students’ favourite genres – part coming-out story, part love story, part break-up story, and part family drama. Through the eyes of two characters, Harvey and Sotiris, the novel explores dreams, ambition, family and friendship, and how to manage the weight of possibilities when characters are standing on the edge of the rest of their lives. In this YA Book Stack interview, Will talks about his motivations for the text, including his thoughts on the spate of banning of LGBTQIA+ publications and his recent experiences during school visits, as well as the personal nature of his writing and the immense pride he feels for this publication.
For more on YA Book Stack visit the VATE website.
Will Kostakis is an award-winning author for young adults, best known for his contemporary novels The First Third and The Sidekicks. An advocate for young readers and writers, Will was awarded the 2020 Maurice Saxby Award by the School Library Association of New South Wales for his service to children’s and young adult literature. We Could Be Something is his latest novel.
Holden Sheppard's The Brink doesn't shy away from delving into material that is relevant to the lives of young people. From mental health, masculinity, family and friendships to sexuality and love, each page of the The Brink is laden with Holden's trademark gritty and honest depiction of the relationships and lives of young adults. In this YA Book Stack interview, Holden elaborates on some of the key ideas within The Brink, shares his writing motivations and his embodied creative writing process. Holden and Emma also discuss the important role of literature in ensuring authentic and accurate representation for young, same-sex attracted people and Holden responds to some of the critiques that his work is, simply put, too sexy for the classroom. For more on YA Book Stack, visit https://www.vate.org.au/ya-book-stack.
Note: there are two curse words in this episode that have been left in for creative flavour.
Holden Sheppard is an award-winning West Australian author. His debut novel, Invisible Boys (Fremantle Press, 2019), was published to both critical and commercial success. It won the WA Premier's Prize for an Emerging Writer, was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and was named as a Notable Book by the Children's Book Council of Australia. Holden's powerful second novel, The Brink, was published in 2022 by Text Publishing. Visit Holden here: https://www.holdensheppard.com/.
Listen in to Emma and Malla Nunn’s chat about her new YA release, Sugar Town Queens. Set in South Africa against the backdrop of a community grappling with the last impacts of apartheid and deep economic disparity, watch the friendship between three fiercely independent and uniquely individual young women blossom. Sugar Town Queens celebrates what it means to be empowered when the odds are stacked against you, the power of 'Ubuntu' and the sweetness of first love. In this interview for YA Book Stack, Malla shares some of the struggles she had with writing the text, the importance of celebrating the human experience and how all of her stories are, at the very core, tales of identity. For more on YA Book Stack, visit https://www.vate.org.au/ya-book-stack.Born and raised in Swaziland on the far edges of the British Empire, Malla Nunn attended a boarding school specially set up for 'mixed race' children. The students at the school spent their time learning the Bible, breaking the rules, and then lying about it. In common with most colonial institutions, stealing, fighting, and violence were commonplace. It was in this charged atmosphere that Nunn developed a fascination with bad behaviour, risk and punishment. After her family migrated to Australia to escape apartheid, Nunn graduated with a double degree in English and History and then earned a Master of Arts in Theater Studies from Villanova University. Faced with a life of chronic under-employment, she dabbled in acting and screenwriting. She wrote and directed three award-winning films, including Servant of the Ancestors, which won Best Documentary awards at film festivals in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Zanzibar, and was shown on national television in Australia. She married in a traditional Swazi ceremony. Her bride price was eighteen cows. She now lives and works in a weatherboard house with a tin roof and an olive tree in the garden in Sydney, Australia.
YA Book Stack is back for 2022! Poppy Nwosu, editor of the recently published horror tales anthology, Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales, joins Emma to traverse through what is scary and what makes a tale especially horrific. Emma (a scaredy-cat) and Poppy (a genre-fiction aficionado) hone in on some of their favourite stories from the publication; chatting about the ways in which these short stories could be used in the classroom to unpack theme, writing style, or even the power of graphic artistry. From fears about environmental damage, monsters that sneak up in the night, and spirits that haunt the land, Hometown Haunts unsettles the reader and leads them to realise that at the end of the day, we are all scared of something. For more on YA Book Stack, visit https://www.vate.org.au/ya-book-stack.Poppy Nwosu is an author of young adult fiction. She has published three romantic contemporary novels called Making Friends with Alice Dyson (2019), Taking Down Evelyn Tait (2020), and Road Tripping with Pearl Nash (2021), and is the creator of the 2021 YA anthology Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales. Her work has been shortlisted for the SPN Book of the Year award, Adelaide festival Unpublished Manuscript Award and the Readings Young Adult Book Prize, and has been awarded the SA Writers Fellowship residency at Varuna Writers House, as well as an Arts SA grant. She has appeared at Adelaide Writers Week and Salisbury Writers Festival among others. Growing up surrounded by cane fields and rainforest, Poppy studied music at university before living overseas in Ireland. She is now based in Adelaide, Australia.
Peta Lyre is far from typical but she tries hard to appear so by following a series of well-crafted rules and routines dictated by her psychologist to assist with blending in. Through Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal’s stream-of-consciousness narrative, we accompany Peta as she navigates life seeking to be ‘normal’. As readers, we explore what it means to be normal, who and what is normal and ultimately, whether being normal is all that it is made out to be. With empathy and compassion, Whateley unveils what life is like for Peta who has multiple diagnoses and has undertaken years of therapy in order to assist with managing her triggers and we are asked to challenge the typical ‘rules’ of behaviour. Why would we want to be ‘normal’ and at what cost? In this interview for YA Book Stack, Whateley elaborates on the anxieties and uncertainties of living in a world that doesn’t suit how Peta’s mind works and shares the reasons for her many inspirations – from Frankenstein, to Romantic poetry, and Icelandic instrumentalist music.Anna Whateley’s debut #ownvoices novel Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal is shortlisted for the CBCA book awards. She also has an essay titled ‘Noisy Silence’ in Growing Up Disabled in Australia, edited by Carly Findlay. Her next novel, Tearing Myself Together, will be released early 2022 with Allen & Unwin. When coronavirus spread, Anna founded the bookish chat show #AusChat just to keep the community together, and the YouTube channel is now funded in part by the Australian Arts Council. She uses her YouTube and Twitch presence to collaborate and connect with the writing community and more broadly with composers, gamers, and interesting folk all around the world. Anna has a PhD in young adult fiction (literary criticism) and has taught sociology and YA/children’s literature to preservice teachers. She loves to attend writer events, conferences, twitter storms, and book launches, and is also a strong advocate for the neurodivergent community.
On the Mish, Jackson’s Aunty and his annoying little cousins spend another hot Australian summer. This time, his Aunty brings a mysterious boy with a troubled past, Tomas, to stay. Jackson and Tomas’ friendship evolves over the summer as they spend time together, work on an art project and bond over their shared cultural history and connections. For Jackson, spending time with Tomas forces him to confront the relationships he has with his friends and family, as well as his place in the community. A novel about love, identity and acceptance, Jackson learns to accept and embrace the young man he is becoming. In this YA Book Stack interview, Gary delves into the importance of the intersectionality of his text, of highlighting the experience of young, queer men and shares his insights on the way he sees his text being used for study in the English classroom.Gary Lonesborough is a Yuin man, who grew up on the Far South Coast of NSW as part of a large and proud Aboriginal family. Growing up a massive Kylie Minogue and North Queensland Cowboys fan, Gary was always writing as a child, and continued his creative journey when he moved to Sydney to study at film school. Gary has experience working in Aboriginal health, the disability sector (including experience working in the Youth Justice System), and the film industry. He was Bega Valley Shire Council Young Citizen of the Year, won the Patrick White Young Indigenous Writers' Award, and has received a Copyright Agency First Nations Fellowship. The Boy from the Mish is Gary's debut YA novel.
Rawah Arja's The F Team follows ‘The Wolf Pack’ as their school is threatened with closure due to poor enrolment numbers and a declining reputation. Tariq Nader and his friends are required by their new school principal to assist with cleaning up the school’s image through the participation in a rugby tournament. But there’s a catch. They must cooperate and work in a team with boys from a school in Cronulla, their sworn enemies. From family, racism, prejudice and to the power of friendship and acceptance, The Wolf Pack navigate the pressures of the responsibility to keep their school open whilst learning about their place in the world as young men. In this episode of YA Book Stack, Rawah reveals her motivations, inspirations and impetus for writing this narrative and shares her key messages and takeaways for young adult readers. For interview notes and Rawah's recommended reading, visit: https://www.vate.org.au/ya-book-stack.Rawah Arja is a writer and teacher from Western Sydney. Her first novel The F Team has been shortlisted for numerous literary awards including the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Writing for Young Adults. Her writing has featured in Second City: Essays From Western Sydney (2021), Arab, Australian, Other (2019), SBS Voices and at the Sydney Writer’s Festival. She has received a fellowship from WestWords Varuna Emerging Writers’ Residential Program, is a member of the Finishing School collective of women writers, and teaches creative writing at schools and workshops.
Leanne Hall’s recent publication, The Gaps, pries into the vulnerability, strength, safety, danger and uncertainties that young women face in the world. When sixteen-year-old Yin is abducted, the news shocks the community of Balmoral Ladies College. A gripping feminist novel about the racism, sexism and privilege that exists in the world of young adults, The Gapsis a perfect text for the middle years English classroom. In this conversation Leanne will unpack her writing motivations and processes, as well as explore the text features that lend The Gapsto engaging and meaningful study. For interview notes and Leanne's recommended reading, listening and viewing, visit: https://www.vate.org.au/ya-book-stack.
Leanne Hall is an author of young adult and children’s fiction. Her debut novel, This Is Shyness, won the Text Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Writing, and was followed by a sequel, Queen of the Night. Her novel for younger readers, Iris and the Tiger, won the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature at the 2017 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Her latest novel, The Gaps, was published in 2021. Leanne works as a children’s and YA specialist at an independent bookshop.