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Magoon spoke with best-selling author Ibi Zoboi about the book that’s closest to her heart, forming her identity while reckoning with history, and being a writer ahead of her time.

In this clip from their conversation, 2020 Margaret A. Edwards Award winner Kekla Magoon talks to Ibi Zoboi (American Street) about her childhood, her experience getting her MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and diversity in children’s literature.

In advance of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the author and adapter of The Burning (Young Readers Edition): Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, discuss their book and this painful part of American history.

Five debut authors tell SLJ about creating funny, joyful, and serious stories, and their hope that young people take pride in who they are.

Debut novelists and former We Need Diverse Books mentees Diana Ma and Angeline Boulley discuss their writing challenges, their families’ reactions to their novels, and using the YA genre to discuss identity and culture.

The author of The Project discusses false assumptions about cult members, the truths of surviving trauma, and how this “crossover” book really is YA.

In the summer of 2020, a time of tragedy and activism throughout the country, Black teens were still falling in love and discovering their relationships to the world...and Renée Watson was working on a book about radical self-love and a Black girl saving herself. Here she writes about finding joy amid pain and how love can be a personal revolution.

This month’s debut authors share what it has been like to get their first YA book published in the midst of a pandemic. Crystal Maldonado, Louisa Onomé, Marti Leimbach, and Bethany Mangle also discuss some of the research and self-reflection that went into writing their stories, and the importance of staying true to yourself.

Four first-time YA authors tell SLJ about the inspirations behind their novels, their paths to publication, and their hopes for young people in 2021.