Hi! As you can see from the dates on these posts, I’ve been away from my website for a while—teaching LGBTQ Literature at Macalester. (More about that in a future post). I did pick the wildest semester to start teaching college with a global pandemic in the middle of it. And also I live in Minneapolis, which is hopefully ground zero for the revolution, so let me formally start this post saying:
After taking the summer off the social internet, I’ve come back to a month of wow!
In the Silences won the silver medal at the 2019 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards for Pre-Teen – Mature Issues. I love this book and I’m so glad it already has an award. (And I dorkily feel like my characters won the award rather than me, though in truth I should split it with my amazing team of beta readers, consultants and editor.)READ MORE
This year Stephanie Burt and I have the same publication date! So we made a video talking about our books. Hers is Don’t Read Poetry: A Book About How to Read Poems, and mine is In the Silences. You can find out more about both in this video (and see below the video for the transcript):READ MORE
You can buy my new novel starting today! The official publication date is May 21, but my publisher, Bella Books, has made copies available early on their site (click here!).
The launch party will be June 1 at the Roseville Barnes & Noble, HarMar Mall, 2100 Snelling Ave N, Roseville, MN 55113. You can RSVP to the Facebook event here or just show up! I’ll read from the new book and have special guests with me to talk about the beta reading process, plus we’ll take audience questions. I will sign books and happily geek out about comic books and gaming with anyone who wants to.READ MORE
In three weeks, my new novel will be shipping. This one’s targeted for slightly younger ages, like Being Emily, focusing on ages 14-15 for the main characters.
What’s it about?
This spring and summer I’ll be at three conventions: ClexaCon in April, WisCon in May and GCLS in July. I’m very excited to be on two panels for ClexaCon:
For more info check out the panels list on the ClexaCon site: https://clexa-con.com/programming/2019-panels-workshops/READ MORE
I’m excited to be participating in three great events in the Twin Cities area for October and November:
7 – 9 PM
Quatrefoil Library
1220 East Lake Street Minneapolis, MN, 55407
Discover exciting trends in young adult literature, expand your reading list, and play a trivia game with prizes! Christine Jenkins, co-author of Representing the Rainbow in Young Adult Literature, will take you on a whirlwind tour of five decades of this exciting and now booming genre. Author Rachel Gold will read from the new edition of her groundbreaking novel, Being Emily, and explore the future of YA literature with queer and trans content. Reception to follow. Books will be for sale and authors will be available for signing!READ MORE
The week before I read at Harvard Book Store, the Boston Globe ran a great profile focused on the new edition of Being Emily, which you can find on their site. Here’s my favorite quote:
Echoing [Stephanie] Burt’s introduction, Gold added, she intends the new edition to be a book “where trans girls really see themselves, see themselves being loved, see themselves in a positive light, overcoming problems. I think there’s still not enough of that in the world in terms of trans identity…”
Come see me in September if you’re near Atlanta; Portsmouth, NH; Boston; or St. Cloud, MN!
“Who Even Am I?” panel, Saturday, 10:00-10:45 YA Stage — Adolescence is a time for figuring out big things, including who you are. But how do you do that when your whole world is turned upside down? Details here.READ MORE