Melissa Joy Adams' Journal

Today was way too hot. I'm not a fan of sweating, unless I'm exercising, in which case I fully appreciate it's cooling properties. Thank God for air conditioning.

I woke up today at 1pm, way way too late in the day, because I didn't fall asleep the night before until 5am. I started reading a new book and HAD to finish it. Echo by Kate Morgenroth. This is a really interesting book--very unique and well crafted. I could have used a little more tying up of the ends but that's a reader response critique not a writing one.

Just finished a paper for school. I think it is crap, but I'm crossing my fingers the prof won't agree. :) I could work on it more, but it's the end of the term and I'm physically and mentally drained.

Drinking wine and watching TV before collapsing in my bed.

Apparently Twitter and Facebook has made me write in short choppy sentences.

Adieu

I've mostly wasted away this beautiful but hot spring day. I had so much work to do and I did nothing. And now I'm sitting down to enjoy a tasty ice cream sundae while watching 3:10 to Yuma. Meanwhile my cat is stretched out on a plastic bag sleeping contentedly.

Ah the simple pleasures of life.

Does a short blog count for a BEDA? :)

I'm sad I didn't hear about BEDA until now.  I saw a few people posting about this but didn't take the time to find out what it was until now.  That said, I'm going to attempt to BEDA from now until the end of the month. It's only a few days left, but better late than never.

My BEDA for today:  A Friday Five

1.  This is my first friday five every and I'm very excited about it.  But I'm not really sure what I'm do exactly, so I hope this is right.

2.  I discovered a new wine today that I really enjoy... A Clover Hill DeChaunac.  The wine is very smooth, slightly sweet, and has a nice warm full mouth. 

3.  The weather was so gorgeous so I took a long walk basking in the sun.  Lots of daffodils were in bloom along my path.

4.  Shamefully I still haven't written anything new in my YA novel/thesis, but I did write a 5 page paper for one of my FSU classes.  (Have to write a 1000 word paper sometime this weekend.)

5.  I just learned that acupuncture can help with allergies.  I'm going to have to investigate this more and find a local acupuncturist.

Has anyone seen the Hunger Mountain Writing Contest? If so...those of you who know more about actually being writers professionally....would this be a good thing to apply to? Are there any downsides to winning, getting part of a book published in an online journal? Like later if you ever want to publish you'll get screwed, etc?

is on the TV.

My head hurts. 

I'm exhausted.

I should take a nap.

Instead, I'm sitting infront of my PC hoping that the Inspiration Fairy will smack me with her stick and I'll be able to write a genius (or hell even a somewhat logical) chapter 4. 

Meanwhile in the kitchen.....a English Pastie bakes in my oven.  (Yum)

Does anyone out there know where or how I can get a copy of a 1998 PBS's Live from Lincoln Center production of Twelfth Night? It was directed by Nicholas Hytner and starred Helen Hunt and Paul Rudd. I've checked the PBS website but they don't list a way to buy it that I can see. I've tried seeing if copies were listed in the libraries such as Worldcat, Library of Congress, and NYPL. I know that a copy of every broadway production is supposed to be kept at one of the libraries in NYC which is dedicated to theater, but even if it is at that library, those copies cannot be taken out of the library.

I found someone with a copy of it several years ago after I saw it but the copy I had got damaged and I ended up throwing it away. Now I can't remember where or from whom I got that copy, nor can I find anyone else that has a copy who would be willing to make me a copy.

I MUST have a copy of this version of the play. It's my all time favorite version and nothing anymore compares to it. Plus I love that it's filmed as a real stage version so that if I were to show clips of it when teaching, students would really get a good idea of what a live play is like verses a filmed play.

I keep hoping that PBS will reshow it some day and I can record my own copy, but over 10 years later I've had no such luck.

Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher. This is one of the best books I've read. It's very very well written. I read it for pleasure but also stopped occasionally to look at how it was written since I was suppose to read it for my on-line Tutorial Class with Alexandria. She thought I was doing something similar and that looking at it would help me construct my novel. I see why she thought that it was like what I was doing, but I've kind of gone a different route now, plus looking at his book I could NEVER weave mine together like he did. It is just perfect. What he does is tell two stories that intersect from two characters POV. What's different about this is that he doesn't separate the two stories via chapters like most writers doing this would/do. It's sometimes sentences or paragraphs only from one story to the next. Part of what keeps it clear what's going on is the italics for one story and part of what makes the shifting so UNBELIEVABLY perfect is the subtle way themes, works, concepts are crossed over from one to the other. It makes for one great story. Plus, it's a compelling tale, you can connect with the characters right away, and the heart wrenching scenes made every cell in my body groan (yes I know I'm a little overly dramatic).

Oh another reason to like it is that its main character is a boy. A really realistic and likable boy. I hope it gets more boys reading.

Also, it is good it made me want to write more--finish my thesis--make it good not just finished--made me want to tell a story that can do to others what that book did to me.

I think I'm going to try to do a monthly reading list like so many of my friends do. Here is October. Let's see if I can keep it up.

October

Books read for FSU class
Alexie, Sherman—The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Anderson, Laurie Halse—Twisted
Basso, Michael—The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality (non-fiction)
Barnard, Bryn—Outbreak: Plagues That Changed History (non-fiction)
Doctorow, Cory—Little Brother
Gaiman, Neil—Coraline
Jones, Diana Wynne—Howl’s Moving Castle
Koerge, Ron—Arizona Kid
Plum-Ucci, Carol—What Happened to Lani Garver
Rosoff Meg—How I Live Now
Satrapi, Marjane—Persepolis
Stratton, Allan—Chanda’s Secrets

Books for Pleasure
Meyer, Stephanie—Twilight (began on Oct 31 finished before 5am on Nov 1!)

I review for Children's Literature Database and wanted to post this review of Melissa Marr's book Ink Exchange.  I believe it was just released today.  Go out and get your copy.

Ink Exchange

Melissa Marr

            Compared to her classmates, Leslie’s life is a struggle.  She works part-time to pay the family bills.  Her mother left years ago.  Her father is a drunk.  She is terrified of her drug dealing brother, who sold her for a few bucks to his creepy friends, letting them do whatever they wanted to her for the night.  Leslie survived but is still full of fear and pain.  She desperately wants a tattoo to reclaim her body.  She wants to change, to feel safe, in control and fearless.  The tattoo represents all she wants, the changes she intends to make, and that her body belongs to her and no one else.  Unknown to Leslie, there are far more dangerous things to fear than her brother—the dark fey.  The secret world of immortals surrounds her.  With her best friend, Aislinn, being the Queen of the faery Summer Court, a life filled with fey is inescapable.  Leslie's longings draw her to the dark faeries, and despite Aislinn’s protective forces, Leslie’s horrific past leaves her vulnerable to their powers.  What neither girl realizes is that when Leslie chooses her tattoo, she is being marked as property of Irial, King of the Dark Court.  Leslie’s desire to feel painless and fearless is granted but for a terrible price.  For the second time in Leslie’s life another person takes control of her body, using her for his pleasure, but unlike before, this time she might not survive.  In the sequel to Wicked Lovely Marr takes readers back to where the beautiful, but dark, faery world traverses the real world.  The sensual writing lures in the reader, letting him or her experience every moment of terror, or pleasure, Leslie experiences.  The intense plot, vivid characters, and stellar writing will captivate readers, making them long for more.          

BIBLIO: 2008, HarperTeen, Ages 12 up, $16.99 and $17.89

REVIEWER: Melissa Joy Adams

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-0-06-121468-4

ISBN: 978-0-06-121469-1

Yesterday I want for a walk.  It was part of my Run/Walk routine that I'm doing to build back up to running again.  Well, it was a beautiful day.  The sun shone down making me feel the vitamin D soaking into my skin and the blossoms of the cherry tree twirled down on me like that one beautiful scene from the movie Legend.  I walked blissfully along when I noticed I wasn't alone.  My new MC had decided to join me.  She's pretty young, but she kept up.  I had a problem with her story--couldn't quite figure out how to get her to solve the problem she got stuck in.  So I asked her, and before the walk was over, we had solved it.  The problem I thought she had wasn't really the issue at all.  Once I figured out her real stake, it was so much easier to figure out a way for her to fix it.  I'm so taking more MC's on walks and runs! 

 I'm thrilled to have gotten my new set of books to review.  I have a fun hard cover chick lit that centers on classical music /music school.  A totally wonderful looking historical mystery.  A new dark faery novel by Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely author).  A middlegrade boy werewolf book that doesn't look nearly as scarey as the one I read for last time (I hate horror).  And a cute Irish click lit that looks amusing.

I also have to say I simply love love love Marr's little bio on the back of the book, "Melissa Marr has taught literature in colleges and slung drinks in biker bars.  She lives in Virginia.  You can visit her online--and read her daily blog--at ..."  I love this but wonder is that good for teens to read that one of their author's habits is sling back drinks.  Hmmm..... Still I love it.

I just finished this amazing book, Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel. This book has a great voice, two in fact, as you get the main character Echo and then her older sister Zoe. I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. Not only because of the great voice but also because the plot was wickedly gripping and real. This is a book I wish I wrote. This is like the book I wanted to write when I began writing this past summer. Not in content, in format, style, in goodness. I think it's as good as Speak, but for a younger reader, for the tween. It's so what I intended from that first word I began. Okay, maybe it isn't that good. It's hard to tell since I just read it and was so engulfed by it.

Click for Spoiler

( Click for Spoiler )

I read about this on the ChLA list serve. Why are people so close minded?!? 

A children's picture book about two male penguins that hatch a chick together has been pulled from school library shelves in Loudoun County, Virginia.

The 2005 book is called "And Tango Makes Three." It draws on the real-life story of Roy and Silo, two chinstrap penguins at the Central Park Zoo in New York.

Parents complained that the book has a gay agenda and have called for its removal. But supporters say the book's removal is censorship.

The decision by Superintendent Edgar Hatrick is being criticized by many parents and gay rights advocates. They say the school system shouldn't have allowed one complaint to limit children's literary choices.

A spokesman for the Loudoun schools said Hatrick thought the book's content might not be developmentally appropriate for some students.

Click http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15764474/ for more information. 

Today I finally signed up for SCBWI.  I'm super excited.  I also decided I should try for one of the grants, because while it's a long shot it never hurts to apply.  I think I'm going to polish up a section, write a short synopsis, and mail it out.  It's nice to have a good excuse to work on my writing.  WIth the critical thesis looming over me, regular work, and other life things, I can't seem to find the time to write or justify it either. 

I found this on the ChLA list serve and thought it was important to pass along.

RAINBOW PROJECT ANNOUNCES FIRST ANNUAL GLBTQ BOOK LIST FOR YOUTH

Philadelphia, PA, January 2008

Co-sponsored by the American Library Association's Social Responsibility Round Table and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Round Table, the Rainbow Project proudly announces its first annual bibliography for young readers from birth through age 18. These 45 fictional and informational books that validate same-gender lifestyles and experiences were chosen for their high appeal to readers, quality writing and illustrations, and realistic portrayals of issues.The titles in the inaugural list were originally copyrighted in the United States from 2005 through 2007.

Four titles, all published in2007, have been starred for excellence: Peter Cameron, Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You (FSG); Julie Anne Peters, grl2grl(Little/Megan Tingley); St. James, James, Freak Show (Dutton); and LuVickers, Breathing Underwater (Alyson).

An examination of over 200 books reveals that glbtq books are heavily weighted toward upper grade levels and that many glbtq characters in fiction take a peripheral position. Other concerns are public censorship and the lack of ready accessibility to these books. The members of the Rainbow Project encourage the publication of more books with characters validating same-gender lifestyles and cataloging with subject headings that describe these glbtq characters in children's and young adult fiction.The Project wishes to thank the authors, illustrators, editors, and publishers who are willing to confront the challenges of censorship and look forward to their providing more quality books that portray glbtq characters in a realistic and prominent manner. Future bibliographies will cover 18 months of publication, from July of the previous year through December of the current review year. Selection will be done at the ALA Midwinter Conference. Information is available at www.myspace.com/rainbow_list.Project

Members: Jane Cothron, Lincoln County Library District/Coastal Resources Sharing Network (OR); Helma Hawkins, Kansas City Public Library (MO); Arla Jones, Lawrence High School (KS); Natalie Kendall, Greeley Elementary School (IL); Sharon Senser McKellar, Oakland Public Library (CA); Victor Schill, Harris County Public Library (TX); Nel Ward (OR); and Christie Gibrich, Grand Prairie Public Library (TX).

Rainbow Final List – 2008 Books Copyrighted 2005-2007

Beginning Readers

Considine, Kaitlyn. Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story. Il. Binny Hobbs. 2005. unp. Two Moms Books, $10.95. (9780615189253). Pre-K. When Emma's two moms teach her to be nice to her cat, Emma enjoys being told yes instead of no.

Gonzalez, Rigoberto. Antonio's Card/La Tarjeta de Antonio. Il.Cecilia Concepcion Alvarez. 2005. 32p. Children's Book Press,$16.95. Gr. 1-3. Antonio comes to terms with his classmate's ridicule of his mother's partner, Leslie.

Jopling, Heather. Monicka's Papa Is Tall. Il. Allyson Demoe. 2006.unp. Nickname (9780978073909). Pre-K. Monicka's papa and daddy are very different, but the puzzle pieces show that both of them love her very much.

Jopling, Heather. Ryan's Mom Is Tall. Il. Allyson Demoe. 2006.unp. Nickname Press, (9780978073916). Pre-K. Ryan's mom and mummy are very different, but the puzzle pieces show that both of them love him very much.

Lindenbaum, Pija. Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle. Trans. ElisabethKallick Dyssegaard. 2007. unp. R&S Books, $16.00.(9789129667349/9129667348). K-Gr. 2. Jealous of her uncle's new partner, Fergus, feisty Mia plays tricks to drive him away until the day Uncle Tommy isn't feeling well and she decides to accept his relationship with Fergus.

Richardson, Justin and Peter Parnell. And Tango Makes Three. Il.Henry Cole. 2005. unp. Simon & Schuster, $15.99.(9780689878459/0689878451). K-Gr. 2. At New York City's Central Park Zoo, two male penguins parent an egg and start a family.

Middle/Early Young Adult Fiction

Burch, Christian. The Manny Files. 2006. 296p. Atheneum, $15.95.(9781416900399/141690039X). 296p. Gr. 5-8. Shy Keats Dalinger learns from his unconventional male "nanny" to be more self-confident and out-going while the "manny" becomes more and more a part of the family.

Hartinger, Brent. The Order of the Poison Oak. 2005. 211p. HarperTeen, $15.99. (0060567309). Gr. 7-10. Tired of being the school freak, gay 16-year-old Russel tries to escape as a summer camp counselor in a rural summer camp only to be attracted to the same counselor as his bisexual friend Min.

Howe, James. Totally Joe. 2005. 189p. Atheneum/Ginee Seo Books,$15.95. (978068983573/068983597X). Gr. 6-8. In 13-year-old Joe's alphabiography assignment—the story of his life from A to Z—he bares his soul about his parents, teachers, friends, and enemies--and his coming out.

Larochelle, David. Absolutely, Positively Not 2005. 219p. ArthurA. Levine Books, $16.95. (0439591090). Gr. 7-10. Fifteen-year-old Steven conscientiously collects photos of girls in bikinis and dates his female classmates in this humorous attempt to fit into his Minnesota high school, only to find out some surprising things about the people around him—and himself.

Limb, Sue. Girl Nearly 16, Absolute Torture. 2005. 216p.Delacorte, $15.95. (0385732163). Gr. 7-10. Forced to leave her boyfriend and visit with her father for two weeks, 15-year-old Jess finally learns the reason her father left her mother.

Peters, Julie Anne. Between Mom and Jo. 2006. 232p. Little,Brown/Megan Tingley Books, $16.99. (0316739065). 232p. Gr. 7-10. Fourteen-year-old Nick has a great life with his two moms until they split up and he's caught in the middle with no support.

Selvadurai, Shyam. Swimming in the Monsoon Sea. 2005. 280p.Tundra, $18.95. (08887767354). Gr. 7-10. Fourteen-year-old Amrith finds his life in Sri Lanka turned upside down when his Canadian cousin visits and Amrith falls in love with him.

Non-Fiction

Marcus, Eric. What If Someone I know Is Gay: Answers to Questions about What It Means to be Gay and Lesbian. 2007. 183p. Simon Pulse,$8.99. (9781416949701/1416949704). Gr. 7-12. This radically updated resource covers basics and not-so-basics in a question-and-answer format.

Miller, Calvin Craig. No easy answers: Bayard Rustin and the civil rights movement. [Portraits of Black Americans Series]. 2005. 160p. Morgan Reynolds, $27.95. (9781931798433/1931798435). Gr. 7-10.Although a leader in the US civil rights movement, Rustin's arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment for a homosexual encounter were used to discredit his work.

When I Knew. Ed. Robert Trachtenberg. Il. Tom Bachtell. 2005.120p. Regan Books, $22.95. (0060571462). Gr. 9-12. More than 80 contributors briefly describe their self-discovery "eureka moment" regarding their sexual orientation in a fun book with a magazine style.

Young Adult Fiction

Alvarado, T. I. Wanted. 2006. 190p. Alyson, $14.95.(9781555839451/1555839452). Gr. 10-12. Bounty hunter Ladybird "Bird" Blacker has too much to deal with, from a pacifist partner to a six-foot-, seven-inch-tall business rival who wears a scowl you couldn't scrape off with a chisel—and then her little sister comes to town.

Berman, Steve. Vintage: A Ghost Story. 2007. 148p. Haworth ,$12.95. (9781560236313/1560236310). Gr. 10-12. Rejected by his parents because he's gay and sent to live with his aunt, a teen is haunted by a handsome boy—in more ways than one—and only black magic will help.

Cameron, Peter. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You. 2007.229p. Farrar/Frances Foster Books, $16.00.(9780374309893/03743098920. Gr. 10-12. Holden Caulfield, meet James Sveck, a white, middle-class New Yorker who disdains his peers and most of the adults in his life, except for the gay man who manages his mother's art gallery.

Davis, Will. My Side of the Story. 2007. 243p. Bloomsbury, $14.95.(9781596912946/1596912944). Gr. 10-12. Only 16, cheeky Jarold a.k.a.Jazz, hits the gay bars to escape the misery of his life.

Garden, Nancy. Hear Us Out!: Lesbian and Gay Stories of Struggle,Progress, and Hope,1950 to the Present. 2007. 230p. Farrar, $18.00. (9780374317591/0374317593). Gr. 8-11. Fact and fiction show the struggles for lgbt teens in America during the past five decades.

Goobie, Beth. Hello, Groin. 2006. 271p. Orca, $17.95.(9781551434599/1551434598). Gr. 9-12. Wanting to be normal,16-year-old Dylan Kowolski tries to hide her lesbianism and develop sexual feelings for her boyfriend at the same time she has a passionate crush on her best female friend.

Humphreys, Helen. Wild Dogs. 2005. 185p. Norton, $13.95.(0393060152). Gr. 10-12. Alice, in love with a wildlife biologist,gathers at the forest's edge with her and four other people to save their dogs that have become feral.

Hyde, Catherine Ryde. Becoming Chloe. 2006. 215p. Knopf, $15.95.(0375832580). Gr. 9-12. Attempting to protect Wanda (aka Chloe), another homeless teenager, 17-year-old Jordan finds the brutality and beauty in life on their road trip across the country.

Levithan, David. Wide Awake. 2006. 221p. Knopf, $16.95.(9780375834660/0375834664). Gr. 9-12: In a future American when gay Jewish Abraham Stein is elected president, lovers Jimmy and Duncanjoin the throngs of people traveling to Topeka to protest the governor's threat to change votes.

Moore, Perry. Hero. 2007. 428p. Hyperion, $16.99.(9781423101956/1423101952). Gr. 10-12. Thom Creed, the son of super heroes, has to hide the fact that he's gay if he's going to fit into the League—but he finds a lot more problems than that facing him.

Noyes, Katia. Crashing America. 2005. 249p. Alyson, $14.95.(1555839118). Gr. 10-12. Afraid that she will kill herself at age 18 as her mother did, 17-year-old Girl (formerly Gretchen) flees SanFrancisco on a road trip to the Midwest, searching for a place where she belongs.

Peters, Julie Anne. Far from Xanadu. 2005. 282p. Little, Brown,$16.99. (031615881X). Gr. 9-12. Mike Szabo--ace softball player, weightlifter, a.k.a. Mary Elizabeth--has enough trouble surviving in her small town before a new girl, Xanadu, turns Mike's life upside down.

Peters, Julie Anne. grl2grl. 2007. 151p. Little, Brown/MeganTingley Books, $11.99. (9780316013437/0316013439). Gr. 9-12. The young women in this collection of ten short stories are at different levels of self-discovery, searching for satisfying relationships.

Rucka, Greg. Gotham Central: Half a Life. 2005. 168p. Il. MichaelLark et al. DC Comics, $14.99. (1401204384). 168p. Gr. 9-12. Police detective Renee Montoya's secret lesbian life, which she must keep from not only her co-workers but also her family, puts her in great danger when she is implicated in a murder and her main defender is the psychopathic criminal Two-Face.

Sanchez, Alex. Getting It. 2006. 210p. Simon & Schuster, $16.95.(9781416908968/141690896X). Gr. 9-12. Hoping to impress a sexy female classmate, 15-year-old Carlos secretly hires gay student Sal to give him an image makeover in exchange for Carlos's helping to form a Gay-Straight Alliance at their Texas high school.

St. James, James. Freak Show. 2007. 298p. Dutton, $18.99.(978052547799-0). Gr. 9-12. Outrageously over-the-top teen drag queen Billy Bloom, a new student at the very conservative Dwight D.Eisenhower Academy, finds that life is not easy for him among the rich white students with their brutal homophobia.

Steinhofel, Andreas. The Center of the World. Trans. Alisa Jaffa.2005. 467p. Delacorte, $16.95. (038572943X). Gr. 11-12.Seventeen-year-old Phil navigates his complicated family dynamics and his first sexual relationship in a lyrical novel first published in Germany.

Vickers, Lu. Breathing Underwater. 2007. 251p. Alyson, $24.95.(9781555839642/1555839649. Gr. 10-12.In 1970s Florida, it's literally sink or swim for 12-year-old Lily who struggles for self-acceptance while dealing with her mother's mental illness.

Wittlinger, Ellen. Parrotfish. 2007. 294p. Simon & Schuster,$16.99. (9781416916222/9781416916228). Gr. 9-12. When Angela, who has never felt comfortable as a girl, finally comes out as transgendered and begins life as a boy, she isn't prepared for everyone's reactions.

Nonfiction

Baez, John and others. The Gay and Lesbian Guide to College Life.2007. 391p. Random/Princeton Review, $13.95(9780375766237/037576237). Gr. 10-12. College life for GLBTQ students—financing, the right school, being out or not, dealing with GLBTQ phobia, and more—is the focus of this guide for both students and those who love and care about them.

Beam, Chris. Transparent: Love, Family, and Living the T withTransgender Teenagers. 2007. 323p. Harcourt, $25.00.(9780151011964/0151011966). Gr. 10-12. Four transgendered girls share their world with a volunteer in a Los Angeles school for gay and transgender students.

Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. 2006. 240p.Houghton Mifflin, $13.95. (9780618477944/0618477942). Gr. 11-12. Bechdel reveals her childhood experiences with a closeted gay father and her coming out as a lesbian in this powerful graphic-style memoir.

Carlip, Hillary. Queen of the Oddballs and Other True Stories From a Life Unaccording to Plan. 2006. 273p. Harper, $13.95.(9780060878832/0060878835). Gr. 10-12. This hilarious off beat memoir chronicles the escapades of an unconventional girl surrounded by artists and rock stars in the 1960s and 1970s.

Cart, Michael and Christine A. Jenkins. The Heart Has Its Reasons:Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer Content, 1969-2004.2006. 205p. Scarecrow Press, $42.00. (978810850712/0810850710).Gr. 9-12. This overview of young adult glbtq fiction 1970 to 2004 includes lists of books for teens.

The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing. Ed. David Levithan and Billy Merrill. 2006. 272p. Knopf, $9.95.(9780375832901/0375832904). 288pp. Gr. 8-11. This collection of essays and poetry from a wide diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered teens shows the complexity of today's LGBTQ youths.

Hear Me Out: True Stories of Teens Educating and Confronting Homophobia. Planned Parenthood of Toronto. 2005. 197p. Second Story Press, $12.95. (1896764878). Gr. 9-12. Twenty teens from a variety of social, economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds give personal accounts of gay, lesbian, queer, transgender, transsexual,and questioning young-adult experiences.

Keen, Lisa. Out Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know about Their Legal Rights. [Queer Action/Queer Ideas Series] 2007. 158p. Beacon,$11.00. (0807079669). Gr. 9-12. LGBT young adults can make a difference

Patterson, Romaine, with Patrick Hinds. The Whole World Was Watching: Living in the Light of Matthew Shepard. 2005. 289p. Advocate,$24.95. (1555839010). Gr. 9-12. After young gay Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered in Laramie (WY), the author of this book formed a group of "angels" who surrounded the bigoted Fred Phelps of Topeka(KS) when he and a small group picketed outside the killer's trial with such signs as "Matthew in Hell": this is the autobiography of the young woman who conceived and carried out this idea.

Rouse, Wade. America's Boy: A Memoir. 2006. 340p. Dutton, $24.95. (9780525949343/0525949348). Gr. 10-12. Growing up in southwestern Missouri in the 1970s and hopelessly out of step with the redneck masculinity surrounding him, Wade tries to hide the fact that he is gay by overeating.

Since everyone I know has two livejournal accounts (one for professional purposes and one just for fun), I decided it was time to have my own more professional livejournal account too.  I hope to use this one for posting entries just about writing, literature, and books.  My other account will be for more personal entries.  Perhaps, in the end I'll find I don't need two accounts, but I wanted to try it out.