I’m back from almost 2.5 weeks of travel/book promotion on the East Coast. It was quite an experience! Everybody kept calling it a book tour, but it didn’t start out that way — initially it was just a trip to Philadelphia for NCTE, and then I decided it would be convenient to visit family in the Boston area while I was on the East Coast, and then there was this other event that I was going to do, and then more and more … and all of a sudden I had a tour!
Today I’m posting photos and a recap of my Boston and New York events. Tomorrow, I’ll have photos and a recap from Philadelphia. Here we go …
I started my “tour” (the idea that I had a tour still cracks me up) at Phillips Academy in Andover, where I spoke to their Gay/Straight Alliance, which is apparently the second oldest in the nation. I was an idiot and didn’t bring a camera to the event, but lemme tell ya, Phillips looks like paradise, if you like old buildings and academic quads, and I do. They were so smart and thoughtful, and reaffirmed my total love for talking to LGBTQ teens. Thanks to everyone at the Phillips GSA for having me, and thanks to the Andover Bookstore who came with copies of Ash!
Then I did three events at Wellesley College, my alma mater. Three events in one day, I learned, is a lot. By the end of the day my ability to form a complete sentence was totally gone.
Here I am, standing in front of my college dorm, Shafer Hall.
While I could still speak, I spoke at the English Department, visited a creative writing workshop, and gave a lecture (with Powerpoint!) sponsored by Spectrum, Wellesley’s lesbian/bi/trans student group. Everyone at Wellesley is an overachiever, so all of the students asked me really tough questions that I’m sure I didn’t do justice to.
Erin Dionne and me
Next, I headed down to New York, where I kicked off a week of events by talking to teens at the Brooklyn Public Library. This was when I learned that some students couldn’t come because their parents had objected to the same-sex story line in Ash.
People always ask me if anyone has ever tried to challenge my book, and so far the answer is no, but it was interesting to finally encounter some resistance to it. I admit, I was surprised. It was also a bit sobering to hear. But the students who did come were great, and many of them had read Ash already. I was bowled over by their enthusiasm!
In New York, I was also invited to give a talk at the New York LGBT Community Center, where all of Team Ash showed up!
Left to right: Kate Sullivan (editor), Ames O'Neill (publicist), me, Tooraj Kavoussian (publicist), Laura Langlie (agent)
Everyone at the LGBT Center was great; thanks to Howard Williams in particular for inviting me, and thanks to Books of Wonder for stopping by to sell books! A few former AfterEllen.com writers also came to the talk:
L to R: soapboxx (from Twitter!), Kourtney Eidam, me, Alicia Lendon
At the New York Public Library, I spoke to a roomful of middle school kids and learned that communicating with 12-year-olds truly is an art — one that I have not yet learned!! I think we managed to have a good discussion, though, and I always love talking to the aspiring writers who linger afterward and pepper me with questions at the end. I also got to meet Shani Petroff (author of Bedeviled), who stopped by to say hello. Sadly, I forgot to take a photo (this is the major lesson I learned from my tour: remember to take photos!).
My last New York event was at the Harvey Milk High School, a special public school for LGBTQ youth. Can I just say: WOW. The Harvey Milk students made powerpoint presentations about Ash! I was blown away! This time, I did remember my camera and was lucky enough to be photographed with these great teens:
The awesome students at Harvey Milk High School (and me).
Thanks so much to the Harvey Milk High School and the Behind the Book program for inviting me.
That’s it for Boston and New York. Tomorrow: Philadelphia!
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{ 9 comments }
Wow! I’m so glad to hear about the enthusiasm for Ash! Really, I have to tell you that I wish I’d had a book like Ash when I was thirteen or fourteen. It’s so much more empowering than a traditional fairytale (although I love old fashioned tales too) and it’s so refreshing to have a girl get herself out of trouble without being hauled over a saddlebow by her ‘rescuing prince’!
I myself am determined to write a different take on Beauty and the Beast. I always have such high hopes for that story but I’m forever disappointed. The ending always negates everything Beauty learns about the goodness of a person because the Beast is turned into a perfectly appealing politically correct young gentleman!
Thanks so much! You know, I’ve gotten a number of emails from readers who say they wish they’d had a book like ASH when they were teens. That is so amazing to me.
I love Beauty and the Beast, too. Have you read Robin McKinley’s ROSE DAUGHTER? It’s her second take on the tale (BEAUTY was her first), and the beast doesn’t simply turn into a handsome prince in this version. I think ROSE DAUGHTER is really interesting, but I have to admit I like BEAUTY more (probably because I read it first).
I haven’t read either Rose Daughter or Beauty. I will promptly buy them. I do adore Robin McKinley, The Blue Sword in particular. Go Hari! The first time I read that I was so in love with it, I shoved it at my sister and demanded that she read it too. She didn’t finish it! She said ‘eh, it’s okay, but I just don’t get Hari-whatever her name is’ I flung myself around in general hysteria squawking ‘You’re my IDENTICAL TWIN how can you not ‘get’ Hari and how awesome she is?’
I loved THE BLUE SWORD. It’s one of my very favorite books of all time.
Malinda!
So glad you’re safely back on the left coast, but more importantly, SO GLAD I was able to come and meet you and hear your talk.
Again, your book was wonderful, and I look forward to following your career for years to come!
Cheers,
Alicia
It was great to meet you finally, too! Thanks for coming to the event.
I would have loved to go to one of your New York events! Alas, work got in the way.
Like JJ, I wish I could’ve gone to one of the events! Stupid work requiring me to work & not take spontaneous vacations…
“Work” is clearly overrated.
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