Stages

Program: Fiction, Community, and Activism: How YA Depicts the "Real Lives" of Teens

Fiction, Community, and Activism: How YA Depicts the Real Lives of Teens

Saturday, June 25, 2022

10:30am – 11:20am

Location: Exhibit Hall - PopTop Stage

Francesca Padilla, Darcie Little Badger, Yamile Saied Méndez, Vincent Tirado, and Jas Hammonds explore the intersection of community and literature—what does it look like in contemporary stories versus real life? Which stories “get it right”? Moderated by S. Michele Echols, authors discuss how racial, health, and socioeconomic inequality are depicted in their fiction, and what we can learn from their full-of-heart characters fighting for a way forward while navigating difficult, real-life issues and systems.

Stage Presenter(s)

FP

Francesca Padilla, (she/her)

Author
Soho Teen
DL

Darcie Little Badger, (she/her)

Author
Levine Querido
VT

Vincent Tirado, (they/them)

Author
Sourcebooks
JH

Jas Hammonds, (they/them)

Author
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
YS

Yamile Saied Méndez, (she/her)

Author
Algonquin Young Readers
SE

S. Michele Echols, (she/her)

Librarian Moderator