Laurie Halse Anderson's Blog, page 2

In between her many (many!!!) events for the #SHOUTTogether tour, Laurie took some time to recommend five of her favorite books that create safe spaces for  tough topics. You can see the full collection on Apple Books, and check out the video below for highlights!

http://madwomanintheforest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Laurie-Halse-Anderson-Guest-Collection-Social-Animation.mp4

We were delighted to learn this week that Speak: The Graphic Novel, illustrated by the amazing Emily Carroll, is on YALSA’s 2019 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list! Big thanks go out to the selection committee from Laurie for including it, and all of us here at Team Madwoman In the Forest highly encourage you to check the full list out — it’s an incredible group of titles.

As you know, Laurie is hitting the road for the publication of SHOUT, and many of those events include a book as part of the ticket. We’ve got good news for those who can’t make an event but still want a signed copy — Children’s Book World will be handling signed preorders!

If you preorder through them, you’ll get a signed copy of SHOUT plus a limited edition tote bag. In addition, for every preorder of SHOUT by Laurie Halse Anderson received before 3/11, Penguin Young Readers will donate $1 to RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization (up to $5,000). So you can get a signed book, get some swag, and do some good all in one. Full details are right here.

We’re so excited to announce the details of Laurie’s tour this March and April! We hope you’ll join us to SHOUT together — details are on the Events page, and the full tour plus details is available right here.

Please note: due to the material Laurie will be discussing, these events are recommended for ages 13+. Most of them are ticketed, so do check out the links and “More info” for each event.

Hello friends; Laurie's assistant Jenn here, to remind you all that Team Halse Anderson is incredibly excited for the launch of the 20th anniversary edition of Speak next Tuesday, February 15!

There's a lot to be excited about -- first off is that Laurie will be doing events in PA, NY, and DC, and the full details are up here and on her site at http://madwomanintheforest.com/events/.

Second is that the 20th edition not only has a gorgeous new cover, but new material as well! Ashley C. Ford has contributed a foreword, and Jason Reynolds has written an afterword. On top of that, there's also an updated Q&A, resource list, and essay and poem from Laurie.

If you're dying for a sneak peek, you can read an excerpt that includes a poem right here: https://storage.googleapis.com/fierce...

Enjoy, and maybe we'll see some of you at an event!

As you can tell from her Events page, Laurie’s been traveling all over tarnation doing school visits, conferences, conventions, you name it. She’s also been hard at work on writing the Wonder Woman graphic novel for DC, plus a few other Secret Projects I am not at liberty to discuss, or someone will revoke my author assistant card! But in there, she found time for a quick trip to NYC to visit her publishing team at Penguin and do some pre-pub work on SHOUT, and I thought y’all might enjoy a peek behind the scenes of Author Life.

First up was a media luncheon, at which she got to sit and chat with folks from the press about SHOUT, the #MeToo movement, the state of the world in general, and why she’s hopeful now of all times. Being an author is not nearly as glamorous as people thing, but this is one of the few times that authors live that Fancy Life — good food, good conversation, and a gorgeous display of her book!

Photo credit: Jenn Northington

 

Then it was off to a recording studio where she did a video interview, read from SHOUT, and recorded some special messages for booksellers and librarians. You’ll probably be seeing them online in the coming months, so keep an eye out!

Photo credit: Jenn Northington
Photo credit: Jenn Northington

 

She also got some new author photos taking, which you’ll also be seeing around in the coming months, but here’s an out-take just for you:

Photo credit: Randy Fontanilla

 

Reminder: You can pre-order SHOUT from your local indie!

–Jenn

Laurie is profiled alongside several other wonderful YA authors in this thoughtful New York Times piece by Julia Jacobs, “Using Young Adult Novels to Make Sense of #MeToo.”

Ms. Anderson, the novel’s author, said books can offer teenagers the language to understand an unfamiliar issue. In her conversations with thousands of teenage readers, she said, it was clear that many had previously lacked the language to understand what happened to Melinda, her main character — or even what happened in their own lives.

“So many kids have come to me and said, ‘I didn’t realize what he did to me,’” she said.

Read the full piece here!

Laurie’s been working with RAINN for years, and she’s delighted to announce that she is now a member of their National Leadership Council!

Members of the NLC will work with RAINN leadership to identify an agenda of programs, policies, and initiatives that help survivors, inform and educate the nation about sexual violence, and bring perpetrators to justice. Members include:

Tori Amos – singer/songwriter and survivor

Laurie Halse Anderson – survivor and author of Speak

Marika Anthony-Shaw – founder and CEO, PLUS1

Ashna Chopra – supporter

Peter Church – chief talent officer, UnitedHealthcare

Torrey DeVitto – actor, activist, and philanthropist

Michael and Catherine Devlin – supporters

Cameron Esposito – comedian, survivor, and activist

Allen Hicks – partner, Hogan Lovells

Kelly Johnson – philanthropist

Ashley Judd – actor and humanitarian

Kesha – singer, activist, and survivor

John Marciano – supporter

Marci M. Matthews – survivor, advocate, and philanthropist

Paul McComas – author of Unplugged

Katherine Miller – RAINN board member

Christina Ricci – actor

Alice Sebold – author of Lucky

JP Sheehan – supporter and volunteer

Jennifer Sincero – author of You are a Badass

Mira Sorvino – actor, activist, and survivor

Breanna Stewart – professional basketball player, Seattle Storm

Keep an eye on RAINN in the coming months as they continue their amazing work supporting survivors and ending sexual violence.

FORESHADOW: A Serial YA Anthology offers a unique new online venue for young adult short stories, with a commitment to showcasing underrepresented voices, boosting emerging writers, and highlighting the beauty and power of YA fiction — and Laurie will be selecting one of the new voices in a forthcoming issue!

You can read the current stories right here, and support their Indiegogo campaign if you like what you read.

Calling all NYC residents and visitors: Penguin Random House is making free books available on the Grand Central wi-fi in NYC, and two of Laurie’s books (along with lots of other amazing titles) are included! You can check out the YA/Children’s list, and more details, right here. Enjoy!