Brittany asked P.D. Workman:

As a grad student and future teacher, I am learning that many young people deal with intense and traumatic issues in their lives. What inspires you to write for young adults, specifically with an emphasis on sensitive and difficult issues? Why do you think it is important to include contemporary and diverse texts in the modern classroom? Did you develop your reading interest mostly inside or outside of school? Thanks!

P.D. Workman I think that part of the reason I write for young adults is that I started writing young. I was a teenager myself, so it was natural to write about teens and topics that were important to them. In addition, teens are on the edge of empowerment. Moving from a subordinate role into independence and making their own choices. From being told what to do and think to figuring out who they are.

As a teen, I was never into the dating scene or sports. I wasn't particularly concerned with fitting in. I have always felt things deeply, and issues like abuse and addiction really affected me. So it was natural that I would build my stories around the grittier issues rather than the school social structure or romance.

Stories have a way of touching people, old and young, more than any other medium. A story about homelessness will stick with us far longer than a chapter in a text. And as far as encouraging literacy goes, we are far more likely to read a book with interesting, compelling stories than a dry or dumbed-down text. I don't remember a lot about sitting in a classroom learning math or science. But I remember reading The Outsiders.

I developed my interest in reading and writing outside of the classroom. I was introduced to a lot of good books in school, and had one teacher in particular who encouraged my interest in writing, but I spent more hours reading and writing than I did going to school. Most of my time outside the classroom was spent doing one or the other!

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