Valentines Day is just around the corner so it seems appropriate that this month on YA Write I am talking to author and activist Robin Stevenson. A former social worker, Stevenson's empathy and care for those around her inspires both her writing and her social justice projects of which there are too many to count. Join us as Stevenson shares her activist roots and how they have informed her non-fiction books, Pride and My Body My Choice.  Happy Reading!  —Amy *Any beliefs expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Canadian Children's Book Centre ..read more

Going into my podcast with author Sylvia McNicoll, most recently known for Body Swap, I had ideas about what I wanted to ask her. Focusing on her last four YA/teen books alone, the themes of death, rebirth and second chances have fascinated me, especially since they keep reappearing and are obviously something Sylvia has wrestled with. Sometimes though, podcasts get away from me. While I did get to bring a bit of that out in my conversation with Sylvia, ultimately when she started to talk, all I wanted to do was listen. Her writing career has spanned decades and continents - experiencing first ..read more

In a special summer edition of YA Write! Podcast, author Christina Minaki talks about her novel, #BurningTheBoats ! Tune in for an enlightening conversation about disability, self-publishing, and the challenges of changing long-held perspectives. *Any beliefs expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Support the show (http://bookcentre.ca/support-us/donations ..read more

Caught up this week with Nova Scotian author Tom Ryan whose book, Keep This To Yourself, comes out in May. Ryan expands his range from contemporary teen fiction to mystery, reflecting the importance of equal representation of LGBTQ characters in all genres. Having lived in several parts of Canada, Ryan discusses when Canadian settings are important, and what he hopes to bring to a teen audience. Happy Reading! *Any beliefs expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.  Support the show (http://bookcentre.ca/support-us/donations ..read more

Hello Canadian teen book readers! After a medical leave of absence I am back with a podcast interview with Star Spider! Her first teen book, Past Tense, is coming out in April. Listen to our 46 minute conversation covering such topics as mental illness and and LGBTQIA2 issues in YA, and the unique writing processes of short stories and full length novels. Up next month is Danielle Younge-Ullman, GG & White Pine nominee for Everything Beautiful is not Ruined. Enjoy, and happy reading! —Amy *Any beliefs expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Canadian Childre ..read more

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – the Canadian Children’s Book Centre award nominees have been revealed, and the 2019 Forest of Reading lists will be close behind. I am happy to announce this year’s nominees for the Sylvan-sponsored Amy Mathers Teen Book Award are: The Agony of Bun O’Keefe by Heather Smith, Everything Beautiful is not Ruined by Danielle Younge-Ullman, The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline, Munro vs. the Coyote by Darren Groth, and The Way Back Home by Allan Stratton! For the past few years, kidlit author, founder of Raising Readers, and Giller Prize marketing manager ..read more

Amy sits down to talk with the 2020 finalists for the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award: L.D. Crichton (All Our Broken Pieces), Nafiza Azad (The Candle and the Flame), Natasha Deen (In the Key of Nira Ghani), Tom Ryan (Keep This to Yourself) and S.K. Ali (Love from A to Z).  Support the show (http://bookcentre.ca/support-us/donations ..read more

My guest this month for YA Write! is Michelle Barker, author of The House of One Thousand Eyes, a novel about life under the East German regime in Berlin after World War II. Listen as we explore the differences and commonalities of writing sci fi/fantasy and historical fiction, learn about the unimaginable tactics of the Stasi, and be inspired by Lena, a teen character who is thought to be simple minded but has more courage than most. I hope you will be as enthralled as I was. *Any beliefs expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre ..read more

Amy sits down with all of the nominees of the 2019 Amy Mathers Teen Book Award: Kelley Armstrong (Aftermath), Catherine Lo (Easy Prey), Tanaz Bhathena (A Girl Like That), Michelle Barker (The House of One Thousand Eyes) and Janice Lynn Mather (Learning to Breathe).  *Any beliefs expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.  Support the show (http://bookcentre.ca/support-us/donations ..read more

Hello Canadian teen book readers! Change of authors this month - Christina Minaki's Burning the Boats launched on May 24th, but due to my personal medical problems I was unable to get together with her to tape our podcast. Look for her in one of my special summer podcasts that will be available through the CCBC's Twitter feed. Instead, I took advantage of the CCBC/TD Book Week and met up with BC author of Are You Seeing Me? and the upcoming Infinite Blue, Darren Groth, at the Hamilton Public Library. Coming in at one hour and seventeen minutes it is a longer podcast than my previous ones, with ..read more