Kathleen Glasgow Book Signing

Well, my last post was about an author signing, but I actually went a different author signing less than a week before I met Caitlin Doughty. I was equally excited about this one- especially because it required going all the way down to Orlando, Florida!

Just kidding. I didn't go all the way to Florida for a book signing (but I might sometime in the future.  .  .)

We went down there to see family, take our son to Disneyworld for the first time (with his cousins, who were also going for the first time) and of course I had to go to Diagon Alley (but more on that later).

The first day we were down there, we decided to explore a museum in Orlando, and I also visited the Orlando Public Library.

That library was AMAZING! I didn't really get to explore it because it was closed off except for the area with the author event, but next time I go to Florida I'm going to make a point to visit and look around more.

I went there specifically to see author Kathleen Glasgow speak about her YA book Girl in Pieces. I read that book last year, and as soon as I was done, I started going back to re-read some of the passages.

I wrote her an email about why her book means so much to me, and she was nice enough to write back. I love it when authors respond to their fans!

I started following her on Instagram, and a couple months ago, I saw an advertisement for the event. Since we were already planning to be near Orlando that weekend, it just worked out.

She was appearing with another YA author, Jenny Torres Sanchez. I hadn't heard of Sanchez before, but I'm going to check out her books now. She read an excerpt from Because of the Sun, which focuses on a teen girl who is grieving the death of her abusive mother, and the complexity of that love/hate relationship. It sounds like the type of book (mental and emotional struggles) that I often like.

Glasgow and Sanchez discussed current issues in YA literature, and hit hard on the point that all teens deserve to have a book in which they can see themselves. Of course, not every teen can relate to every story, but that just means that we need to advocate for diversity in YA literature. Not just diversity of people: race, sexuality, religion, culture, gender identity, etc. but also a range of stories and experiences.

I'm not a teen anymore, but I saw part of my story reflected in Girl in Pieces. I have seen parts of myself reflected in lots of books, ranging from classics to contemporary middle grade to graphic novels and YA.

The original copy of Girl in Pieces I read was an inter-library loan book, so I was glad to purchase one for myself and have her sign it after the event.