SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

June 20, 2007 by Betsy Bird

Interview with Julie Ann Peters, Part One

June 20, 2007 by Betsy Bird   4 comments

That small rock you’ve been living under may be comfy, but if you haven’t heard of children’s/YA author Julie Ann Peters then it just may be about time for you to crawl out from under it.  One year she’s a National Book Award Finalist.  The next she’s got a Lambda Literary Award winner on her hands.  I took some time to ask Ms. Peters some questions and she was kind enough to respond, in spite of the fact that I work for her brother.   As a result, you get to hear her heartfelt plea for a little banning, thoughts on her bro "the nerd" (sorry, John), and the "scary time sink" that is blogging.

Loved Luna.  Loved Between Mom and Jo.  I don’t read much YA literature, but I made a point to read these.  So how is it that you have become perhaps the premiere YA author working in the field of Queer Lit?

The boyz  in the QTLC (Queer Teen Lit Club), David Levithan, Alex Sanchez, Brent Hartinger know I could take them down. Wimps. I told them, “Fear me,” and they do. It wasn’t even my idea to write gay lit; in fact, when my editor suggested it, I said, “Are you crazy? Are you insane?” I’d been struggling for ten years to establish myself as a children’s writer and I thought, If I write this lesbian love story that my editor, Megan Tingley, wants, all my books will be banned. I’ll be blacklisted. I’ll never make a living as a writer.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s been a journey.

I wouldn’t say I’m the premiere writer for our community. Not even close. I’m just trying to tell the truth of our lives. What’s important to me is being picked for the dedicated tag team who are assuming responsibility for embracing queer youth in our writing. 
 

Have you ever been banned?  I think we can probably assume that not every response to your work has been all kittens and roses, but outright banning is an ugly business.  Have you ever had to deal with it?

I haven’t received an official embossed letter that reads, “Dear Julie Anne Peters,

“We are pleased to inform you that your book has been banned in our school district/city/state/country of origin…”

You can’t ban a book that never makes it into a library. When I hear about authors who are up in arms about their book being banned, or removed from reading lists, I confess to a sliver of jealousy. I’d actually love for my books to be banned so at least I’d know they were once accessible to readers who needed them.

PLEASE. Ban my books.

So I work for your brother.  In the interest of full interviewer/interviewee disclosure I’ll just mention that.  With a bro as a librarian and yourself as an author, did your early years come across as particularly literary?

El oh el. We had one rule at the dinner table: No reading while you’re eating. That law was strictly imposed for my brother, the nerd.

John may have a different perception, though dubious doubt should be cast on his observations, since his nose was always buried in a book, but no, we weren’t an über literary family. I don’t remember anyone else besides John being a reader. Certainly, I wasn’t. Our father was a math teacher. Our mother could slam out the New York Times crossword in about ten minutes. Does that count?

We did read lots of cereal boxes. (We were allowed to read at breakfast.)
 


Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

September 2023

Apply for the Bechtel Fellowship, You Clever Librarians Out There!

by Betsy Bird

September 2023

Fuse 8 n' Kate: Drummer Hoff by Barbara Emberley, ill. Ed Emberley

by Betsy Bird

August 2023

If You Could Cast Anyone . . .

by Betsy Bird

August 2023

August Themes of Book Displays: Take a Dive Into the Image Search Lottery

by Betsy Bird

July 2023

First Lines of the Last 30 Newbery Award Winners.

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Coming Soon(ish): The Wild Robot Animated Film

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Cover Reveal: My Book and Me by Linda Sue Park, ill. Chris Raschka

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Exclusive: New Sibling Adventure Story from Papercutz | News and Preview

by Brigid Alverson

Heavy Medal

Debating Decades: Cast your votes in our survey of the best Newbery (and non-Newbery) books of the 2010s

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Book Review: All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Peter Brown Visits The Yarn to talk about The Wild Robot Protects

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

SLJ Book Reviews Editors’ Favorite 2020 Best Book Covers

Sessions on Teaching the Truth, Facing Challenges to Antiracist Books, Mobile Services, and More Planned for SLJ Summit

Best Middle Grade Books 2021 | SLJ Best Books

Best Young Adult Books 2019 | SLJ Best Books

Best Chapter Books 2021 | SLJ Best Books

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. TadMack says

    June 20, 2007 at 4:00 pm

    How funny that you work for Julie’s brother! I think sometimes we assume authors spring fully-formed from the dust of the earth. Things like siblings… never cross one’s mind.

    Nice interview.

  2. Fuse #8 says

    June 20, 2007 at 8:00 pm

    He’s very grateful that she limited her comments about him as well. At one point she threatened to put him into every single answer. Her abstention is admirable.

  3. Nicole5191 says

    November 15, 2007 at 10:56 am

    Hi,I loved your book Define Normal.It seemed so real to me.Jazz and Antonia were such beleivable characters. I’m a huge fan of your work. Love Always!

Trackbacks

  1. Luna | Queer Young Adult Literature says:
    November 26, 2013 at 1:50 pm

    […] School Library Journal, June 20, 2007 […]

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023