The following three papers will be presented during the symposium.

YA Literature:  The Story Without as Well as Within

The faces of today’s teens are undeniably changing due to the changing faces of today’s families.  This paper explores the presence of mixed raced and minority characters on book covers and concludes with suggestions for how cover art may evolve in the future. Presented by Regina Carter.

The Future of Whiteness in Young Adult Literature

Diversity is an incredibly important component of YA literature and YA librarianship; part of diversity is recognizing the role being a white librarian plays in the YA literature experience and in the selection of titles for the library. Being white is a social and cultural role that is often normalized, neutralized, and unrecognized, and yet it plays a tremendous role in the publication and dissemination of YA literature. How does whiteness exist in current popular fiction and how might we see these trends changing as whiteness becomes a more acknowledged component of the publication, dissemination, and selection of YA literature. Presented by Amy Greer.

The Badging of Biracial Identity in YA Literature

This paper will explore how biracial teens in YA realist novels negotiate multiple identities and eventually create new ones as metaphorical badges that create community or cross borders. Presented by Hannah Gómez.