YA Book Stack
YA Book Stack is an in-conversation podcast with Australian authors who discuss the application of their text in the middle years English classroom and the ways their text is reflective of the experiences of young adult readers and the world they engage with. Through a focus on the text in the classroom, YA Book Stack aims to encourage educators to embrace the flexibility of the middle years and explore a broader range of texts in their curriculum.
YA Book Stack
Demet Divaroren on Blood Moon Bride
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This episode features a conversation with Turkish-Australian author and editor Demet Divaroren about her dark fantasy novel Blood Moon Bride. Demet discusses the novel's long journey to publication, writing feminist speculative fiction, and the ways fantasy can be used to explore power, identity, resistance and belonging.
This episode also includes a discussion of world-building, symbolism and magic systems in fantasy, the influence of family history on storytelling, and the role of speculative fiction in examining real-world issues such as misogyny, injustice and cultural erasure. The conversation explores the concept of "coming of age" across a lifetime, the importance of critical thinking and self-determination for young people, and the ways literature can provide a safe space for readers to engage with complex social and emotional themes.