It ain’t easy being a 21st century teen. There’s the existential dread (only marginally climate collapse-related), the lack of privacy, the increasing social disconnect and the relentless digital stream: strangers online telling teens what to wear, how to act and what they’re worth. 

Amid this roiling adolescent storm, Young Adult fiction is, for many, a safe port. It approaches the messy mayhem of the teenage experience with kindness, compassion and curiosity. From Judy Blume and John Green to homegrown heroes Melina Marchetta and Ambelin Kwaymullina, YA makes the world go ’round – and its cultural impact extends well beyond the borders of adolescence. 

Join award-winning authors Biffy James (Completely Normal (and Other Lies), Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, 2023) and Keshe Chow (The Girl with No Reflection, Penguin Random House, 2024) and writer/youth-librarian-in-training Lydia Schofield as they examine why teen lit matters. 

This event will be held as part of Odyssey Literary Festival 2024 at the Capitol Theatre, Swanston Street. See you there at 1.50pm on 25th October! Tickets are free, but bookings are essential.