From: Frederick, Angela (Library) <"Frederick,>
Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2012 22:36:37 +0000

As the current chair of YALSA's Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults A ward, I would like to echo Ms. Leeper's statements. When I was at the Annua l conference in Anaheim, I visited many publishers in the booths to see wha t eligible books they might have for our committee. At least three of the B ig Six publishers had nothing for me, and didn't seem to have plans to add nonfiction for teens to their priority list.

I'd like to add that our committee is always seeking field nominations. Pl ease feel free to read the submission guidelines here: http://www.ala.org/y alsa/nonfiction-award-suggestion-form

Thank you, Angela Frederick

Angela Frederick Teen Services Librarian Nashville Public Library Edmondson Pike Area Library 5501 Edmondson Pike Nashville, TN 37211 office: 615-880-3957 ext. 230 fax: 615-880-3961


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From: Leeper, Angela
 Sent: Monday, August 06, 2012 3:43 PM To: ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu Subject: RE:
 FORWARDED from Marc Aronson

I served on the 2010 Printz, which awarded medals to nonfiction, realistic fiction, historical fantasy, and historical fiction. Although I can't disc uss specific titles, I can assure you that the committee that year did eval uate every eligible title we could locate, including poetry, anthologies, a nd graphic novels. I know we are focusing on the Printz, but last year I s erved on the Morris committee, and again, we considered all formats.

I don't think the blame should be placed on the committee members but rathe r on the major publishers who release only a token amount of nonfiction, po etry, traditional literature, etc. And while we can all identify stellar n onfiction titles, a majority of nonfiction looks (to me, anyway) like "repo rt" books rather than engaging reading. This is another point to take up w ith publishers and not the committee members who have to work with what the y receive and find in a given year.

Angela Leeper

Angela Leeper, Director Curriculum Materials Center University of Richmond 28 Westhampton Way Richmond, VA 23173 804-289-8433 (office) 804-287-6369 (fax) aleeper_at_richmond.edu


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From: Kathleen Horning
 Sent: Monday, August 06, 2012 11:29 AM To: CCBC-Net Subject:
 FORWARDED from Marc Aronson

I am forwarding this message at the request of Marc Aronson:

** This question touches a nerve for me. Along with Michael Cart, I worked to create the award (I can't recall if he or I or someone else thought up the name, in honor of a person we both knew and admired); I served on the commi ttee that crafted the rules and another that reviewed how the award was goi ng. We made it explicitly clear that the prize honored literary excellence in many genres, and yet, in the main, this has become a fiction prize. The rules specifically state that anthologies (never selected), nonfiction (rar ely selected), poetry (never), even -- I believe-- plays (never) were eligi ble. Yet what we have had is so much a prize for novels and in particular f antasy that some assume that the Printz is meant to be a fiction prize. I h ope that future committees will be as alert to the excellences available in all forms of YA literature as we intended.

Marc Aronson Sent from my iPad

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Received on Mon 06 Aug 2012 10:36:37 PM CDT