Atalissa Wells
One of the many incredible abilities of books is how readers can find a home among the pages. Worlds that only exist in paper and ink, characters that validate personal experiences, and that sense of escapism that many readers treasure whenever they pick up a book. However, there is also the importance of using literature to show readers how to find their place in the world we live in. This is especially prevalent in Young Adult (YA) fiction.
On Thursday, March 16th from 7 pm – 8 pm, YA authors Ellen O’Clover and Nicole Kronzer will be virtually conversing about the concept of using YA fiction to teach teen readers how to find a home in the world during their book talk Finding a Home in the World. They’ll also cover topics like what it takes from a writing standpoint to focus on the genuine lives of teenagers in their current climate.
““[R]eading has the unique magic of transporting you somewhere else. Introducing you to new ideas that you might resonate with in ways that curb your loneliness or assure you that you do belong.””
For Ellen O’Clover, a large part of the power of literature, or art of any kind, is its ability to relate a situation, feeling, or person to something else, diminishing the sense of isolation that is prevalent in anyone’s life, but especially those of teenagers. “Any feeling you’ve ever had–even the ones you might think are ugly–has been felt by someone else too,” O’Clover says. “There’s a lot of power and peace in that.”
Through writing YA fiction, O’Clover hopes to connect readers, understanding the feeling of being young and having limited information on the big world surrounding teenagers. She finds that the importance of YA fiction comes from the fact that “reading has the unique magic of transporting you somewhere else. Introducing you to new ideas that you might resonate with in ways that curb your loneliness or assure you that you do belong.”
Nicole Kronzer, an Eau Claire native, was born in the city, moved around for a couple of years, and then lived here through high school graduation. She credits the city and how her home shaped who she is. “Eau Claire is a big reason I ended up as a confident person who believed she could do anything she set her mind to,” Kronzer says.
Utilizing her experience as both a part-time high school English teacher and part-time YA author, she can witness and understand the lives of teenagers. She spends time surrounded by her high school seniors and her own teenage children, allowing her to be “tapped into the universal feelings of that exciting, difficult time.”
Both authors have recently published a YA novel. Ellen O’Clover’s Seven Percent of Ro Devereux is about a girl who dreams of working in tech, but also depicts the fear of what it means to be eighteen. Ro creates an app that predicts the future, causing more problems than anticipated. O’Clover hopes readers will remember that “we don’t need to have all the answers–or even a solid plan–to be worthy or to find joy. That we can give ourselves the grace to make mistakes and trust ourselves to figure it all out as we go.”
Nicole Kronzer’s novel, aptly named The Roof Over Our Heads, follows a seventeen-year-old boy who is trying to figure out who he is within a theatrical family and how to earn his place among them. She admits that sometimes the protagonist can be their very own antagonist, a commonplace thing in the world of teenagers when your worst enemy can be yourself. Kronzer says, “Ellen and I both wrote books about kids feeling like they have to do specific things in order to be loved,” and she looks forward to discussing both books with Ellen as they comment on the differences and similarities.
Join Ellen O’Clover and Nicole Kronzer on March 16th from 7 pm– 8 pm. This is a virtual event and registration is required. Registration is open now, so head to the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library website to sign up.