First Draft Episode #281: David Levithan

David Levithan is editorial director at Scholastic and the author of many young adult novels, including Boy Meets Boy, Every Day, and co-author with Rachel Cohn of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares.

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On the Remember Reading podcast, discover the tales behind these beloved children’s book classics. Hear from award-winning authors like Meg Cabot, Katherine Paterson, and Tiffany Jackson, and guests as they uncover the unique story behind each story.

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

• The Babysitters Club series by Anne M. Martin

• David launched PUSH, the Scholastic imprint still there today

• Jean Feiwel, Senior Vice President and Publisher, Feiwel & Friends, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, Swoon Reads, Square Fish

• Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

• Dan Ehrenhaft, author of The Last Dog on Earth, Friend is Not a Verb, and That’s Life, Samara Brooks

• Sarah Mlynowski, author of Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe, I See London, I See France, and co-author of Upside-Down Magic

• The New York City Teen Author Festival

• Nancy Garden, author of Annie on My Mind, The Year They Burned the Books, and Endgame.

• Francesca Lia Block, Francesca Lia Block, author of more than 25 books, including seminal YA novel WEETZIE BAT, talks about her most recent book, THE THORN NECKLACE, a memoir-driven guide to healing through the craft of writing. (listen to her First Draft interview here)

• Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award and Newberry Honor winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming, Another Brooklyn, Miracle’s Boys and many more

• Brent Hartinger’s Geography Club

• Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of of several YA novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Suite Scarlett, The Name of the Star, and Truly Devious: A Mystery. She has also done collaborative works, such as Let It Snow (with John Green and Lauren Myracle), and The Bane Chronicles (with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan). (Listen to my interview with Maureen Johnson here)

• Lauren Myracle’s Kissing Kate

• Alex Sanchez’s The Rainbow Boys series

• Sara Ryan’s Empress of the World

• David edits Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games

• David edits Garth Nix, author of the Sabriel series, Angel Mage, and many more

• Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (movie)

• Bill Clegg, a literary agent formerly with WME and now at The Clegg Agency

• Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn

• Will Grayson, Will Grayson which David co-wrote with John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars and Looking For Alaska

• You Know Me Well with Nina LaCour (listen to her First Draft episodes here and here)

• Maggie Stiefvater, author of the The Raven Boys series, Shiver, and The Scorpio Races

• Alex Gino’s Stonewall Award-winning George

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Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998 or send an email to mailbag @ firstdraftpod dot com!

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