Nina LaCour
Nina LaCouris an American author, primarily known for writing young adult literature with queer, romantic story lines.[1]Her novelWe Are Okaywon thePrintz Awardin 2017.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]LaCour was born in 1983[1]in and raised in the San Francisco Bay area.[3]Her family instilled in her an appreciation for the arts and education: "her grandmother taught china painting classes; her father was a teacher and then school principal; and her mother taught high school photography[4]."[3]
She attendedCampolindo High Schooland graduated in 2000.[5]She received her bachelor's degree fromSan Francisco State Universityand amaster of fine artsin creative writing fromMills College.[3][6]
Career
[edit]LaCour's first novel,Hold Still,was the result of her master's thesis while at Mills College.[3]Also while there, LaCour began teaching English composition to undergraduate students.[3]Following graduation, she taught atBerkeley City CollegeandMaybeck High Schoolbefore taking a few years off to care for her daughter.[3]
At present, LaCour teaches in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults program atHamline University.[7]
Personal life
[edit]LaCour currently lives in San Francisco with her wife and daughter.[3]
Selected works
[edit]Hold Still(2009)
[edit]Hold Stillis a young adult novel published October 20, 2009 byDutton Children's Books.
The book received the following accolades:
- American Library Association'sBest Books for Young Adultsselection (2010)[8]
- William C. Morris Awardfinalist (2010)[9][10]
Everything Leads to You(2014)
[edit]Everything Leads to Youis a young adult novel published May 15, 2014Dutton Children's Books.
The book is aJunior Library Guildselection[11]and has received the following accolades:
- Goodreads Choice Awardfor Young Adult Fiction nominee (2014)[12]
- YALSA'sBest Fiction for Young Adults(2015)[13]
- ALA Rainbow List(2015)[14][13]
We Are Okay(2017)
[edit]We Are Okayis a young adult novel published February 14, 2017, byDutton Children's Books.
TIMEadded the book to its "100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time" list,[15]andBustlenamed it one of the best books of the decade.[16]The Boston Globe,[17]Publishers Weekly,[18]andSeventeen[19]named it one of the best books of the year.
We Are Okayreceived various accolades, including the following:
- Booklist Editors' Choice:Books for Youth (2017)[20]
- Michael L. Printz Award(2018)[21][2]
- American Library Association's Rainbow ListTop Ten (2018)[22]
Watch Over Me(2020)
[edit]Watch Over Meis a young adult novel published September 15, 2020, byDutton Children's Books.
TheNew York Public Library,[23]Chicago Public Library,[24]Buzzfeed,[25]andKirkus[26]named it one of the best young adult books of the year.
The book received various accolades, including the following:
- YALSA'sAmazing Audiobooks for Young Adultsselection (2021)[27]
- YALSA'sBest Fiction for Young Adults(2021)[28]
Yerba Buena (2022)
[edit]Yerba Buenais LaCour's first book of adult fiction. The novel has "themes of drug and sexual abuse, death, abandonment, and purposelessness"[29]but is ultimately the story of "two star-crossed young women navigating trauma, family, and romance".[1]The New York Timesreviewed the book and called it a "sensory feast".[30]
The Apartment House on Poppy Hill(2023)
[edit]LaCour's 2023 bookThe Apartment House on Poppy Hill,illustrated by Sonia Albert, was shortlisted for the 2024Lambda Literary Award for Children's Literature.[31]
Publications
[edit]- Hold Still(2009)
- The Disenchantments(2012)
- Everything Leads to You(2014)
- You Know Me Well,withDavid Levithan(2016)
- We Are Okay(2017)
- Watch Over Me(2020)
- Yerba Buena(2022)
References
[edit]- ^abcMcQuiston, Casey (June 13, 2022)."Nina LaCour On 'Yerba Buena,' Writing Queer Love Stories, & YA Vs. Adult Fiction".Bustle.RetrievedDecember 24,2022.
- ^abMorales, Macey (February 12, 2018)."'We Are Okay' wins 2018 Printz Award ".American Library Association.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^abcdefg"About Nina".Nina LaCour.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"Hold Still" Nina LaCour
- ^McMahon, Regan (March 8, 2018)."Voice of youth: Author Nina LaCour honored for her YA fiction".San Francisco Chronicle.RetrievedJanuary 3,2023.
- ^Comerford, Lynda Brill (December 21, 2009)."Fall 2009 Flying Starts: Nina LaCour".Publishers Weekly.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"Creative Writing Programs - Faculty and Staff -".Hamline University.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"Hold Still | Awards & Grants".American Library Association.January 21, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"YALSA's 2010 Literary Award Winners".Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).January 13, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"hold still | Awards & Grants".American Library Association.January 18, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour".Junior Library Guild.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"Everything Leads to You".Goodreads.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^ab"Everything Leads To You".YALSA Book Finder.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"Everything Leads To You | Awards & Grants".American Library Association.December 20, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"The 100 Best YA Books of All Time".Time.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^Colyard, K.W. (December 18, 2019)."The Best Books Of The 2010s, According To 30 Of The Decade's Debut Authors".Bustle.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"Best children's and YA books of 2017".The Boston Globe.December 8, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"Best Books 2017 Publishers Weekly".Publishers Weekly.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^Orenstein, Hannah (January 16, 2018)."28 of the Best YA Books of 2017".Seventeen.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2017.January 1, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 1,2022– via Booklist.
- ^"We are okay | Awards & Grants".American Library Association.February 16, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"2018 Rainbow List".Rainbow Book List.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"Best Books for Teens 2020".The New York Public Library.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"Best Teen Fiction of 2020".Chicago Public Library.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^Penn, Farrah (December 10, 2020)."The Best YA Books Of 2020".BuzzFeed.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"Best of 2020".Kirkus Reviews.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"2021 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults".Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).January 4, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^"2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults".Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).January 14, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
- ^Hynek, Julia (June 11, 2022)."'Yerba Buena' Review: Understated, Bittersweet, Brilliant ".The Harvard Crimson.RetrievedDecember 24,2022.
- ^Harlan, Jennifer (May 31, 2022)."Love and Trauma in the Wilds of California".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedDecember 24,2022.
- ^"Announcing the Finalists for the 36th Annual Lambda Literary Awards".them.March 27, 2024.RetrievedApril 5,2024.