Sorry for the blog silence over the last couple weeks! Here are lots of good links I’ve been hoarding:

• The wonderful Jenny Martin on struggling and succeeding.
• Maps that track the history and use of the English language.
• We don’t just need diverse stories, we need inclusive stories.
• “If you believe the lie that boys can’t read books written by or featuring girls then you don’t understand the purpose and value of storytelling.”
• Some great posts on Stacked this recently, like this one about agency and abortion in YA and this one about intersectionality and friendship stories.
• And speaking of friendship stories, where’d they all go?
• The amazing Ally shares her recommendations for comics and graphic novels.
• Writers throwing shade.
• “Her books are intimate and compelling. She has a voice that somehow seems to chime even with a modern sensibility. She is, in essence, timeless.” Of course we’re talking about my girl Jane Austen.
• Estimate how long it will take you to get through that book pile.
• Asian women’s history in YA fiction.
• #VeryRealisticYA is one of my favorite recent Twitter trends.
• Molly has a fantastic breakdown of gender and the NY Times Bestseller List.
• I am so the group bookworm.
• And speaking of, where my fellow bookworms at?
• Cannot even tell you how excited I am for sidewalk poetry.
• A reading list for young feminists.
• A fantastic Q&A with Jacqueline Woodson.
• And another Q&A with the amazing Aisha Saeed.
• The female body and how YA authors can confront stereotypes.
• Why “just happens to be gay” is dismissive.
• The most challenged books in 2014.