Powerful Confluence: The Transformative Power Inherent in Young Adult Literature and Young Readers: An Interview with Melanie Crowder

Abstract

As someone who appreciates young adult literature (YAL) and who recognizes the importance of encouraging and supporting young readers, I think that the best day of the entire academic year may well be the one that occurs annually at the Literature Festival, held on the campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Every fall the Literature Festival brings together outstanding YA authors from across the country and hundreds of enthusiastic middle and high school readers from around Kansas and Missouri, resulting in a day that both shines an important spotlight on and celebrates readers, writers, and great books.