Rachel Cohn: Embracing (and Resisting the Urge to Throttle) Your Inner Teen...

YA author Rachel Cohn gave a great keynote on the Inner Teen which she kicked off by bringing out a life size doll version of her teen self complete with a questionable haircut and a flannel shirt.

Rachel talked about meeting Judy Blume, and her obsession with Deenie as a girl. Judy Blume, she says was really able to validate the feelings of an adolescent, and Rachel strives for this as well--to speak to teens authentically and build that fundamental trust that happens between teens and authors.

She talked about her passionate attachment to the things she loved as a teen (many the same as mine)--Luke & Laura, Prince, eyeliner from the mall, Ryan's Hope--and reminded us that, while the things that teens are into may change, there is always that passion, those feelings, that remain constant whatever the era. Teens are always embroiled in love, lust, hate, envy, fear, secrets like they are epic. Self-involvement is the thing.

She spent a bit of time reading quotes from other YA authors on keeping that authentic teen voice (Wendy Mass, Megan McCafferty and others).

I really enjoyed listening to Rachel read passages from her own work. She talked about writing as the teen Rachel and what she read from Nick & Norah's Infinite Play List was a great illustration of that teen voice. It's really a joy to hear writers with passion for their craft reading from their own work. I could have listened to her read the whole book.

She also shared letter from readers that, too, were illuminating in terms of how teen think about things and express themselves.

To wrap things up, were were treated to the trailer for the upcoming film adaptation of Nick & Norah. (And how is that not the coolest thing ever?) Enjoy it here.