Acclaimed Author of Young Adult Novels to Speak on Campus

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An Na

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Author An Na, a Korean-American writer who examines issues surrounding ethnic identity in her novels for young adults, will speak Jan. 23 on the University of Arkansas campus.

Her talk, titled “The Power of One Voice,” will start at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, in Giffels Auditorium in Old Main. It is free and open to the public. The College of Education and Health Professions and the Brown Chair in English Literacy in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences are co-sponsoring the event.

Na won the American Library Association’s Michael Printz award for her young adult novel, A Step From Heaven, in 2001. It’s the story of a young girl who moves with her parents from Korea to Southern California, and the stress they experience as a result of the pressure to assimilate. The novel was also nominated for the prestigious National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

Na’s other novels are The Fold and Wait for Me. All three were published by Penguin.

Like her protagonist in A Step From Heaven, Na was born in Korea and grew up in San Diego. She’s a former middle school English and history teacher who lives in Vermont. Her novels examine the social and political tensions that her characters navigate as they reconcile their Korean heritage with their desire to be American. She believes that it is important for young people to have access to stories that reflect an experience broader than white suburban life, and, as a writer, she aims to let them know that these “other” lives and stories count.

“For the past three years, I have taught a course on young adult literature and I’m always amazed by the interest it generates on the part of students at the University of Arkansas,” said Sean Connors, an assistant professor of English education who is coordinating the event. “Students from a range of academic disciplines take the course, and some actually aspire to write young adult literature after they graduate. Young adult literature is one of the fastest growing genres in the publishing industry, and the success of series such as Harry Potter and the Hunger Games has created a cross-over audience made up of college students and adults as well as teenagers. To have an accomplished writer like An Na visit campus and talk about the importance of capturing a diverse range of voices in young adult literature is exciting, and I think that students, faculty and community members will appreciate what she has to say about the power of one voice to create change.”

Na will sign books immediately following her talk. The University of Arkansas Bookstore will have copies for sale.

“As we prepare to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day and the progress we’ve made as a country in addressing social inequities, it’s important that we also take time to acknowledge the obstacles that continue to stand in the way of our realizing his dream,” said Connors. “By inviting readers to examine the complexities of issues such as immigration and assimilation, An Na attempts to do just that.”