[applause] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: In fact, they go all the way? Yeah, I sit here. No, no. Tiffany. Right, follow a structured order of chapters. Now, earlier today, I had a chance to be with Janelle Monáe. And now I'm with -- Can you get any cooler than this? So I'm Carla Hayden. [applause] Good afternoon. Welcome to the 2022 Library of Congress National Book Festival, and it has been a phenomenal day so far. Jeannette had almost a days’ worth of amazing writers. And if you're just joining us now live on book TV, buckle up because we have a wonderful conversation ahead. [laughter] Oh, boy, this is something. Because I have right here one of the honors of leading the Library of Congress is my opportunity to meet writers I've adored and meet new ones, and that's the case with our next panel. This afternoon, I'm eager for you to hear and meet this wonderful group of talented writers behind the best-selling book for young adults, "Blackout." [applause] It's a beautiful and touching and even funny book about six young adults in New York City during a blackout. And it's so beloved that there is a sequel coming out called "Whiteout." So we're going to talk about that. [applause] And I just have to tell you that when I was carrying this book around today, too, and one of Janelle Monáe's co-writers, said, oh, I was in New York at 2003 when there was a blackout. And she said it just seemed like everything was possible and gravity was lifted. So that's what this book tells you. So we have a lot to cover. So let me introduce this group. Okay, now they're in order of story. And I'm going to try to put it, but history, too. I'm a librarian; Dhonielle Clayton. >> Dhonielle Clayton: That's me. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Is the New York Times bestselling author of the Bell series and the-- Oh, boy, wait till I say the next thing. And the co-author of Tiny Pretty Things, which was made into a Netflix original series. Tiffany-- [applause] -- D. Jackson is the author of best-selling young adult novels, Allegedly Monday's Not Cut. [laughter] And Let Me Hear a Rock. Nic Stone is the number one-- [applause] New York Times bestselling author of End of William C. Morris Award finalists, "Dear Martin", "Dear Justice", "Odd One Out." >> Nic Stone: We had church. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: "Jackpot." I like they like that one. okay, "Clean Get Away" and the "Shuri Novel series" with Marvel Comics; [applause] got them all. Okay, thank you I did my research. Now, Ashley Woodfolk [applause] worked in children's book publishing for over a decade, then became a full time mom and an extraordinary writer. And her books include "The Beauty That Remains" "When You Were Everything" and the "Fly Girl Series." I knew that. And Nicola Yoon is the number one, And you notice there's a theme here. Number one, New York Times bestselling author, New York bestselling bestselling Everything, Everything", "The Sun is Also a Star". And both of those have been put into the motion picture format, as well as instructions for dancing and the six. And I'm just sitting here for Angie Thomas because she couldn't make it. So just consider me part of that. [laughter] Okay she couldn’t make it because I just-- this is just so cool. So please, you've been welcoming them but welcome them to the 2022 Book Festival. [applause] So clap well, Because this book is about black love in all its forms. And how did it come about? Because one of you is the ringleader here. >> Nicola Yoon: The smallest one. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: So how did this happen in the middle of a pandemic to get all of you fabulous writers together? >> Dhonielle Clayton: Well, they're going to slander me. So let me set the record straight right now. Okay, so I have a 16-year-old niece, and we were watching all of the different books that have been turned into movies. And she asked me, she said, why out of the 15 or 20 we watched there's like one black girl who gets a love story. They're all sidekicks. And I thought, hmm, we have a problem. And then COVID hit, and we were all struggling to figure out what's going to happen to our world, what's going to happen to our industry, and will we ever be able to see kids again? Everything was shutting down and we felt like the world was experiencing a blackout. We were all stuck at home. And so I was like, Hmm, why don't we write a book together because we don't have so many things to do? But really, I think we were all in our various projects struggling to find meaning and hope in it. And I thought, what if we came together and wrote something? And I just called everyone and I said, I want to do this thing where all of these kids are stuck in a blackout with someone they might hate or love or secretly like. And they got to get to Brooklyn In New York, right? I live in Harlem and nobody wants to come see me in Harlem. So I was like, we're going to walk from Harlem to Brooklyn, right? And I just called everybody. That's the story. >> Nicola Yoon: She called everyone and told us we were doing it. I asked not a little suggestion? It was like, we are doing this. And you're like, okay. >> Nic Stone: Told us what we were doing. Like she gave each one of us, you're going to do enemies to lover. >> Ashley Woodfolk: She let me pick. >> Nic Stone: You're going to do the secret crush. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Why are you snitching? >> Dr. Carla Hayden: You weren't supposed to tell that. >> Ashley Woodfolk: I'm the favorite. >> Dhonielle Clayton: I have leadership skills. I was a librarian for over a decade, so I know how to organize and to compel people to get involved in a noble, cause for black teen love >> Dr. Carla Hayden: So it was obvious that you all already knew each other pretty well. >> All: Yes. And so you have-- Do you have that kind of bond just you've developed it. How did you get that bond develop? >> Nic Stone: Yeah, so the three of us and Angie were all originally supposed to debut in 2017, and we were a part of this debut group that imploded got interesting, but we all connected because we black like we were like the black people in that debut year. And like, I slid-- I think I slid into all of your DMs. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Yes. >> Nic Stone: Collector. So I collected my beautiful friends. And so then Nicola and Dhonielle, They debuted together. We were the only two black women. >> Nicola Yoon: 2015. >> Nic Stone: Yes. I also, collected them because we meet each other. And look what we were able to make by coming together. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Could you explain a little bit about that debuting and you would only two blacks and this is about publishing because we're at the book festival. And this is pretty remarkable but why is it so remarkable? >> Nic Stone: You take this one because I think you've got the best perspective. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah. So I worked in publishing for a long time before I became a full-time writer. And we knew diverse books exists for a reason. You know, that was started because of the obvious lack of diversity, especially in children's literature. And in some ways, getting that diversity and that representation up in children's literature is more important than having it anywhere else. And so, when you debut, something that they started doing was creating these debut groups where all of you it was kind of not the best idea. I feel like, because none of you know what you're doing and you're all just talking about not knowing what you're doing. But I think the idea was that if you're debuting with a bunch of people, you won't feel so alone in the process as you like, learn about it. But what often happens with these groups is they become pretty toxic pretty quickly because it becomes a competition. There's a lot of insecure, introverted people who are writers, surprise, surprise. And so if one book was doing better than another book or getting a bigger marketing plan or something, jealousy arose. And so a lot of these things got kind of messy, so we left and we were like, let's have our own little debut group over here. [laughs] Yeah, let's just be friends and, like, help each other out and not be toxic or competitive or whatever. But yeah, debuting is really scary because you don't really know what's going on. So many things are happening at once. Even me, having worked in publishing for a while, having my first book come out was a totally different experience, even knowing sort of what was going on the other side. So yeah, that's kind of-- >> Tiffany D. Jason: And I think also like it's in our ancestral DNA to like gravitate toward any black person that's in the room. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yes. And that's like safety. >> Tiffany Jackson: It's safety. And so immediately we're gravitating towards each other because that's safety. We know each other, like we recognize each other. We recognize family in each other. So we're able to sort of communicate and be like, okay. Let's get through it -- >> Ashley Woodfolk: -- without communicating. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yes. Like give me like the black church nod across the room and, like, know each other the look like what is going on, yeah. So we're able to sort of-- and that's why what made us like great friends from the very beginning is that we were just we're kind of going into this unknown world like together. And so, yeah. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And there are always so few of us because of the very few of us publishing books for young people that are from marginalized communities wasn't a top priority for publishing. And so therefore, they weren't seeking out people who came from those communities to write those stories. So that's why Nicola Yoon and I were the only two black women that were traditionally published in 2015. in young adult books, the two of us. >> Nicola Yoon: It's about the books that come out. That's just I mean, that's crazy. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Just us. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Because the number of books now people might not realize how many >> Dhonielle Clayton: It'd be hundreds. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Hundreds of books, and you were only two. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And we were the only two. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And I think there are more than like two young people. [laughter] >> Asheley Woodfolk: More than two young black readers. is what you're saying, yeah maybe. Maybe a couple. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And it's another reason why this book is so important for us to do, because it was a reminder that these kids who represent these protagonists are valid and their love is valid and who they are and what they're interested in and how they relate to each other and how they love on each other is valid and it's why we do what we do. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And the connectiveness. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah. I think we also wanted to do like a variety of different types of kids because I feel like too often, black characters fall into this very specific sort of stereotype, yeah. They're always the sidekick, they always have a very specific personality. And I think that lack of representation of different kinds of people, different kinds of black people, leads to a lot of like the dehumanization that you see happening to black people and like the interactions that people expect to have when they meet a black person. And so I think it was really important for all of us as we were writing the book. We were talking about also like, what's your character like? What are they into? What do they like to do? Like it was just like fun, sort of creating these like very unique characters and personalities because we wanted them to be as unique and beautiful as like actual black kids are. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Yeah, that's what you recognize. Full disclosure, I was a young adult librarian. So for me and long ago, to read about it and see the different kids and the threads that you put between the two stories, it's almost as though you and other full disclosure, it took me a little while to realize about the threads, but then once you say, well, wait, that's so-and-so's brother. That's so-and-so's grandfather. Oh, that's that and then you just really start getting into it and you had such diversity of backgrounds, like the grandmother who's a dog trainer. And even at the Westminster or something, it's like, oh, that's cool. So how did you. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: I guess I could take that one. So when Dhonielle, because I'm not afraid of her. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: The smaller. The smallest one approached me with this story. I was like, Are you sure? Because I write thrillers and horror. I don't know if I belong -- I don't know if I belong in the romance space. And she pitched it more like, oh, it's going to be like a love, actually, Valentine's Day. And I was like, oh, well, all of those stories are in, like, interconnected. I was like, That's the only way I could see this book happening. So my story is the one that's sort of the spine of the book, the couple that's like walking from Harlem to Brooklyn. And everyone just sort of like and that's what made it actually kind of easy, is that everyone wrote their story in a silo, but we were able to come back and find the connective tissue, like through culture, through backgrounds, through the school. So it just made it a little bit more like it just it fits so perfectly at the end. It was very flawless. Like, that's one of the best parts about this is like, this is the best group project ever. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: At the time you go to the end, you want it to be at the party? >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yeah [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: , You know it was just something. Now it's very realistic. And there were parts. And there was one day that I'm going through and I'm reading and I walked into the office and I said, So what's AF? [laughter] Uh huh, that was the reaction in my office. Because I'm plus-- because I had picked -- put a pencil mark in tablet. [laughter] And I say, okay, this is real. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Is that your chapter next, Stone. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Okay, and it's authentic. And so how do you connect and how do you know how the young people dressing because it feels. >> Nic Stone: I think all of us spend a significant amount of time in the presence of young people I don't like I'm in school what, twice a week. I think if you are going to write for young people but you don't like young people, don't write for young people, please. I know so many people are like I don't even like teenagers. I'm like, bro, you in the wrong genre. This is not for you, like this is not for you. But what made it so-- Like we met, we had the privilege of meeting Ashley's niece recently, Like Ashley has a niece, Danielle’s got a niece. Nicola is not only interacting with young people, she is now publishing for young people. So there's something really exciting about staying connected with the people you write for. And then there's also something I think all of us remember what it was like to be the age of the characters we're writing because we didn't have-- We didn't have these kinds of books. So this is very easy. People actually, we've had people get like upset when they find out that it wasn't hard to work together. They get so upset. You like, were like, yeah, they want so like, did-- So how hard was it? Did you have like, no, we like each other. We know each other's strengths and we respect it. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Each of one of them has a superpower. Each one of them does something really well and it felt like Captain Planet I'll date myself. You mean, like, all coming-- >>Ashley Woodfolk: say, Avengers? >> Dhonielle Clayton: Avengers. It felt like The Avengers coming together, and we'd help each other saying, could you help me? We have two people who don't live in New York who are not New Yorkers. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Okay. And you were able to weave in the Mississippi thing. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Yes. >>Carla Hayden: And coming into that. And how did you get from New Yorkers? >> Nicola Yoon: is easy, it's a training. >>Ashley Woodfolk: So we decided that we should, like keep them as enclosed as possible. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Tour bus and a subway car. >> Nic Stone: Yeah, I messed that up. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: The hardest thing about writing my story was figuring out how to get them off the subway. >> Dhonielle Clayton: It took a while to figure out that chapter. >> Nic Stone: Why are you not telling me? And it turns out Ashley could have told me. >> Ashley Woodfolk: I could have told you. Because my anxiety, I always know exit strategy. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And that was part of it. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yes I already know. >> Nicola Yoon: But I mean, even for mine, I lived in New York for a long time and I still had the Google Maps up. And just like zooming in, can you walk from here to here in 30 minutes, like I want to take, I mean. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: And I'm like a born and raised New Yorker. And when the copy ads were coming back, questioning, like, what I knew, I was like. >> Dhonielle Clayton: She's right. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: That's exactly but-- We took photos and get it into the document like, here, stet. [laughter] I got a little-- here's a photo of what and what it is >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Here’s the photo of the location I'm talking about, set. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Leave it as is. Don't touch my work. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And you looked at each other's work, though. >> All: Yeah, yeah. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And how was that give and take, fun? >> All: Yeah. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah, it was good. I would say, like-- I know we're not technically talking about "Whiteout" yet, but I would say with "Blackout," we worked a little more siloed and then we sort of dipped in and out of each other's stories. Whereas with "Whiteout", I feel like we were all in each other's stories a lot more the whole time. So yeah, the chapters are a lot more intertwined, I think, in "Whiteout" than they are in "Blackout." >> Dhonielle Clayton: We leveled up. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah, we leveled. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Fine. You know, when I finally got it was like, Whoa. I need a clue. >> Dhonielle Clayton: We made a plan in a Google doc, and based on how the sun sets, we use that as our governing metaphor, placed everyone in a sun set sort of order so they would know and then I would keep reading over everyone's stories as they were like deciding who's dad is whom and who knows who and all of that. But it was all in one little Google doc that we could reference at any time as we were fixing our chapters. And then our editor is very nitpicky and just amazing. >> Ashley Woodfolk: She's the best. >> Dhonielle Clayton: She's like OG old school, like red pen she's in-- She's like, didn't you say on page two that they were blah, blah, blah, blah? And I'm like, God, I can't get anything by. We couldn't get anything by her, right? So she would, yeah. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: That's what those editors do. I was describing it to someone and I said, this is very unique. And I said, Dad, you can't say that. Unique or very. [laughter] Editors, they're picky like that. So you had that, you had the editing and it sounds like you though, you had the freedom to just say, this is what we're going to do. >> Dhonielle Clayton: We wrote the whole thing. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah, we did. >> Dhonielle Clayton: During the pandemic, we wrote it. We didn't even tell anyone we were doing. >> Nicola Yoon: Yeah, it was a big surprise. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Wait a minute. Did the publisher know? >> Ashley Woodfolk: No, nobody knew. >> Nic Stone: So this is my favorite part of our story, right? So we're pulling it all together and we turn it in. And publishing lost their ever-loving mind. How many houses were in that auction? 12 houses in the auction. >> Dhonielle Clayton: We got our first offer 30 minutes after the manuscript left the agency. [applause] They were like, wait, what, what, what happened? And they didn't read it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: It was the names. >> Nic Stone: It was our names. And then it went wide and sold in like double digit territories. Like these are stories about black kids and all they reading about black kids in like Poland, Turkey. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Korea. >> Nic Stone: Korea, like, oh, really? >> Dhonielle Clayton: We've sold around the world. We’re very lucky and blessed. That our little black kids get to go all around the world. And they just loving each other and kissing, yeah. They're nervous and anxious kissing and then-- >> Dr. Carla Hayden: The one on the-- sitting here that would appreciate the intergenerational. We had some of the coolest old. >> Nic Stone: That was me. >> Carlya Hayden: No. I was like people or something because they were in on things like tweaking the kids. >> Dhonielle Clayton: There's no way to tell the story of black love without telling the story of our grand parents. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: That’s right. And that really came through to you. And they were realistic and not just knitting somewhere in the corner. >> Dhonielle Clayton: They're meddlesome, too. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And they had a life. that was something for channeling. So let's get into the fashion [laughter] because that was really evident from the hair to the everything. >> Nic Stone: We're glad you loved it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, it was just something. And you see the different tabs or this is when I really got with it. But just saying stuff like this only happens once in a lifetime and you won't take a second to just look up. >> Tiffany D.Jackson: That was me, yeah. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Beautiful to stop and appreciate. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yes. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And what made you-- >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Well, because one of the things that-- great things about New York and I'm not just saying this just because I'm from New York, is that when things like when madness happens in New York, we all sort of bound together and we all help each other. And one of the things that happened in the real blackout in 2003 is everyone like bound together. But one of the things that people realize is like, we've never seen like Times Square without the lights on. And so a lot of people went there just sort of like witness this like history. And that was one of the things that Kareem was actually saying to-- Why am I-- Dammie? >> Ashley Woodfolk: It's been a while. You’ve written how many books since then? >> Tiffany D. Jackson: There's been many books in between this one. But yeah, it was something about just like, take a moment to, like appreciate this moment between us and also this moment that's happening in our city. And I think that's something important, a lesson that could be learned for all kids is like, you're never going to live this one moment again like take a moment to, like, look up and appreciate, like the skies, smell everything. Like this love that you have right now in front of you, like you're never going to see this person again, maybe. There's few and far in between, like high school love stories that take it to, like extreme. And that's why you want to be able to, like, look at that person and be like, man, like, I really loved like, I loved you. And I still love you, so I'm done >> Ashley Woodfolk: If you feel like you're having your main character moment, lean into it. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yes. Embrace it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: No, You said I loved you because there were some decouplings that was kind of cool. >> Nicola Yoon: Well, and my story, she was-- she's actually trying to get back to the ex-boyfriend when she meets like an Uber driver. That's real cute and philosophical. And then by the end, maybe she doesn't want to get back together because life changes, right? You're a young people. You fall, there's an old version of yourself that you had a love with, and you're always changing because you're young and that's what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to grow and change, and you move towards new love, right? And that's one of the beautiful things about being young is like learning about yourself, learning who you love and who you want to love and who loves you, and then and making good decisions for yourself. >> Dhonielle Clayton: We have a lot of different tropes. >> Nic Stone: Listen, Nikki is like the love queen. Y'all all know this, the love doctor. >> Nicola Yoon: I love love. Love is the thing that -- >> Dhonielle Clayton: Love is amazing. >> Nicola Yoon: Love is the thing that everyone wants. We, like, make fun of romance all the time as a culture. But love is the thing that everyone wants. and everyone needs in their life. It's the force that makes the world go round 100%. All the books are-- All the books actually are about love. Everything's about it. >> Nic Stone: Yeah. I think Nikki helped all of us really, to, like tap into this space that we needed to tap into when the world was on fire. The best thing about working on "Blackout" was it gave each of us this little solace. Like, we're looking at the news. There's protests all over the world because George Floyd had been murdered, like we're in a global pandemic, that people are just being awful to each other. And Dhonielle is like, go write a love story. [laughter] And we were all like, euu. And then Nikki was like, okay, come on. >> Dhonielle Clayton: But leading us more kissing. There's the kissing. >> Nicola Yoon: So you could always add more kissing. There's no such thing as too- >> Dr. Carla Hayden: There was a lot of kissing. >> All: Yeah. >> Dhonielle Clayton: That's the best Nicola. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Kissing, I said, Okay, what is it? This one is my pulses races after. [laughter] His eyes widen. Oh, is that all he can manage? He pulls me closer and I started. >> Ashely Woodfolk: Who wrote that? Tifanny, who’s chapter is that? >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Okay, so there was a lot going on. >> Ashely Woodfolk: That was me, I think, yes. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And what was so cool was it was love in it's many forms, many types of love. And that's what came through and it's okay. It's okay. Who you love, how you love all of that. >> Nicola Yoon: As long as you're loving, right? It doesn't matter. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Yeah, it really got-- And you did have a little bit about the bad guard in the New York Public Library. We could just say that. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Look. Yes. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Who was that? >> Dhonielle Clayton: That was me. You know, there's always that little robot cop in the library that speaks a little aggressively, the patrons. And so I had to plant for comedic things and also to get them moving in the library, the little RoboCop going through, checking to make sure nobody's hiding out in the library. Also, public librarians are in the forefront of the homeless crisis and of all of this, right. And so they have to be able to-- there's like a lot of things happening in the Public library. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: It was kind of cool to see the guy with no pants run by what he was-- [laughter] >> Dhonielle Clayton: I'm not going to say that I have seen that. >> Carla: It's a public library. >> Dhonielle Clayton: In the public library I have. New York is a wild place, Okay. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: The other thing too, though, that I appreciated was you made it almost-- it was you normalized therapy for young people. I mean, I was reading along and it was like, yeah, my therapist and this and that. And that's very, I would think, important at this point. >> Nic Stone: I know that three of us on this stage have at least two therapists. I have a therapist, I have a trauma therapist and I have a psychiatrist. We don't play with mental health around here. it's important to recognize where you're at and to like. You got to do what you got to do, right? [applause] >> Ashley Woodfolk: Call your therapist, take your meds, drink your water. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: it was just put in there, almost like that. >> Nic Stone: There's so many-- And y'all kids are struggling. I think it's so important that we give voice to the fact that you have these young people who, in the most important developmental time of their lives, were forced into utter and complete isolation, like that will mess a kid up. So having the space to tell these stories about kids who like, yo, I really got to holler at my therapist because the girl is bugging like I need-- Needing help to just stay afloat is the most human thing there is. >> Dhonielle Clayton: But also, it's great for the black community. >> Nic Stone: Yeah. >> Dhonielle Clayton: I agree specifically to model that, that it’s okay. That it is not telling a family business. >> Ashley Woodfolk: And it's normal. It should just be normal. >> Nic Stone: Yes. We love Jesus. And also I take my antidepressants. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And that's what was so beautiful about it because it was just like yeah -- I saw this TikTok earlier and it was like, where's all the masculine men? And somebody like, has stitched it and said they're dead. They're dead because they have a heart attack at home and don't want to go to the hospital because they don't want to tell nobody that they're having suicidal ideation because they don't want to take their medicine, right. Like, and it's like we like that's why the mental health-- there's a mental health crisis in the black community because there's too much toxic masculinity, there's too many stigmas around it. And like, look, it's okay. We all struggling. Let's struggle together. Let's get some help, like it's okay. [applause] So yeah, I think that was really important for all of us to have that representation in the book and to normalize it because it is normal. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: That was-- that really struck out. >> Dhonielle Clayton: My character probably need therapy because she couldn't tell her real feelings out loud. They were using in the footnotes. I use this construct where she says a thing, but then you see in the-- >> Nic Stone: What she really means. >> Dhonielle Clayton: what she really means, the truth. Because I was a teacher and librarian where kids, you'd ask them, Are you okay? And they would tell you something else. Hint at that they're not okay and sort of that. There are so many kids with so many inner lives and they're not telling us the truth. They don't have a voice. They don't know how to -- >> Ashley Woodfolk: Right, they don't know how. And I think that's another thing like, that's part of it. Learning how. Like you have to learn how to share your feelings. You have to learn that it is okay to feel your feelings. And so, like my character and I wrote the story in the "Old Folks Home" with Joss and Nala. And my character is super emotional and she tries to hold it in and to hide it, even though she's having all these feelings. And I think that was something that I definitely went through, like feeling like I was too sensitive, feeling like I shouldn't share my feelings because I was being dramatic or whatever. And it took me a very long time to get to the place where I felt comfortable talking about that kind of stuff out loud. So yeah, I just wanted to write a character where she sort of starts by kind of hiding her feelings, but eventually she gets to the point where she can say them out loud. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And love just goes on through it. [laughter] Always bring it in and it's so something. I mean, and the diversity of experience is like a, my sister's in Tokyo. I mean, and the diversity of experience is like She's doing a semester group chats with family. >> Nicola Yoon: I mean, that's one of the things that's so problematic about our media landscape is that you see the same characters all the time. But that's not true, right? All my friends do different things. Some of them are scientists and a lot of them are poets. Many of them are New York Times bestselling author. And we don't get to see that where you see one sort of character on the screen. And it's just like the job of writers is tell the truth and those things are not true. What's true is that everyone deserves the full measure of their humanity and everyone is different. We all have rich inner lives, like every single one of us. We're all different. We're like, we don't do the things you see on TV all the time. That's just inaccurate. drives me Crazy. I get very passionate about this. >> Dhonielle Clayton: When black kids, black girls and black boys and black people get reduced to a look, a stereotype, we wanted to also celebrate black boys in this book, too, as love interests. Because one of our favorite friends complains that there are no Mr. Jason Reynolds, that there are no black boys that are love interest in YA and he was like literally on my case about it. And we had a big argument and I said, I'm a fix you. There are 13 black boys in that book that are incredible >> Dr. Carla Hayden: They’ve been in the sixties and just coming up. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Yeah, and now I'm just like, here you go. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Get out my face. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Get out my face. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And the portrayals, you just want to know them and everything and it's just-- >> Nicola Yoon: And they're all very cute and sensitive and they are in love with the girl in front of them. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: But she doesn't always know it. >> Nicola Yoon: Yeah, they don't always know, right? >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And then the different ways that you can love and who you can love was just all so normalized. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah. I mean, we want to put the queer kids in there. >> Nic Stone: Right, and it was important to us to also like, yo, not all black stories are about trauma. Like, yo, for real. Like there's-- And it-- It was important for me to write a black boy who his questions about his sexuality had nothing to do with his family not being accepting. Like, that's an important story to tell. Like, he had a very accepting family. So what are the other obstacles? It's important to show black kids who come from money. It's important to show black kids who have really happy homes with two parents. Like there's so many stories that are just living and breathing in reality that people really don't want to tell in books. And that stuff is annoying. Yes, and I can just say chuckle. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Well, it's just fun. I have to live that down. >> Nic Stone: Please start using it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Well, I have to find out when and how too, you know. I just learned what it is. It took me a long time with lol, you know. [laughter] I'm still working on that one. So they're doing it and that with the male representations, that was important in terms of the young man that started to not like basketball. And why, and talk about a stereotype. >> Nic Stone: Yeah. So that was my story. You know I don't know what the Lord be doing, but I am constantly surrounded by whiners like I have two male children. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Did she say whiners? >> Nic Stone: I said wieners. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yes, she did. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, you mean-- [laughter] >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Not a hot dog. I'm sorry. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Okay. You whisper in my ear. You whisper and she says something. you whisper and say, that’s’ what she meant. I got you. We’re good. >> Nic Stone: In February, I have two biological sons. I have two god-sons. I'm just, like, constantly, and this is true. I got nephews, like I have -- There's one girl in my life. Her name is Chuck and she is a menace because she is the only girl. And so we run this, but she's two. She's like my one little me. [laughter] But as a person who I was always surrounded by boys growing up, there is such a dearth of affirmation to males, whether cis, trans, etc. To the concept of male there such a dearth of affirmation of humanity. Hey, it's okay for you to be sad. It's okay for you to be afraid. It's okay for you to feel very big unwieldy feelings. So like any time I have the opportunity to write a dude, like he's going to have some depth because literally every single one in my life does. And yes, you can stop liking basketball like, that's okay. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: If you're black. >> Nic Stone: If you're black, >> Dr. Carla Hayden: It’s okay >> Nic Stone: You can stop liking basketball if you're black. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Yeah, okay. The other thing you did deal with was grief. And that gets back to the therapy too, and everything but just recognizing it and how it affects young people, too even if it's your grandmother. >> Nicola Yoon: I mean, the thing about writing for young people is that they're going through everything we all are going through, but just for the first time, right. So they need more help, actually. They need to have the stuff modeled more than the adults do because it's the first time. And those are big feelings and it's hard for us. It's doubly hard for them. It's such a privilege for us to do this because we get to be in conversation with them, right? And we get to say, look at this way of living and loving over here and looking this way. It's like you can choose to be this other person and you-- there's a light at the end of the tunnel. You're going to get through it. So we get to write for them. I mean, we are the luckiest, right? >> Nic Stone: It's a blessing. Yeah. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: It keeps you all pretty snappy. [laughter] >> Dhonielle Clayton: We have to keep our ear to the streets. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: You keep it >> Ashley Woodfolk: But I think I mean, I think what Nichola said is also a part of it because all of that stuff is happening for the first time, I think that makes that time in our lives, like, very memorable. So it's very easy for us, like when we're writing to go back to that space in our heads because the first time something happens to you is always going to leave like a mark. And so you can go back and think, oh, I remember my first kiss so vividly. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, sure do. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah, it was bad. >> Dhonielle Clayton: It was bad. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Like you remember the first day of high school. You remember the first day of college, like those firsts. You remember your first breakup, like your first heartbreak. And so, like, I think that is a part of the writing process, too, where we're able to sort of go back and tap into those memories. And that keeps us snappy as well. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Well, this miscommunication, though, with texting came up. I mean, a major miscommunication. So how did that--Is that real? >> Nic Stone: I mean, I feel like we still live in text miscommunications at almost 40. Yeah, Like, yeah. >> Ashley Woodfolk: That happens all the time. >> Nicola Yoon: I mean, you text the wrong person that thing. I once texted someone calling my husband by his nickname, and it was so embarrassing. I got to say what his nickname is, but I have been tortured for years by this. >> Ashley Woodfolk: We lay awake thinking about the accidental text messages that we sent. >> Dhonielle Clayton: I mean, when you were 16, 17 and 18-- and your frontal lobe is not developed And the things that you're saying, it's like cring all day. Everything’s cringe, right? So and adding text, I'm so glad it was like ten sentence a text when I was in college. I wasn't in the streets like this because-- >> Dr. Carla Hayden: I would get to the texting and then the thought and interpretation of the text and it led to a really big-- >> Tiffany D. Jackson: A lot of miscommunication, which happens in real life. Like kids also do the same thing. I think one of the best things about, like Nic said, like the fact that we do like work with like kids is that I believe in us honoring their experiences and that putting on what we feel that they should be. We want them to feel like they actually are seen in this book, even the messiest side of them, and know that it's okay to make mistakes because you're still learning and that you're growing from those mistakes as well too. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: But also are the messy side of the adults. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Oh yeah, Yeah, 100%. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Like the bus when they were talking about that teacher. >> Dhonielle Clayton: That was an easy time. A chapter where they're talking about their messy teacher. It's how teens talk. I remember eavesdropping in my library on kids, you know. Talking. Yes. I'm like, Oh, so that's how you really feel in love with such and such. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, it felt someway and it was funny because she didn't know, they were laughing. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Was a savage out here. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, it was good. it was good. >> Ashley Woodfolk: They will come for anybody. >> Nic Stone: Yeah. You stay on the on the good side. So now the kids will bring me the tea. Like I know all the tea for my son's fifth grade class. I know the tea for the sixth-grade class. I know who likes who. I know which teachers they don't like. It's the best. I love it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Yeah, that's true. It just really and twig. Now, Twig was a unifying person. >> Dhonielle Clayton: That was Tiffani Jackson's addition to the book. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Twig was like the basically like the party promoter, like for this big Brooklyn party. And everyone sort of knew him. And for me, it's sort of from my Brooklyn neighborhood. We have like a twig that everyone sort of like knows is connected to in some cases. And so that's really where this character came from and I think what was his name before Groot? Groot- We weren't allowed to use that >> Nic Stone: because Marvel is like that. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, that little animal. Yeah, a little tree. Yes, yes. > Carla Hayden: I've seen him. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: So in my neighborhood, His name is Roots. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, Twigs. See, ii takes me, yeah. [laughter] I got it, I got it. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And Twig is connected to everybody. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: He's connected. Everybody Twig comes up, he calls, he's waiting, everybody, and at the end, the big party that everybody wanted to go to finally get their stuff going on, it's multigenerational. And as that author said, it felt like gravity was lifted, that black out and anything was possible. And that party was just-- that was the party. So I know that there are people who want to ask some questions, so we're going to open it up and you can-- I think there are two mics and you can just come up and you can ask anything and especially if there are certain terms you need to know for the adults. You've got the experts right here. [laughter] [inaudible] or make a comment too. Oh yeah, we go. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Are we going left or right, doctor? >> Ashley Woodfolk: We’re going over here first. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Let's go left. >> It’s like pretty amazing to see five black authors on stage with the New York Times bestselling book. [applause] So I actually had two questions. But the first one is if you could give any insight into the series that's being made from the book. And the second one was you kind of hinted to "Whiteout", which I think a lot of us are also excited about so I wanted to hear anything you could share about it. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Sure, I have to tell the story. So for the-- oh boy, so we are lucky that we are having a TV show and a film made from "Blackout" right now. [applause] >> Nicola Yoon: But wait for it. The best part is coming. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And it's produced by President Barack Obama. [applause] And I had to call each one of them to tell them. The film agent called me and she said, look, I don't have time to get everybody on the phone, so you've got to disseminate the information. So I said, for everyone to text it. I said, where is everybody? And they're like, well, we're in the house. What's the problem? What's going on? Why are you so upset? I said, just go lay down. and then tell me you're laying flat down. And then I called each one of them and Angie Thomas was driving and I said, you have to pull over. And she was like, why? What is going on? You're scaring me. And so she pulled over and when I told her she was screaming so bad, I had to like-- I had to hang up because she was screaming, her mom was screaming and all y'all were like, she didn't pick up the phone. I'm calling, irobo called her like six times and she kept clicking. >> Ashley Woodfolk: I didn't know where-- No, I didn't know where my phone was. >> Dhonielle Clayton: I was going to voicemail everybody else. Nic was like, wait, what? Huh, Nikki, you were just >> Nic Stone: I cuss, I cussed >> Dhonielle Clayton: I can't even say he started cussing. What I said, but I was like a beep, beep. I'm like ah-- And Tiffany was like, yo, [laughter] she was like, you playing and that's it. She was like, I can't tell my mom. I said, all of Jamaica will know. [laughter] So her mom was the last one to find out 24 hours before the news went live, yeah. And Nikki, you were just like, no, stop, don't lie to me. >> Nicola Yoon: I just kept saying, what over and over again and I told my little girl and she fell down. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And so "Whiteout" is coming November 8th. [applause] It is another book told in its chapters, and but this time, you don't know who wrote what. It's a novel. You have no idea who wrote what. We'll see, We'll see, we'll see. And the challenge is for you all to figure out who wrote what characters. There's a key at the end that has clues, >> Nic Stone: but you're not going to get it. You're not going to get not going to get it. I know for real. I can tell you all for real, Part of the reason it's going to be hard is because we were edited. So like each of us in all of the stories. >> Dhonielle Clayton: But we were responsible for certain characters, so we'll see how well-- >> Nic Stone: Good luck to you. Yeah, good luck to you. >> May the odds be in your favor. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Oh, wait, wait. we people allow people ask questions. We’ve been talking for a long time. Should we go on the side? >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Thank you for that. >> Hello. My name is Lisa. I'm actually a ninth grade English teacher. I've been teaching around here. [applause] >> Nic Stone: Thank you for doing that work. >> Thank you for writing and getting published, because I read this right before the school year started, and I've already started coming up with lesson plans on how to read this. Your books are already in my classroom library, so just keep doing what you're doing. My biggest question is who are you planning to collect next as far as your group, as far as future projects? Yes. obviously, you guys deserve rest, but just very interested beyond just this collective group. What are your other plans, if any? >> Nic Stone: I'm about to collect myself. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Can you just say what we're working on next? Go down. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Oh, so I have a book coming out sorry, I don't know. [applause] It's called "The Weight of Blood". It's a homage to Stephen King's Carrie Toll at a school's first integrated prom. So that comes out on Tuesday. And then I have "Whiteout" coming out November 8th. So those are my next thing. [applause] >> Nic Stone: Tiffany is back to murdering everyone. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Literally everyone >> Nic Stone: into her murder bag, >> Dhonielle Clayton: back where she's comfortable. So "Whiteout" is next for me. Then end of January, I adapted Ibrahim Kendi's "How to Be an Antiracist". So “How To Be a Young Antiracist" will come out January 31st. And then my Mental Health manifesto is a novel called "Chaos Theory", and it comes out February 28th. [applause] >> Ashley Woodfolk: I had a book comes out in April called, “Nothing Burns As Bright As You.” And it was my first novel in verse, and it is the story of two queer black girls who are in a bit of a toxic relationship and who like to set fires. [laughter] That's what it's about. No. Nobody dies. Nobody dies. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: They're setting the fires together. >> Ashley Woodfolk: They do like to set fires together, yes. >> Dhonielle Clayton: It's a lot of tension. >> Ashley Woodfolk: It’s a lot of tension and all the feelings. And then in September, early September, I should know the date, but I don't. Sorry. I have my first non-fiction book coming out called "Opening My Eyes Underwater", and it is kind of like a memoir, but I wrote a bunch of essays based on quotes by Michelle Obama. So it's like personal essays and then "Whiteout." >> Dhonielle Clayton: This year, I had my first foray into writing for younger kids. I wrote a book called "The Marvel Earth". >> Nic Stone: Oh, great. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Yes, it is the future of Magic School. So we can say, Harry, who? And make sure we have magical schools that have everyone in them. And so I go on tour for that again this fall, and then I have "Whiteout," and then I'm returning to my fantasy universe of the Bells. And I have a book out next year that I'm about to announce that's in that world. [applause] >> Nicola Yoon: All right. So, I mean, we have "Whiteout" November 8th. Yeah, but the thing I'm proudest of that's really next is my husband and I have an imprint at Random House. [applause] It's called the "Joy Revolution". And we are publishing love stories starring people of color, written by people of color. And the first books come out next year and they are brilliant. We have Talia Hibbert, highly suspicious, highly suspicious and fairly cute where we have two black kids in the woods and they're very funny, it's hilarious. >> Dhonielle Clayton: I love her. >> Nicola Yoon: And then she's amazing. And then we have Queen Bee, which is basically why Bridgerton with like the big dresses, but brown kids and teacups and revenge and dukes and marquees and it's brilliant. So those are Queen Bee, highly suspicious and unfairly cute. And then I have an adult, my first adult book coming out in 2024. [applause] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Okay, we've got a few more minutes and then you guys are going to be -- selling or signing books. All of them are going to be selling, signing books. >> Ashley Woodfolk: So if we don't get to your question, please come ask us at the signing. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Yes, that was the point. >> Hi, so I have a question specifically for Dhonielle. So I am in library school librarian and training. Thank you. And but I've also always loved writing. So I guess my question is how and why did you make that transition From being a librarian to becoming a YA writer? >> Ashley Woodfolk: Oh, I've never heard this. Go ahead, tell us. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Well, thank you so much for that question. The reason I made that transition was because I had children asking me for books in my library that didn't exist. And so my library was in East Harlem, New York, and it was all black and brown children. And they wanted fun, exciting things. A little girl asked me for a book about a witch, and she was from-- her mom was from Mexico and her dad is from the DR, and there was not a single title in 2010 when I had started working in that library and it made me really angry. And I thought, I've got to do something about that. I've got to break into the industry, also take people with me and make sure that every single kid gets to read about whatever they want to read about and that it's there for them because what happens when you only see yourself in stories, the bruises of your background and those are press down, you start to have a bad relationship with literature and that affects your literacy. And so that's why I transitioned. It was just because kids wanted the drama. They wanted to go to Magic School, they wanted all of that stuff, and there wasn't anything that I could find that could satiate that for them. Yes, so that's why I did it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: We'll go to this side. >> Um, hello. My name is Christiana. I'm actually a student at Howard University. >> Hey. You know, you know. But standing here and sitting here and listening to you all talk, it's just so incredible to hear these beautiful, mature women. And I'm like, how do y'all get into the heads of young folk? Like, do you interview them? What's your process? Do you go back to your own memories for inspiration? It's just so cool to see someone of a different age group actually, being so well connected with another entirely different age group. So what's your process in that? >> Dhonielle Clayton: Does one person want to take it? >> Nic Stone: I mean, I think-- so. You know, we actually do interact with teens a lot, but also, like, you don't actually have to grow up. You just have to pay bills at some point. Stay young like, yeah, when I tell you I'll be whipping through the streets of Atlanta bumpin two Chainz future Migos like we don't loud, loud. Like I was looking at my kids and they just have this-- they just like Swaggy. I'm like, where did you all get that? I'm like, oh, right from me. [laughter] Like, millennial women parents. We just do things a little differently, so just don't grow up, really. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yes, ma'am. That's a-- Just remember that emotions are very evergreen. The same way that you fell in love in 1980s, the same way you're falling in love today. >> Nic Stone: You just say in 1980s. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: I'm just saying anybody. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Even the 60, yes. Yes. Emotions are evergreen. >> Nicola Yoon: We fell in love in 1981. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Thank you. >> Hi, I'm Jenn. I am a mental health professional. Thanks for that shout out. >> Nic Stone: Thank you for your work. >> Yeah. We're all burnt out. >> Nic Stone: Yes, I know. >> My question is really about these love stories, and I'm curious, especially because I think so much of the trope of romance, especially for young adult includes a lot of interracial relationships. And I imagine that has a lot to do with having white people feel okay in this space. And I'm curious what else you feel like is missing in romance? >> Dhonielle Clayton: Well yeah, that's putting it there, I don't. That's such a great question because I think the romance industry in general has to deal with something called sexual racism, where little like Walmart, Wendy, is what we call her. She doesn't want to read about-- she doesn't want to read about black women in-- >> Ashley Woodfolk: Walmart Wendy. >> Dhonielle Clayton: That's what I call her. There's also indie store Ingrid. That's what I call her. It's the terms of how they're buying books and they can't see themselves as if it's not a white love interest, they can't find their access point into it in publishing functions around that reader. And so doing what we did goes against that reader and centers a different reader and different love interests. And so it shouldn't feel revolutionary. It's what Nicola and David are doing at Joy Revolution, centering other love stories. But it's just an important thing for every writer to think about that. And we have that pressure on us. >> Nicola Yoon: And I Just-- I just want to add one thing. Listen, the books like this book and all our books have black characters in them, and we'll continue to. But everyone can learn something from these books because they're just human beings. Like, you don't have to read. Anyone can learn from any other person, like, if the disabled character is the main character, you can learn something. We are all human. That is the thing that we have in common. So pick up the books with interesting characters. That's it, that's all you have to do. >> Ashley Woodfolk: I also think like-- [applause] yeah, her question was more about like, what else is missing? And I feel like-- >> yes, thank you. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yes. And I feel like neurodiversity is definitely missing. Talia Hibbert is doing some of that, which is yeah, all kinds of disabilities are definitely missing because I feel like right now, all you have is sort of like the tragic, like love story of like falling for someone who is ill and then them dying, which like there's so much more to it than that. >> Dhonielle Clayton: It’s the Shade the Fault in our Stars and John Green's entire body. >> Nic Stone: He's not the only one. Everybody has an entire subgenre. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah. Oh, we have one minute. Yeah. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: We’re really down to one minute. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Look, we can talk about this all day. There's a lot of stuff missing. Everybody write books. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Bipoc, Queer love stories Everybody write books. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Bipoc, Queer love stories are missing in general across the board, Trans love stories completely missing, featuring Bipoc characters. >> Ashley Woodfolk: I think even asexual characters. Because, like, there is something that can be said for romance that doesn't include sex because too much is put, too much pressure is put on sex. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Can we take this one last question? >> Dr. Carla Hayden: really quick. >> I could listen forever. First and foremost, thank you. Second of all, what is something you love about each other? And if there is one thing you could share to young people across the universe, what would that message be? >> Nic Stone: Oh, I like that. Can I take this one? >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yes, you can. >> Nic Stone: Okay. So these are our strengths. We all know each other's strengths. Angie is the funny one in her writing. Dhonielle is the plot queen. Ashley is the prose master, Nicola is romance. Tiffany is like the suspension with words. And then for me it's dialogue. And so we know that about each other. So we're able to lean into that with each other. And there was another part of the question. >> Ashley Woodfolk: What is the one thing we to say to young people. >> Nic Stone: Y'all like collaborate. If you hear anything, if you hear nothing else from this stage, look at what you can do when you work together. [applause] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Well, they're going to be signing books so you could ask more questions. Look what you can do when you work together. >> Nic Stone: Look what you can do when you work together. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: You can teach your old folks to do stuff. You can inspire young people and you can give hope. >> Ashley Woodfolk: And you're worthy of love. That's the other thing. Everybody is worthy of love. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Ashley Woodfolk: Thank you, Dr. Hayden. This was an honor to share a stage with you. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: If you'd like to view this again, it's going to be on the library's website, loc.gov. So let's go sign some books. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Let's go sign some books. [applause] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: In fact, they go all the way? Yeah, I sit here. No, no. Tiffany. Right, follow a structured order of chapters. Now, earlier today, I had a chance to be with Janelle Monáe. And now I'm with -- Can you get any cooler than this? So I'm Carla Hayden. [applause] Good afternoon. Welcome to the 2022 Library of Congress National Book Festival, and it has been a phenomenal day so far. Jeannette had almost a days’ worth of amazing writers. And if you're just joining us now live on book TV, buckle up because we have a wonderful conversation ahead. [laughter] Oh, boy, this is something. Because I have right here one of the honors of leading the Library of Congress is my opportunity to meet writers I've adored and meet new ones, and that's the case with our next panel. This afternoon, I'm eager for you to hear and meet this wonderful group of talented writers behind the best-selling book for young adults, "Blackout." [applause] It's a beautiful and touching and even funny book about six young adults in New York City during a blackout. And it's so beloved that there is a sequel coming out called "Whiteout." So we're going to talk about that. [applause] And I just have to tell you that when I was carrying this book around today, too, and one of Janelle Monea's co-writers, said, oh, I was in New York at 2003 when there was a blackout. And she said it just seemed like everything was possible and gravity was lifted. So that's what this book tells you. So we have a lot to cover. So let me introduce this group. Okay, now they're in order of story. And I'm going to try to put it, but history, too. I'm a librarian; Dhonielle Clayton. >> Dhonielle Clayton: That's me. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Is the New York Times bestselling author of the Bell series and the-- Oh, boy, wait till I say the next thing. And the co-author of Tiny Pretty Things, which was made into a Netflix original series. Tiffany-- [applause] -- D. Jackson is the author of best-selling young adult novels, Allegedly Monday's Not Cut. [laughter] And Let Me Hear a Rock. Nic Stone is the number one-- [applause] New York Times bestselling author of End of William C. Morris Award finalists, "Dear Martin", "Dear Justice", "Odd One Out." >> Nic Stone: We had church. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: "Jackpot." I like they like that one. okay, "Clean Get Away" and the "Shuri Novel series" with Marvel Comics; [applause] got them all. Okay, thank you I did my research. Now, Ashley Woodfolk [applause] worked in children's book publishing for over a decade, then became a full time mom and an extraordinary writer. And her books include "The Beauty That Remains" "When You Were Everything" and the "Fly Girl Series." I knew that. And Nicola Yoon is the number one, And you notice there's a theme here. Number one, New York Times bestselling author, New York bestselling bestselling Everything, Everything", "The Sun is Also a Star". And both of those have been put into the motion picture format, as well as instructions for dancing and the six. And I'm just sitting here for Angie Thomas because she couldn't make it. So just consider me part of that. [laughter] Okay she couldn’t make it because I just-- this is just so cool. So please, you've been welcoming them but welcome them to the 2022 Book Festival. [applause] So clap well. Because this book is about black love in all its forms. And how did it come about? Because one of you is the ringleader here. >> Nicola Yoon: The smallest one. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: So how did this happen in the middle of a pandemic to get all of you fabulous writers together? >> Dhonielle Clayton: Well, they're going to slander me. So let me set the record straight right now. Okay, so I have a 16-year-old niece, and we were watching all of the different books that have been turned into movies. And she asked me, she said, why out of the 15 or 20 we watched there's like one black girl who gets a love story. They're all sidekicks. And I thought, hmm, we have a problem. And then COVID hit, and we were all struggling to figure out what's going to happen to our world, what's going to happen to our industry, and will we ever be able to see kids again? Everything was shutting down and we felt like the world was experiencing a blackout. We were all stuck at home. And so I was like, Hmm, why don't we write a book together because we don't have so many things to do? But really, I think we were all in our various projects struggling to find meaning and hope in it. And I thought, what if we came together and wrote something? And I just called everyone and I said, I want to do this thing where all of these kids are stuck in a blackout with someone they might hate or love or secretly like. And they got to get to Brooklyn In New York, right? I live in Harlem and nobody wants to come see me in Harlem. So I was like, we're going to walk from Harlem to Brooklyn, right? And I just called everybody. That's the story. >> Nicola Yoon: She called everyone and told us we were doing it. I asked not a little suggestion? It was like, we are doing this. And you're like, okay. >> Nic Stone: Told us what we were doing. Like she gave each one of us, you're going to do enemies to lover. >> Ashley Woodfolk: She let me pick. >> Nic Stone: You're going to do the secret crush. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Why are you snitching? >> Dr. Carla Hayden: You weren't supposed to tell that. >> Ashley Woodfolk: I'm the favorite. >> Dhonielle Clayton: I have leadership skills. I was a librarian for over a decade, so I know how to organize and to compel people to get involved in a noble, cause for black teen love >> Dr. Carla Hayden: So it was obvious that you all already knew each other pretty well. >> All: Yes. And so you have-- Do you have that kind of bond just you've developed it. How did you get that bond develop? >> Nic Stone: Yeah, so the three of us and Angie were all originally supposed to debut in 2017, and we were a part of this debut group that imploded got interesting, but we all connected because we black like we were like the black people in that debut year. And like, I slid-- I think I slid into all of your DMs. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Yes. >> Nic Stone: Collector. So I collected my beautiful friends. And so then Nicola and Dhonielle, They debuted together. We were the only two black women. >> Nicola Yoon: 2015. >> Nic Stone: Yes. I also, collected them because we meet each other. And look what we were able to make by coming together. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Could you explain a little bit about that debuting and you would only two blacks and this is about publishing because we're at the book festival. And this is pretty remarkable but why is it so remarkable? >> Nic Stone: You take this one because I think you've got the best perspective. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah. So I worked in publishing for a long time before I became a full-time writer. And we knew diverse books exists for a reason. You know, that was started because of the obvious lack of diversity, especially in children's literature. And in some ways, getting that diversity and that representation up in children's literature is more important than having it anywhere else. And so, when you debut, something that they started doing was creating these debut groups where all of you it was kind of not the best idea. I feel like, because none of you know what you're doing and you're all just talking about not knowing what you're doing. But I think the idea was that if you're debuting with a bunch of people, you won't feel so alone in the process as you like, learn about it. But what often happens with these groups is they become pretty toxic pretty quickly because it becomes a competition. There's a lot of insecure, introverted people who are writers, surprise, surprise. And so if one book was doing better than another book or getting a bigger marketing plan or something, jealousy arose. And so a lot of these things got kind of messy, so we left and we were like, let's have our own little debut group over here. [laughs] Yeah, let's just be friends and, like, help each other out and not be toxic or competitive or whatever. But yeah, debuting is really scary because you don't really know what's going on. So many things are happening at once. Even me, having worked in publishing for a while, having my first book come out was a totally different experience, even knowing sort of what was going on the other side. So yeah, that's kind of-- >> Tiffany D. Jason: And I think also like it's in our ancestral DNA to like gravitate toward any black person that's in the room. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yes. And that's like safety. >> Tiffany Jackson: It's safety. And so immediately we're gravitating towards each other because that's safety. We know each other, like we recognize each other. We recognize family in each other. So we're able to sort of communicate and be like, okay. Let's get through it -- >> Ashley Woodfolk: -- without communicating. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yes. Like give me like the black church nod across the room and, like, know each other the look like what is going on, yeah. So we're able to sort of-- and that's why what made us like great friends from the very beginning is that we were just we're kind of going into this unknown world like together. And so, yeah. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And there are always so few of us because of the very few of us publishing books for young people that are from marginalized communities wasn't a top priority for publishing. And so therefore, they weren't seeking out people who came from those communities to write those stories. So that's why Nicola Yoon and I were the only two black women that were traditionally published in 2015. in young adult books, the two of us. >> Nicola Yoon: It's about the books that come out. That's just I mean, that's crazy. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Just us. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Because the number of books now people might not realize how many >> Dhonielle Clayton: It'd be hundreds. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Hundreds of books, and you were only two. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And we were the only two. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And I think there are more than like two young people. [laughter] >> Asheley Woodfolk: More than two young black readers. is what you're saying, yeah maybe. Maybe a couple. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And it's another reason why this book is so important for us to do, because it was a reminder that these kids who represent these protagonists are valid and their love is valid and who they are and what they're interested in and how they relate to each other and how they love on each other is valid and it's why we do what we do. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And the connectiveness. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah. I think we also wanted to do like a variety of different types of kids because I feel like too often, black characters fall into this very specific sort of stereotype, yeah. They're always the sidekick, they always have a very specific personality. And I think that lack of representation of different kinds of people, different kinds of black people, leads to a lot of like the dehumanization that you see happening to black people and like the interactions that people expect to have when they meet a black person. And so I think it was really important for all of us as we were writing the book. We were talking about also like, what's your character like? What are they into? What do they like to do? Like it was just like fun, sort of creating these like very unique characters and personalities because we wanted them to be as unique and beautiful as like actual black kids are. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Yeah, that's what you recognize. Full disclosure, I was a young adult librarian. So for me and long ago, to read about it and see the different kids and the threads that you put between the two stories, it's almost as though you and other full disclosure, it took me a little while to realize about the threads, but then once you say, well, wait, that's so-and-so's brother. That's so-and-so's grandfather. Oh, that's that and then you just really start getting into it and you had such diversity of backgrounds, like the grandmother who's a dog trainer. And even at the Westminster or something, it's like, oh, that's cool. So how did you. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: I guess I could take that one. So when Dhonielle, because I'm not afraid of her. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: The smaller. The smallest one approached me with this story. I was like, Are you sure? Because I write thrillers and horror. I don't know if I belong -- I don't know if I belong in the romance space. And she pitched it more like, oh, it's going to be like a love, actually, Valentine's Day. And I was like, oh, well, all of those stories are in, like, interconnected. I was like, That's the only way I could see this book happening. So my story is the one that's sort of the spine of the book, the couple that's like walking from Harlem to Brooklyn. And everyone just sort of like and that's what made it actually kind of easy, is that everyone wrote their story in a silo, but we were able to come back and find the connective tissue, like through culture, through backgrounds, through the school. So it just made it a little bit more like it just it fits so perfectly at the end. It was very flawless. Like, that's one of the best parts about this is like, this is the best group project ever. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: At the time you go to the end, you want it to be at the party? >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yeah [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: , You know it was just something. Now it's very realistic. And there were parts. And there was one day that I'm going through and I'm reading and I walked into the office and I said, So what's AF? [laughter] Uh huh, that was the reaction in my office. Because I'm plus-- because I had picked -- put a pencil mark in tablet. [laughter] And I say, okay, this is real. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Is that your chapter next, Stone. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Okay, and it's authentic. And so how do you connect and how do you know how the young people dressing because it feels. >> Nic Stone: I think all of us spend a significant amount of time in the presence of young people I don't like I'm in school what, twice a week. I think if you are going to write for young people but you don't like young people, don't write for young people, please. I know so many people are like I don't even like teenagers. I'm like, bro, you in the wrong genre. This is not for you, like this is not for you. But what made it so-- Like we met, we had the privilege of meeting Ashley's niece recently, Like Ashley has a niece, Danielle’s got a niece. Nicola is not only interacting with young people, she is now publishing for young people. So there's something really exciting about staying connected with the people you write for. And then there's also something I think all of us remember what it was like to be the age of the characters we're writing because we didn't have-- We didn't have these kinds of books. So this is very easy. People actually, we've had people get like upset when they find out that it wasn't hard to work together. They get so upset. You like, were like, yeah, they want so like, did-- So how hard was it? Did you have like, no, we like each other. We know each other's strengths and we respect it. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Each of one of them has a superpower. Each one of them does something really well and it felt like Captain Planet I'll date myself. You mean, like, all coming-- >>Ashley Woodfolk: say, Avengers? >> Dhonielle Clayton: Avengers. It felt like The Avengers coming together, and we'd help each other saying, could you help me? We have two people who don't live in New York who are not New Yorkers. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Okay. And you were able to weave in the Mississippi thing. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Yes. >>Carla Hayden: And coming into that. And how did you get from New Yorkers? >> Nicola Yoon: is easy, it's a training. >>Ashley Woodfolk: So we decided that we should, like keep them as enclosed as possible. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Tour bus and a subway car. >> Nic Stone: Yeah, I messed that up. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: The hardest thing about writing my story was figuring out how to get them off the subway. >> Dhonielle Clayton: It took a while to figure out that chapter. >> Nic Stone: Why are you not telling me? And it turns out Ashley could have told me. >> Ashley Woodfolk: I could have told you. Because my anxiety, I always know exit strategy. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And that was part of it. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yes I already know. >> Nicola Yoon: But I mean, even for mine, I lived in New York for a long time and I still had the Google Maps up. And just like zooming in, can you walk from here to here in 30 minutes, like I want to take, I mean. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: And I'm like a born and raised New Yorker. And when the copy ads were coming back, questioning, like, what I knew, I was like. >> Dhonielle Clayton: She's right. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: That's exactly but-- We took photos and get it into the document like, here, stet. [laughter] I got a little-- here's a photo of what and what it is >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Here’s the photo of the location I'm talking about, set. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Leave it as is. Don't touch my work. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And you looked at each other's work, though. >> All: Yeah, yeah. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And how was that give and take, fun? >> All: Yeah. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah, it was good. I would say, like-- I know we're not technically talking about "Whiteout" yet, but I would say with "Blackout," we worked a little more siloed and then we sort of dipped in and out of each other's stories. Whereas with "Whiteout", I feel like we were all in each other's stories a lot more the whole time. So yeah, the chapters are a lot more intertwined, I think, in "Whiteout" than they are in "Blackout." >> Dhonielle Clayton: We leveled up. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah, we leveled. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Fine. You know, when I finally got it was like, Whoa. I need a clue. >> Dhonielle Clayton: We made a plan in a Google doc, and based on how the sun sets, we use that as our governing metaphor, placed everyone in a sun set sort of order so they would know and then I would keep reading over everyone's stories as they were like deciding who's dad is whom and who knows who and all of that. But it was all in one little Google doc that we could reference at any time as we were fixing our chapters. And then our editor is very nitpicky and just amazing. >> Ashley Woodfolk: She's the best. >> Dhonielle Clayton: She's like OG old school, like red pen she's in-- She's like, didn't you say on page two that they were blah, blah, blah, blah? And I'm like, God, I can't get anything by. We couldn't get anything by her, right? So she would, yeah. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: That's what those editors do. I was describing it to someone and I said, this is very unique. And I said, Dad, you can't say that. Unique or very. [laughter] Editors, they're picky like that. So you had that, you had the editing and it sounds like you though, you had the freedom to just say, this is what we're going to do. >> Dhonielle Clayton: We wrote the whole thing. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah, we did. >> Dhonielle Clayton: During the pandemic, we wrote it. We didn't even tell anyone we were doing. >> Nicola Yoon: Yeah, it was a big surprise. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Wait a minute. Did the publisher know? >> Ashley Woodfolk: No, nobody knew. >> Nic Stone: So this is my favorite part of our story, right? So we're pulling it all together and we turn it in. And publishing lost their ever-loving mind. How many houses were in that auction? 12 houses in the auction. >> Dhonielle Clayton: We got our first offer 30 minutes after the manuscript left the agency. [applause] They were like, wait, what, what, what happened? And they didn't read it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: It was the names. >> Nic Stone: It was our names. And then it went wide and sold in like double digit territories. Like these are stories about black kids and all they reading about black kids in like Poland, Turkey. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Korea. >> Nic Stone: Korea, like, oh, really? >> Dhonielle Clayton: We've sold around the world. We’re very lucky and blessed. That our little black kids get to go all around the world. And they just loving each other and kissing, yeah. They're nervous and anxious kissing and then-- >> Dr. Carla Hayden: The one on the-- sitting here that would appreciate the intergenerational. We had some of the coolest old. >> Nic Stone: That was me. >> Carlya Hayden: No. I was like people or something because they were in on things like tweaking the kids. >> Dhonielle Clayton: There's no way to tell the story of black love without telling the story of our grand parents. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: That’s right. And that really came through to you. And they were realistic and not just knitting somewhere in the corner. >> Dhonielle Clayton: They're meddlesome, too. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And they had a life. that was something for channeling. So let's get into the fashion [laughter] because that was really evident from the hair to the everything. >> Nic Stone: We're glad you loved it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, it was just something. And you see the different tabs or this is when I really got with it. But just saying stuff like this only happens once in a lifetime and you won't take a second to just look up. >> Tiffany D.Jackson: That was me, yeah. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Beautiful to stop and appreciate. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yes. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And what made you-- >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Well, because one of the things that-- great things about New York and I'm not just saying this just because I'm from New York, is that when things like when madness happens in New York, we all sort of bound together and we all help each other. And one of the things that happened in the real blackout in 2003 is everyone like bound together. But one of the things that people realize is like, we've never seen like Times Square without the lights on. And so a lot of people went there just sort of like witness this like history. And that was one of the things that Kareem was actually saying to-- Why am I-- Dammie? >> Ashley Woodfolk: It's been a while. You’ve written how many books since then? >> Tiffany D. Jackson: There's been many books in between this one. But yeah, it was something about just like, take a moment to, like appreciate this moment between us and also this moment that's happening in our city. And I think that's something important, a lesson that could be learned for all kids is like, you're never going to live this one moment again like take a moment to, like, look up and appreciate, like the skies, smell everything. Like this love that you have right now in front of you, like you're never going to see this person again, maybe. There's few and far in between, like high school love stories that take it to, like extreme. And that's why you want to be able to, like, look at that person and be like, man, like, I really loved like, I loved you. And I still love you, so I'm done >> Ashley Woodfolk: If you feel like you're having your main character moment, lean into it. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yes. Embrace it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: No, You said I loved you because there were some decouplings that was kind of cool. >> Nicola Yoon: Well, and my story, she was-- she's actually trying to get back to the ex-boyfriend when she meets like an Uber driver. That's real cute and philosophical. And then by the end, maybe she doesn't want to get back together because life changes, right? You're a young people. You fall, there's an old version of yourself that you had a love with, and you're always changing because you're young and that's what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to grow and change, and you move towards new love, right? And that's one of the beautiful things about being young is like learning about yourself, learning who you love and who you want to love and who loves you, and then and making good decisions for yourself. >> Dhonielle Clayton: We have a lot of different tropes. >> Nic Stone: Listen, Nikki is like the love queen. Y'all all know this, the love doctor. >> Nicola Yoon: I love love. Love is the thing that -- >> Dhonielle Clayton: Love is amazing. >> Nicola Yoon: Love is the thing that everyone wants. We, like, make fun of romance all the time as a culture. But love is the thing that everyone wants. and everyone needs in their life. It's the force that makes the world go round 100%. All the books are-- All the books actually are about love. Everything's about it. >> Nic Stone: Yeah. I think Nikki helped all of us really, to, like tap into this space that we needed to tap into when the world was on fire. The best thing about working on "Blackout" was it gave each of us this little solace. Like, we're looking at the news. There's protests all over the world because George Floyd had been murdered, like we're in a global pandemic, that people are just being awful to each other. And Dhonielle is like, go write a love story. [laughter] And we were all like, euu. And then Nikki was like, okay, come on. >> Dhonielle Clayton: But leading us more kissing. There's the kissing. >> Nicola Yoon: So you could always add more kissing. There's no such thing as too- >> Dr. Carla Hayden: There was a lot of kissing. >> All: Yeah. >> Dhonielle Clayton: That's the best Nicola. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Kissing, I said, Okay, what is it? This one is my pulses races after. [laughter] His eyes widen. Oh, is that all he can manage? He pulls me closer and I started. >> Ashely Woodfolk: Who wrote that? Tifanny, who’s chapter is that? >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Okay, so there was a lot going on. >> Ashely Woodfolk: That was me, I think, yes. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And what was so cool was it was love in it's many forms, many types of love. And that's what came through and it's okay. It's okay. Who you love, how you love all of that. >> Nicola Yoon: As long as you're loving, right? It doesn't matter. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Yeah, it really got-- And you did have a little bit about the bad guard in the New York Public Library. We could just say that. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Look. Yes. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Who was that? >> Dhonielle Clayton: That was me. You know, there's always that little robot cop in the library that speaks a little aggressively, the patrons. And so I had to plant for comedic things and also to get them moving in the library, the little RoboCop going through, checking to make sure nobody's hiding out in the library. Also, public librarians are in the forefront of the homeless crisis and of all of this, right. And so they have to be able to-- there's like a lot of things happening in the Public library. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: It was kind of cool to see the guy with no pants run by what he was-- [laughter] >> Dhonielle Clayton: I'm not going to say that I have seen that. >> Carla: It's a public library. >> Dhonielle Clayton: In the public library I have. New York is a wild place, Okay. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: The other thing too, though, that I appreciated was you made it almost-- it was you normalized therapy for young people. I mean, I was reading along and it was like, yeah, my therapist and this and that. And that's very, I would think, important at this point. >> Nic Stone: I know that three of us on this stage have at least two therapists. I have a therapist, I have a trauma therapist and I have a psychiatrist. We don't play with mental health around here. it's important to recognize where you're at and to like. You got to do what you got to do, right? [applause] >> Ashley Woodfolk: Call your therapist, take your meds, drink your water. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: it was just put in there, almost like that. >> Nic Stone: There's so many-- And y'all kids are struggling. I think it's so important that we give voice to the fact that you have these young people who, in the most important developmental time of their lives, were forced into utter and complete isolation, like that will mess a kid up. So having the space to tell these stories about kids who like, yo, I really got to holler at my therapist because the girl is bugging like I need-- Needing help to just stay afloat is the most human thing there is. >> Dhonielle Clayton: But also, it's great for the black community. >> Nic Stone: Yeah. >> Dhonielle Clayton: I agree specifically to model that, that it’s okay. That it is not telling a family business. >> Ashley Woodfolk: And it's normal. It should just be normal. >> Nic Stone: Yes. We love Jesus. And also I take my antidepressants. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And that's what was so beautiful about it because it was just like yeah -- I saw this TikTok earlier and it was like, where's all the masculine men? And somebody like, has stitched it and said they're dead. They're dead because they have a heart attack at home and don't want to go to the hospital because they don't want to tell nobody that they're having suicidal ideation because they don't want to take their medicine, right. Like, and it's like we like that's why the mental health-- there's a mental health crisis in the black community because there's too much toxic masculinity, there's too many stigmas around it. And like, look, it's okay. We all struggling. Let's struggle together. Let's get some help, like it's okay. [applause] So yeah, I think that was really important for all of us to have that representation in the book and to normalize it because it is normal. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: That was-- that really struck out. >> Dhonielle Clayton: My character probably need therapy because she couldn't tell her real feelings out loud. They were using in the footnotes. I use this construct where she says a thing, but then you see in the-- >> Nic Stone: What she really means. >> Dhonielle Clayton: what she really means, the truth. Because I was a teacher and librarian where kids, you'd ask them, Are you okay? And they would tell you something else. Hint at that they're not okay and sort of that. There are so many kids with so many inner lives and they're not telling us the truth. They don't have a voice. They don't know how to -- >> Ashley Woodfolk: Right, they don't know how. And I think that's another thing like, that's part of it. Learning how. Like you have to learn how to share your feelings. You have to learn that it is okay to feel your feelings. And so, like my character and I wrote the story in the "Old Folks Home" with Joss and Nala. And my character is super emotional and she tries to hold it in and to hide it, even though she's having all these feelings. And I think that was something that I definitely went through, like feeling like I was too sensitive, feeling like I shouldn't share my feelings because I was being dramatic or whatever. And it took me a very long time to get to the place where I felt comfortable talking about that kind of stuff out loud. So yeah, I just wanted to write a character where she sort of starts by kind of hiding her feelings, but eventually she gets to the point where she can say them out loud. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And love just goes on through it. [laughter] Always bring it in and it's so something. I mean, and the diversity of experience is like a, my sister's in Tokyo. I mean, and the diversity of experience is like She's doing a semester group chats with family. >> Nicola Yoon: I mean, that's one of the things that's so problematic about our media landscape is that you see the same characters all the time. But that's not true, right? All my friends do different things. Some of them are scientists and a lot of them are poets. Many of them are New York Times bestselling author. And we don't get to see that where you see one sort of character on the screen. And it's just like the job of writers is tell the truth and those things are not true. What's true is that everyone deserves the full measure of their humanity and everyone is different. We all have rich inner lives, like every single one of us. We're all different. We're like, we don't do the things you see on TV all the time. That's just inaccurate. drives me Crazy. I get very passionate about this. >> Dhonielle Clayton: When black kids, black girls and black boys and black people get reduced to a look, a stereotype, we wanted to also celebrate black boys in this book, too, as love interests. Because one of our favorite friends complains that there are no Mr. Jason Reynolds, that there are no black boys that are love interest in YA and he was like literally on my case about it. And we had a big argument and I said, I'm a fix you. There are 13 black boys in that book that are incredible >> Dr. Carla Hayden: They’ve been in the sixties and just coming up. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Yeah, and now I'm just like, here you go. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Get out my face. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Get out my face. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And the portrayals, you just want to know them and everything and it's just-- >> Nicola Yoon: And they're all very cute and sensitive and they are in love with the girl in front of them. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: But she doesn't always know it. >> Nicola Yoon: Yeah, they don't always know, right? >> Dr. Carla Hayden: And then the different ways that you can love and who you can love was just all so normalized. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah. I mean, we want to put the queer kids in there. >> Nic Stone: Right, and it was important to us to also like, yo, not all black stories are about trauma. Like, yo, for real. Like there's-- And it-- It was important for me to write a black boy who his questions about his sexuality had nothing to do with his family not being accepting. Like, that's an important story to tell. Like, he had a very accepting family. So what are the other obstacles? It's important to show black kids who come from money. It's important to show black kids who have really happy homes with two parents. Like there's so many stories that are just living and breathing in reality that people really don't want to tell in books. And that stuff is annoying. Yes, and I can just say chuckle. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Well, it's just fun. I have to live that down. >> Nic Stone: Please start using it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Well, I have to find out when and how too, you know. I just learned what it is. It took me a long time with lol, you know. [laughter] I'm still working on that one. So they're doing it and that with the male representations, that was important in terms of the young man that started to not like basketball. And why, and talk about a stereotype. >> Nic Stone: Yeah. So that was my story. You know I don't know what the Lord be doing, but I am constantly surrounded by whiners like I have two male children. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Did she say whiners? >> Nic Stone: I said wieners. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yes, she did. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, you mean-- [laughter] >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Not a hot dog. I'm sorry. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Okay. You whisper in my ear. You whisper and she says something. you whisper and say, that’s’ what she meant. I got you. We’re good. >> Nic Stone: In February, I have two biological sons. I have two god-sons. I'm just, like, constantly, and this is true. I got nephews, like I have -- There's one girl in my life. Her name is Chuck and she is a menace because she is the only girl. And so we run this, but she's two. She's like my one little me. [laughter] But as a person who I was always surrounded by boys growing up, there is such a dearth of affirmation to males, whether cis, trans, etc. To the concept of male there such a dearth of affirmation of humanity. Hey, it's okay for you to be sad. It's okay for you to be afraid. It's okay for you to feel very big unwieldy feelings. So like any time I have the opportunity to write a dude, like he's going to have some depth because literally every single one in my life does. And yes, you can stop liking basketball like, that's okay. [laughter] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: If you're black. >> Nic Stone: If you're black, >> Dr. Carla Hayden: It’s okay >> Nic Stone: You can stop liking basketball if you're black. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Yeah, okay. The other thing you did deal with was grief. And that gets back to the therapy too, and everything but just recognizing it and how it affects young people, too even if it's your grandmother. >> Nicola Yoon: I mean, the thing about writing for young people is that they're going through everything we all are going through, but just for the first time, right. So they need more help, actually. They need to have the stuff modeled more than the adults do because it's the first time. And those are big feelings and it's hard for us. It's doubly hard for them. It's such a privilege for us to do this because we get to be in conversation with them, right? And we get to say, look at this way of living and loving over here and looking this way. It's like you can choose to be this other person and you-- there's a light at the end of the tunnel. You're going to get through it. So we get to write for them. I mean, we are the luckiest, right? >> Nic Stone: It's a blessing. Yeah. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: It keeps you all pretty snappy. [laughter] >> Dhonielle Clayton: We have to keep our ear to the streets. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: You keep it >> Ashley Woodfolk: But I think I mean, I think what Nichola said is also a part of it because all of that stuff is happening for the first time, I think that makes that time in our lives, like, very memorable. So it's very easy for us, like when we're writing to go back to that space in our heads because the first time something happens to you is always going to leave like a mark. And so you can go back and think, oh, I remember my first kiss so vividly. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, sure do. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah, it was bad. >> Dhonielle Clayton: It was bad. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Like you remember the first day of high school. You remember the first day of college, like those firsts. You remember your first breakup, like your first heartbreak. And so, like, I think that is a part of the writing process, too, where we're able to sort of go back and tap into those memories. And that keeps us snappy as well. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Well, this miscommunication, though, with texting came up. I mean, a major miscommunication. So how did that--Is that real? >> Nic Stone: I mean, I feel like we still live in text miscommunications at almost 40. Yeah, Like, yeah. >> Ashley Woodfolk: That happens all the time. >> Nicola Yoon: I mean, you text the wrong person that thing. I once texted someone calling my husband by his nickname, and it was so embarrassing. I got to say what his nickname is, but I have been tortured for years by this. >> Ashley Woodfolk: We lay awake thinking about the accidental text messages that we sent. >> Dhonielle Clayton: I mean, when you were 16, 17 and 18-- and your frontal lobe is not developed And the things that you're saying, it's like cring all day. Everything’s cringe, right? So and adding text, I'm so glad it was like ten sentence a text when I was in college. I wasn't in the streets like this because-- >> Dr. Carla Hayden: I would get to the texting and then the thought and interpretation of the text and it led to a really big-- >> Tiffany D. Jackson: A lot of miscommunication, which happens in real life. Like kids also do the same thing. I think one of the best things about, like Nic said, like the fact that we do like work with like kids is that I believe in us honoring their experiences and that putting on what we feel that they should be. We want them to feel like they actually are seen in this book, even the messiest side of them, and know that it's okay to make mistakes because you're still learning and that you're growing from those mistakes as well too. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: But also are the messy side of the adults. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Oh yeah, Yeah, 100%. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Like the bus when they were talking about that teacher. >> Dhonielle Clayton: That was an easy time. A chapter where they're talking about their messy teacher. It's how teens talk. I remember eavesdropping in my library on kids, you know. Talking. Yes. I'm like, Oh, so that's how you really feel in love with such and such. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, it felt someway and it was funny because she didn't know, they were laughing. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Was a savage out here. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, it was good. it was good. >> Ashley Woodfolk: They will come for anybody. >> Nic Stone: Yeah. You stay on the on the good side. So now the kids will bring me the tea. Like I know all the tea for my son's fifth grade class. I know the tea for the sixth-grade class. I know who likes who. I know which teachers they don't like. It's the best. I love it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Yeah, that's true. It just really and twig. Now, Twig was a unifying person. >> Dhonielle Clayton: That was Tiffani Jackson's addition to the book. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Twig was like the basically like the party promoter, like for this big Brooklyn party. And everyone sort of knew him. And for me, it's sort of from my Brooklyn neighborhood. We have like a twig that everyone sort of like knows is connected to in some cases. And so that's really where this character came from and I think what was his name before Groot? Groot- We weren't allowed to use that >> Nic Stone: because Marvel is like that. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, that little animal. Yeah, a little tree. Yes, yes. > Carla Hayden: I've seen him. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: So in my neighborhood, His name is Roots. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Oh, Twigs. See, ii takes me, yeah. [laughter] I got it, I got it. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And Twig is connected to everybody. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: He's connected. Everybody Twig comes up, he calls, he's waiting, everybody, and at the end, the big party that everybody wanted to go to finally get their stuff going on, it's multigenerational. And as that author said, it felt like gravity was lifted, that black out and anything was possible. And that party was just-- that was the party. So I know that there are people who want to ask some questions, so we're going to open it up and you can-- I think there are two mics and you can just come up and you can ask anything and especially if there are certain terms you need to know for the adults. You've got the experts right here. [laughter] [inaudible] or make a comment too. Oh yeah, we go. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Are we going left or right, doctor? >> Ashley Woodfolk: We’re going over here first. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Let's go left. >> It’s like pretty amazing to see five black authors on stage with the New York Times bestselling book. [applause] So I actually had two questions. But the first one is if you could give any insight into the series that's being made from the book. And the second one was you kind of hinted to "Whiteout", which I think a lot of us are also excited about so I wanted to hear anything you could share about it. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Sure, I have to tell the story. So for the-- oh boy, so we are lucky that we are having a TV show and a film made from "Blackout" right now. [applause] >> Nicola Yoon: But wait for it. The best part is coming. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And it's produced by President Barack Obama. [applause] And I had to call each one of them to tell them. The film agent called me and she said, look, I don't have time to get everybody on the phone, so you've got to disseminate the information. So I said, for everyone to text it. I said, where is everybody? And they're like, well, we're in the house. What's the problem? What's going on? Why are you so upset? I said, just go lay down. and then tell me you're laying flat down. And then I called each one of them and Angie Thomas was driving and I said, you have to pull over. And she was like, why? What is going on? You're scaring me. And so she pulled over and when I told her she was screaming so bad, I had to like-- I had to hang up because she was screaming, her mom was screaming and all y'all were like, she didn't pick up the phone. I'm calling, irobo called her like six times and she kept clicking. >> Ashley Woodfolk: I didn't know where-- No, I didn't know where my phone was. >> Dhonielle Clayton: I was going to voicemail everybody else. Nic was like, wait, what? Huh, Nikki, you were just >> Nic Stone: I cuss, I cussed >> Dhonielle Clayton: I can't even say he started cussing. What I said, but I was like a beep, beep. I'm like ah-- And Tiffany was like, yo, [laughter] she was like, you playing and that's it. She was like, I can't tell my mom. I said, all of Jamaica will know. [laughter] So her mom was the last one to find out 24 hours before the news went live, yeah. And Nikki, you were just like, no, stop, don't lie to me. >> Nicola Yoon: I just kept saying, what over and over again and I told my little girl and she fell down. >> Dhonielle Clayton: And so "Whiteout" is coming November 8th. [applause] It is another book told in its chapters, and but this time, you don't know who wrote what. It's a novel. You have no idea who wrote what. We'll see, We'll see, we'll see. And the challenge is for you all to figure out who wrote what characters. There's a key at the end that has clues, >> Nic Stone: but you're not going to get it. You're not going to get not going to get it. I know for real. I can tell you all for real, Part of the reason it's going to be hard is because we were edited. So like each of us in all of the stories. >> Dhonielle Clayton: But we were responsible for certain characters, so we'll see how well-- >> Nic Stone: Good luck to you. Yeah, good luck to you. >> May the odds be in your favor. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Oh, wait, wait. we people allow people ask questions. We’ve been talking for a long time. Should we go on the side? >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Thank you for that. >> Hello. My name is Lisa. I'm actually a ninth grade English teacher. I've been teaching around here. [applause] >> Nic Stone: Thank you for doing that work. >> Thank you for writing and getting published, because I read this right before the school year started, and I've already started coming up with lesson plans on how to read this. Your books are already in my classroom library, so just keep doing what you're doing. My biggest question is who are you planning to collect next as far as your group, as far as future projects? Yes. obviously, you guys deserve rest, but just very interested beyond just this collective group. What are your other plans, if any? >> Nic Stone: I'm about to collect myself. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Can you just say what we're working on next? Go down. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Oh, so I have a book coming out sorry, I don't know. [applause] It's called "The Weight of Blood". It's a homage to Stephen King's Carrie Toll at a school's first integrated prom. So that comes out on Tuesday. And then I have "Whiteout" coming out November 8th. So those are my next thing. [applause] >> Nic Stone: Tiffany is back to murdering everyone. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Literally everyone >> Nic Stone: into her murder bag, >> Dhonielle Clayton: back where she's comfortable. So "Whiteout" is next for me. Then end of January, I adapted Ibrahim Kendi's "How to Be an Antiracist". So “How To Be a Young Antiracist" will come out January 31st. And then my Mental Health manifesto is a novel called "Chaos Theory", and it comes out February 28th. [applause] >> Ashley Woodfolk: I had a book comes out in April called, “Nothing Burns As Bright As You.” And it was my first novel in verse, and it is the story of two queer black girls who are in a bit of a toxic relationship and who like to set fires. [laughter] That's what it's about. No. Nobody dies. Nobody dies. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: They're setting the fires together. >> Ashley Woodfolk: They do like to set fires together, yes. >> Dhonielle Clayton: It's a lot of tension. >> Ashley Woodfolk: It’s a lot of tension and all the feelings. And then in September, early September, I should know the date, but I don't. Sorry. I have my first non-fiction book coming out called "Opening My Eyes Underwater", and it is kind of like a memoir, but I wrote a bunch of essays based on quotes by Michelle Obama. So it's like personal essays and then "Whiteout." >> Dhonielle Clayton: This year, I had my first foray into writing for younger kids. I wrote a book called "The Marvel Earth". >> Nic Stone: Oh, great. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Yes, it is the future of Magic School. So we can say, Harry, who? And make sure we have magical schools that have everyone in them. And so I go on tour for that again this fall, and then I have "Whiteout," and then I'm returning to my fantasy universe of the Bells. And I have a book out next year that I'm about to announce that's in that world. [applause] >> Nicola Yoon: All right. So, I mean, we have "Whiteout" November 8th. Yeah, but the thing I'm proudest of that's really next is my husband and I have an imprint at Random House. [applause] It's called the "Joy Revolution". And we are publishing love stories starring people of color, written by people of color. And the first books come out next year and they are brilliant. We have Talia Hibbert, highly suspicious, highly suspicious and fairly cute where we have two black kids in the woods and they're very funny, it's hilarious. >> Dhonielle Clayton: I love her. >> Nicola Yoon: And then she's amazing. And then we have Queen Bee, which is basically why Bridgerton with like the big dresses, but brown kids and teacups and revenge and dukes and marquees and it's brilliant. So those are Queen Bee, highly suspicious and unfairly cute. And then I have an adult, my first adult book coming out in 2024. [applause] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Okay, we've got a few more minutes and then you guys are going to be -- selling or signing books. All of them are going to be selling, signing books. >> Ashley Woodfolk: So if we don't get to your question, please come ask us at the signing. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Yes, that was the point. >> Hi, so I have a question specifically for Dhonielle. So I am in library school librarian and training. Thank you. And but I've also always loved writing. So I guess my question is how and why did you make that transition From being a librarian to becoming a YA writer? >> Ashley Woodfolk: Oh, I've never heard this. Go ahead, tell us. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Well, thank you so much for that question. The reason I made that transition was because I had children asking me for books in my library that didn't exist. And so my library was in East Harlem, New York, and it was all black and brown children. And they wanted fun, exciting things. A little girl asked me for a book about a witch, and she was from-- her mom was from Mexico and her dad is from the DR, and there was not a single title in 2010 when I had started working in that library and it made me really angry. And I thought, I've got to do something about that. I've got to break into the industry, also take people with me and make sure that every single kid gets to read about whatever they want to read about and that it's there for them because what happens when you only see yourself in stories, the bruises of your background and those are press down, you start to have a bad relationship with literature and that affects your literacy. And so that's why I transitioned. It was just because kids wanted the drama. They wanted to go to Magic School, they wanted all of that stuff, and there wasn't anything that I could find that could satiate that for them. Yes, so that's why I did it. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: We'll go to this side. >> Um, hello. My name is Christiana. I'm actually a student at Howard University. >> Hey. You know, you know. But standing here and sitting here and listening to you all talk, it's just so incredible to hear these beautiful, mature women. And I'm like, how do y'all get into the heads of young folk? Like, do you interview them? What's your process? Do you go back to your own memories for inspiration? It's just so cool to see someone of a different age group actually, being so well connected with another entirely different age group. So what's your process in that? >> Dhonielle Clayton: Does one person want to take it? >> Nic Stone: I mean, I think-- so. You know, we actually do interact with teens a lot, but also, like, you don't actually have to grow up. You just have to pay bills at some point. Stay young like, yeah, when I tell you I'll be whipping through the streets of Atlanta bumpin two Chainz future Migos like we don't loud, loud. Like I was looking at my kids and they just have this-- they just like Swaggy. I'm like, where did you all get that? I'm like, oh, right from me. [laughter] Like, millennial women parents. We just do things a little differently, so just don't grow up, really. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Yes, ma'am. That's a-- Just remember that emotions are very evergreen. The same way that you fell in love in 1980s, the same way you're falling in love today. >> Nic Stone: You just say in 1980s. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: I'm just saying anybody. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Even the 60, yes. Yes. Emotions are evergreen. >> Nicola Yoon: We fell in love in 1981. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Thank you. >> Hi, I'm Jenn. I am a mental health professional. Thanks for that shout out. >> Nic Stone: Thank you for your work. >> Yeah. We're all burnt out. >> Nic Stone: Yes, I know. >> My question is really about these love stories, and I'm curious, especially because I think so much of the trope of romance, especially for young adult includes a lot of interracial relationships. And I imagine that has a lot to do with having white people feel okay in this space. And I'm curious what else you feel like is missing in romance? >> Dhonielle Clayton: Well yeah, that's putting it there, I don't. That's such a great question because I think the romance industry in general has to deal with something called sexual racism, where little like Walmart, Wendy, is what we call her. She doesn't want to read about-- she doesn't want to read about black women in-- >> Ashley Woodfolk: Walmart Wendy. >> Dhonielle Clayton: That's what I call her. There's also indie store Ingrid. That's what I call her. It's the terms of how they're buying books and they can't see themselves as if it's not a white love interest, they can't find their access point into it in publishing functions around that reader. And so doing what we did goes against that reader and centers a different reader and different love interests. And so it shouldn't feel revolutionary. It's what Nicola and David are doing at Joy Revolution, centering other love stories. But it's just an important thing for every writer to think about that. And we have that pressure on us. >> Nicola Yoon: And I Just-- I just want to add one thing. Listen, the books like this book and all our books have black characters in them, and we'll continue to. But everyone can learn something from these books because they're just human beings. Like, you don't have to read. Anyone can learn from any other person, like, if the disabled character is the main character, you can learn something. We are all human. That is the thing that we have in common. So pick up the books with interesting characters. That's it, that's all you have to do. >> Ashley Woodfolk: I also think like-- [applause] yeah, her question was more about like, what else is missing? And I feel like-- >> yes, thank you. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yes. And I feel like neurodiversity is definitely missing. Talia Hibbert is doing some of that, which is yeah, all kinds of disabilities are definitely missing because I feel like right now, all you have is sort of like the tragic, like love story of like falling for someone who is ill and then them dying, which like there's so much more to it than that. >> Dhonielle Clayton: It’s the Shade the Fault in our Stars and John Green's entire body. >> Nic Stone: He's not the only one. Everybody has an entire subgenre. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yeah. Oh, we have one minute. Yeah. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: We’re really down to one minute. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Look, we can talk about this all day. There's a lot of stuff missing. Everybody write books. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Bipoc, Queer love stories Everybody write books. >> Dhonielle Clayton: Bipoc, Queer love stories are missing in general across the board, Trans love stories completely missing, featuring Bipoc characters. >> Ashley Woodfolk: I think even asexual characters. Because, like, there is something that can be said for romance that doesn't include sex because too much is put, too much pressure is put on sex. >> Tiffany D. Jackson: Can we take this one last question? >> Dr. Carla Hayden: really quick. >> I could listen forever. First and foremost, thank you. Second of all, what is something you love about each other? And if there is one thing you could share to young people across the universe, what would that message be? >> Nic Stone: Oh, I like that. Can I take this one? >> Ashley Woodfolk: Yes, you can. >> Nic Stone: Okay. So these are our strengths. We all know each other's strengths. Angie is the funny one in her writing. Dhonielle is the plot queen. Ashley is the prose master, Nicola is romance. Tiffany is like the suspension with words. And then for me it's dialogue. And so we know that about each other. So we're able to lean into that with each other. And there was another part of the question. >> Ashley Woodfolk: What is the one thing we to say to young people. >> Nic Stone: Y'all like collaborate. If you hear anything, if you hear nothing else from this stage, look at what you can do when you work together. [applause] >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Well, they're going to be signing books so you could ask more questions. Look what you can do when you work together. >> Nic Stone: Look what you can do when you work together. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: You can teach your old folks to do stuff. You can inspire young people and you can give hope. >> Ashley Woodfolk: And you're worthy of love. That's the other thing. Everybody is worthy of love. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Ashley Woodfolk: Thank you, Dr. Hayden. This was an honor to share a stage with you. >> Dr. Carla Hayden: If you'd like to view this again, it's going to be on the library's website, loc.gov. So let's go sign some books. >> Ashley Woodfolk: Let's go sign some books.