Nina LaCour is an American author, primarily known for writing young adult literature with queer, romantic story lines.[1] Her novel We Are Okay won the Printz Award in 2017.[2]

Early life and education

LaCour was born in 1983[1] in and raised in the San Francisco Bay area.[3] Her family instilled in her an appreciation for the arts and education: "her grandmother taught china painting classes; her father was a teacher and then school principal; and her mother taught high school art."[3]

She attended Campolindo High School and graduated in 2000.[4] She received her bachelor's degree from San Francisco State University and a master of fine arts in creative writing from Mills College.[3][5]

Career

LaCour's first novel, Hold Still, was the result of her master's thesis while at Mills College.[3] Also while there, LaCour began teaching English composition to undergraduate students.[3] Following graduation, she taught at Berkeley City College and Maybeck High School before taking a few years off to care for her daughter.[3]

At present, LaCour teaches in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Hamline University.[6]

Personal life

LaCour currently lives in San Francisco with her wife and daughter.[3]

Selected works

Hold Still (2009)

Main article: Hold Still

Hold Still is a young adult novel published October 20, 2009 by Dutton Children's Books.

The book received the following accolades:

Everything Leads to You (2014)

Main article: Everything Leads to You

Everything Leads to You is a young adult novel published May 15, 2014 Dutton Children's Books.

The book is a Junior Library Guild selection[10] and has received the following accolades:

We Are Okay (2017)

Main article: We Are Okay

We Are Okay is a young adult novel published February 14, 2017, by Dutton Children's Books.

TIME added the book to its "100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time" list,[14] and Bustle named it one of the best books of the decade.[15] The Boston Globe,[16]Publishers Weekly,[17] and Seventeen[18] named it one of the best books of the year.

We Are Okay received various accolades, including the following:

Watch Over Me (2020)

Main article: Watch Over Me (LaCour novel)

Watch Over Me is a young adult novel published September 15, 2020, by Dutton Children's Books.

The New York Public Library,[22] Chicago Public Library,[23] Buzzfeed,[24] and Kirkus[25] named it one of the best young adult books of the year.

The book received various accolades, including the following:

Yerba Buena (2022)

Yerba Buena is LaCour's first book of adult fiction. The novel has "themes of drug and sexual abuse, death, abandonment, and purposelessness"[28] but is ultimately the story of "two star-crossed young women navigating trauma, family, and romance".[1] The New York Times reviewed the book and called it a "sensory feast".[29]

Publications

References

  1. ^ a b c McQuiston, Casey (June 13, 2022). "Nina LaCour On 'Yerba Buena,' Writing Queer Love Stories, & YA Vs. Adult Fiction". Bustle. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Morales, Macey (February 12, 2018). "'We Are Okay' wins 2018 Printz Award". American Library Association. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "About Nina". Nina LaCour. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  4. ^ McMahon, Regan (March 8, 2018). "Voice of youth: Author Nina LaCour honored for her YA fiction". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  5. ^ Comerford, Lynda Brill (December 21, 2009). "Fall 2009 Flying Starts: Nina LaCour". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "Creative Writing Programs - Faculty and Staff -". Hamline University. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "Hold Still | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. January 21, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "YALSA's 2010 Literary Award Winners". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). January 13, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "hold still | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. January 18, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  10. ^ "Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  11. ^ "Everything Leads to You". Goodreads. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Everything Leads To You". YALSA Book Finder. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  13. ^ "Everything Leads To You | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. December 20, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  14. ^ "The 100 Best YA Books of All Time". Time. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  15. ^ Colyard, K.W. (December 18, 2019). "The Best Books Of The 2010s, According To 30 Of The Decade's Debut Authors". Bustle. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  16. ^ "Best children's and YA books of 2017". The Boston Globe. December 8, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  17. ^ "Best Books 2017 Publishers Weekly". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  18. ^ Orenstein, Hannah (January 16, 2018). "28 of the Best YA Books of 2017". Seventeen. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  19. ^ Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2017. January 1, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2022 – via Booklist.
  20. ^ "We are okay | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. February 16, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  21. ^ "2018 Rainbow List". Rainbow Book List. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  22. ^ "Best Books for Teens 2020". The New York Public Library. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  23. ^ "Best Teen Fiction of 2020". Chicago Public Library. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  24. ^ Penn, Farrah. "The Best YA Books Of 2020". BuzzFeed. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  25. ^ "Best of 2020". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  26. ^ "2021 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  27. ^ "2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  28. ^ Hynek, Julia (June 11, 2022). "'Yerba Buena' Review: Understated, Bittersweet, Brilliant". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  29. ^ Harlan, Jennifer (May 31, 2022). "Love and Trauma in the Wilds of California". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

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