The Cult of YA

I've always imagined the world of Young Adult authors as being a high school caferteria. In the middle of the room sits the Cool Kids Table where John Green and Maureen Johnson trade cleaver Nerdfighter jokes while Libba Bray and Lauren Myracle fiercly debate the merits of zombies and unicorns. Shannon Hale and Stephenie Meyer eat a quiet lunch at the Good Girl Table while the girls at the Popular Girls Table (Cecily Von Ziegesar* and Lisi Harrison are the It Girls at that table) sit looking glamourous and not eating anything. Ever. There is the Geek Table (SciFi version) at which Scott Westerfeld serves as a god (since he occasionally asked to the Cool Kid Table), and the Geek Table (Comic Book version) is mostly filled with Japanese writers who no one can understand but are afraid of because they know 47 different ways to kill you with their pinky finger. Holly Black and Cassandra Clare compare shades of black at the Goth Table. Off in the corner is the Transfer Student Table where writers who generally write for other age groups or genres can sit when they're doing their YA thing. James Patterson (adult author) and Joss Whedon (TV god and Miss Tammy's hero) can occasionally be seen there.


Recently I have learned that this cafteria does in fact exist. It's in the YA author mansion. One day I hope to go there. I'll be sitting at the Spastic Fan Girl Table, clutching my camera and autograph book in one hand while hyperventilating into a paper bag that is in my other. It will be awesome.

*It should be noted by all that there is no link to Cecily Von Ziegesar. This is because when I went to hunt down a page for the Gossip Girl writer I stubbled upon a Gossip Girl site that ate my computer. Ate it dead. To show my unhappiness (and to save you from the same fate) I have not added a link.