Writing Tough Topics for Young Readers

Join 2023 Hackmatack award nominees Laura Best (The Family Way, Nimbus Publishing, 2021), Edeet Ravel (A Boy is Not a Ghost, Groundwood Books, 2021), and Valerie Sherrard (Birdspell, Cormorant Books, 2021) for a discussion on writing difficult topics for middle grade readers.

In conversation with Stephanie Domet (AfterWords Literary Festival), the authors will explain how their novels tackle difficult issues such as war, racism, historical traumas, mental health, and strained family relationships. The discussion will offer advice on how to approach tough topics with sensitivity and forethought, craft an age-appropriate narrative, and navigate the publishing process.

*7:30PM Atlantic*

Presented by the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award, in partnership with the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia