Writing YA Fiction with Shanti Hershenson

When the Covid pandemic started, all of us had to find new ways to keep busy. Shanti Hershenson, who was 12 at the time, decided to start taking writing seriously. Now 14, Shanti has not only written a remarkable 15 books, she’s done the work to self-publish and get those books into several independent bookstores. Shanti talks with me about why she didn’t tell anyone she had started writing, how her friends and family reacted, and how the young adult dystopian genre has shaped how young people see the world. She also shares her experiences using TikTok as a way to promote her work and help others start their own writing projects.

Show links

Shanti’s website

Shanti’s Amazon author page

Shanti on Goodreads

Shanti on Instagram

Shanti on TikTok

Shanti on Twitter

“Darkness Too Visible,” the WSJ article about YA fiction that touched off a firestorm in 2011 (alas, I have not been able to find a version that is not behind the WSJ paywall, but there are enough pieces refuting this article to be able to piece the gist together pretty easily).

Sherman Alexie’s response to that piece, “Why the Best YA Books Are Written in Blood”

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