7 YA Anthologies to Look For in 2018
YA anthology lovers, get ready because 2018 is going to be a great year for you. Not only do we have seven awesome YA anthologies on a variety of themes to look for, but the line-up of authors is super diverse! Here’s to 2018 changing things up!
Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet
Edited by: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Contributors: Sona Charaipotra, Dhonielle Clayton, Katie Cotugno, Jocelyn Davies, Nina LaCour, Emery Lord, Katharine McGee, Kass Morgan, Julie Murphy, Meredith Russo, Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon, and Ibi Zoboi
Out: January 2nd
Kicking us off is a romantic anthology named for the scenario rom-coms when two people meet in a quirky, funny, or romantic way. Considering that this is usually my favorite part of said stories, and that Amrentrout has assembled an incredible team of writers whose romantic contemporary novels I admire a lot, I absolutely can’t wait. It’ll be the perfect treat for cold, dark January nights!
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Through the Ages
Edited by: Saundra Mitchell
Contributors: Dahlia Adler, Sara Farizan, Tessa Gratton, Shaun David Hutchinson, Kody Keplinger, Mackenzie Lee, Malinda Lo, Nilah Magruder, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Natalie C. Parker, Alex Sanchez, Kate Scelsa, Tess Sharpe, Robin Talley, and Elliot Wake
Out: February 27
We’ve needed an updated queer YA anthology for years! The last one, Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence ,edited by the wonderful Marion Dane Bauer, came out in 1993. I’m so excited that Saundra Mitchell has filled this void, and she’s assembled a wonderful team of #ownvoices writers–some newer voices, and some who have been leaving their mark on YA for a number of years now. This anthology focuses on historical fiction (both realistic and with speculative twists), which is important because too often queer history is lost due to secrecy and stigma. The 2017 book Queer, There, and Everywhere was a great nonfiction title that illuminated queer people throughout history, but as a big historical fiction fan, I’m so excited for All Out!
The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutantes, and Other Dauntless Girls
Edited by: Jessica Spotswood
Contributors: Dahlia Adler, Erin Bowman, Dhonielle Clayton, Sara Farizan, Mackenzie Lee, Stacey Lee, Anna-Marie McLemore, Meg Medina, Marieke Nijkamp, Megan Shepherd, and Sarvenaz Tash
Out: March 13
The Radical Element is the follow up to Spotwood’s 2015 anthology, A Tyranny of Petticoats. Spotswood is back in 2018 with another awesome team of YA writers and even more great historical fiction! This collection focuses on the decisions of girls that were once considered radical throughout history, but are now viewed as trailblazing. I am always here for more badass girls causing the good kind of trouble.
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings
Edited by: Elsie Chapman and Ellen Oh
Contributors: Aliette de Bodard, Renee Adieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chibber, Melissa de la Cruz, Roshani Chokshi, Julia Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Lee, E.C. Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar, and Alyssa Wong
Out: June 26
My heart started beating a bit faster when I first saw learned anthology, which is a collection of East and South Asian fairy tale and folk tale retellings. I’m a huge fan of fairy tales to begin with, and I’m beyond excited to read an entire anthology of retellings that aren’t centered in the Western canon, by so many amazing authors whose novels I admire. Just take my money, okay?
Fresh Ink: AN Anthology
Edited by: Lamar Giles
Contributors: Schuyler Bailar, Melissa de la Cruz, Sara Farizan, Sharon G. Flake, Malinda Lo, Walter Dean Myers, Daniel José Older, Thien Pham, Jason Reynolds, Aminah Mae Safi, Gene Luen Yang, and Nicola Yoon.
Out: August 14
Fresh Ink is the latest anthology to be released in partnership with We Need Diverse Books! (A middle grade anthology, Flying Lessons & Other Stories, was published in 2017). I absolutely love this mix of established and newer talents, and I’m really intrigued and excited by the mixed formats. This anthology includes a graphic novel and one-act play in addition to short stories, and I hope that means it’ll find a wide audience in schools.
Toil & Trouble: 16 Tales of Women and Witchcraft
Edited by: Tess Sharpe and Jessica Spotswood
Contributors: Brandy Colbert, Zoraida Córdova, Andrea Cremer, Kate Hart, Emery Lord, Elizabeth May, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Lindsay Smith, Nova Ren Suma, Robin Talley, Shveta Thakrar, Tristina Wright, and Brenna Yovanoff
Out: August 28
Ladies! Witchcraft! Feminism! Yes! I love a good witch story–they’re so full of interesting opportunities to explore female power and how strong women are celebrated and maligned by society. The co-editor here is Jessica Spotswood, editor of the YA anthologies A Tyranny of Petticoats and The Radical Element, and the roster of writers here is fierce. I wish I could magic myself a copy right this minute!
(Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 30 writers and artists start the conversation about mental illness
Edited by: Book Riot’s own Kelly Jensen
Contributors: Hannah Bae, Aura/Monique Bedard, Libba Bray, Gemma Correll, Reid Ewing, Hannah Gomez, Ashley Holstrom, Heidi Heilig, Christine Heppermann, Shaun David Hutchinson, Mary Isabel, Lisa Jakub, Kelly Jensen, Susan Juby, Mike Jung, S. Jae-Jones, Nancy Kerrigan, Stephanie Kuehn, Emery Lord, Emily Mayberry, MILCK, Amy Reed, Meredith Russo, Yumi Sakugawa, Victoria Schwab, Adam Silvera, s.e. smith, Jessica Tremaine, S. Zaniab Williams, Clint Van Winkle, Dior Vargas, and Esmé Weijun Wang.
Out: October 2
Kelly Jensen’s first nonfiction YA anthology, Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World, is an awesome compilation of feminist essays and art, with a diverse contributor list and format. I’m really eager to see another scrapbook-style anthology on mental illness and its many manifestations and perceptions in our culture. A book like this is more important than ever, and fills a very big void in the YA canon.
What YA anthologies are you most looking forward to this year?
