YA: What’s Your Inspiration?
Sunday, May 7 | 2:30 PM - 3:30 PMResidence Inn Berkeley - Ballroom 2
What do the fairy tale “Rapunzel,” the musical My Fair Lady, and the novel Of Mice and Men have in common? They all served as inspiration for the latest works by the talented authors featured in this session, who took those classic works and ran with them, creating new, exciting, and entirely original novels that truly stand on their own. Francesca Flores (whose The Witch and the Vampire is a queer “Rapunzel” retelling), Jennieke Cohen (whose My Fine Fellow is a gender-bent play on Lerner & Loewe’s original), and Marie Myung-Ok Lee (whose Hurt You was inspired not only by Steinbeck but by her son with autism) will describe how they selected their source material, how they decided what to keep and what to turn on its head, and what role the classics still play for today’s readers and writers. This session will be hosted by young moderators from Cinnamongirl, Inc. Ages 12+.
Book signing information: Sausalito Books by the Bay, at the venue