Kit Willihnganz - Young Adult Books - Books by Genre - Arts/Humanities

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Expert Profile: Kit Willihnganz

Expertise: I can answer questions concerning both the general history of the young adult genre and questions about specific books. I'm happy to recommend books, both to readers and to parents looking for books to give their children. I have a limited knowledge of the personal lives of authors (trivia, etc.) but will do my best to find the information you want. Please do NOT send me your homework questions. I won't answer them.

Experience in the area
I have been reading young adult fiction since I was nine years old, and written five (unpublished) young adult novels. I am currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in writing, concentrating on writing for children and young adults, at Spalding University.

Organizations
The Kent Society Homeopathy Study Group, the Classics of Literature Book Group, and the Modern Fiction Book Group (leader).

Publications
Calliope, Odyssey

Education/Credentials
B.A. Theatrical Linguistics (minor in Russian and East European Studies) at Indiana University. Currently pursuing a M.F.A. in writing with a concentration in writing for children and young adults. I'm also a licensed facilitator of Women Writing for (a) Change.

Awards and Honors
Phi Beta Kappa, graduated Suma Cum Laude, won first place in the Indiana University R.P.S. Short Story Contest, and won third place in the 2004 Women Who Write Prose Competition.

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Something interesting about this subject that others may not know: Catcher in the Rye was the first book that yound adults felt was truly written for them about the inssues relevant to their lives. S.E. Hinton was the first true Y.A. author.

What do you like about this subject? I love reading about the teen years because they're so fundamentally dangerous: a time when choices that will effect the rest of one's life are being made, and yet so little is known and emotions are running so high. I love the passion of those years.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field? I'm working on a historical young adult novel that I hope to publish. The story is about an eleven-year-old girl whose family is wiped out during the Black Death in England in 1348. I'm also hoping to finish my master's in November of '08. Afterward I would like to teach and write about craft.

Something controversial or provocative about this subject People sometimes ask me if I think drug use and sex are inappropriate topics in YA. I don't think any topic is inappropriate if it has purpose and meaning in the story. Literature is meant to reflect the human condition back to us, and sometimes that condition includes sex and drugs. YA lit is not meant to be a Goofus and Gallant cartoon.

Average Ratings
Prestige Points: 90
Knowledge	10.0 Best of the best
Clarity of Response	10.0 Best of the best
Timeliness	10.0 Best of the best
Politeness	10.0 Best of the best
Number Of Questions (in Past 24 Hours)		0
Max Questions to be Asked (in 24 Hour period)		5
Total Questions (since joining AllExperts)		89

Recent Reviews from Users

Knowl	Clarity	Time	Politeness	Date
10	10	10	10	05/09/07
10	10	10	10	04/11/07
10	10	10	10	04/11/07

User Comments

thank you very much :)
(Jenny on 05/09/07)

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Ask a Question	View Past Answers	View Ratings

Recent Answers from Kit Willihnganz

2008-09-11 novel recomendation: Dear Stephanie, I'm sorry, I don't know what an ISU is. Sounds like a school project, though, so I'll keep to acceptable "literature." If you liked Jane Eyre, try anything written by Jane Austen...

2008-09-04 book editions: Dear Alicia, I have never heard of this book, but I looked it up on Amazon and was unable to find any references to page counts from early editions. That aside, it would be very strange for a book...

2008-08-22 books recomendations: Dear Sebas, Try the Pendragon series by J.D. MacHale or the Inheritance trilogy by Christopher Paolini (I'm not entirely sure that's how his last name is spelled, but you won't have any trouble finding...

2008-06-25 Fantasy: Dear Angelica, Sorry this took a few days--I was on vacation. Try the Pendragon series by J.D. MacHale. Yours truly, Kit Note Added Later: Oh, and make sure to find the Claidi Journals...

2007-07-22 Good books: Dear Tae, This is a difficult recommendation, because your daughter is 13 and a lot of the issues she's inevitably facing (whether at home, at school, or simply aware of in the community) involve intense...