YA Lit Staff

Bev Kodak - Track Director - Bev has been attending Dragon*Con since 1995, and has been a staff volunteer since 1999. She has been the Director of the YA Lit track since its inception in 2005. She shares her love of books with a captive audience on a regular basis, as she is a middle school Language Arts teacher. She enjoys a good laugh, good company, fine conversation, and a good book. Combine all of those, and you have the Young Adult Lit track at Dragon*Con. She lives with her husband and daughter in McDonough, Georgia.

Three Questions Answered
1. First Science fiction or fantasy book?A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. I remember reading it and asking the librarian, "Are there any more books like this?"
2. Favorite book(s) of all time? Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, anything by Lois McMaster Bujold or Ursula K. LeGuin, The Immortals by Tracy Hickman.
3. Why YA? I really like a good story, and I think some of the best writers out there are writing for young adults. Good YA books have good character development, tight plot lines, and serious themes. Teens just won't read a book if it's crap. I also love that most books written for young people have one element that those written for adults don't have. That element is hope.

Recent reads: Kathleen Duey's Skin Hunger is an excellent read, with a scene that you will never forget. I also recently loved Kristin Cashore's Graceling, Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, and Nancy Werlin's Impossible.

Suzanne Chatham - Staff - Suzanne became involved with Dragon*Con a few years back as the YA panel began and has enjoyed every minute of the experience. (Thanks, Bev) Suzanne and her two children reside in the Augusta , GA area. She is a middle school music teacher and enjoys reading just about anything. She recently was certified as a Gifted teacher and is working on her Reading Endorsement

Three Questions Answered
1. First Science fiction or fantasy book? I have no idea! I remember reading a lot of ghost stories that evolved into fantasy and then into SciFi.
2. Favorite book(s) of all time? How about authors or series instead? There are too many books out there! (in no particular order) Pendragon, Harry Potter, Tamora Pierce, Robert Jordan, Christing Feehan, Diane Duane, Septimus Heap, C.S. Lewis, Anne McCaffery...
3. Why YA? While I enjoy reading adult fiction, YA holds a special place. YA lit is more open and innocent. The characters are intriguing and the plots expansive. There is a sense of newness and awareness in many YA novels or stories. YA authors are more willing to experiment and be creative, which I enjoy.

Mary Moline - Assistant Track Director - This is Mary's 7th year on staff... (add one... carry the two...) Yeah six. Two years for the Buffy Track (Now The Whedon Track ) and now five years for YA Lit. Besides reading insane amounts of books, Mary loves her some Supernatural and her obsession is not approaching scary levels... we left scary back somewhere by the edge of the road. Favorite new books she's read this year are: Graceling by Kristin Cashore, White Cat by Holly Black, Num8ers by Rachel Ward, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.

Three Questions Answered
1. First Science fiction or fantasy book? A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. My fifth grade teacher read it aloud to us and I remember just being entranced. I really should write her a thank you note.
2. Favorite book(s) of all time? Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey, Stargirl by Jerry Spinneli, The Divine Secrets of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells, Hypocrite in a Poofy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman, Idiot Girls Action Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, and The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares.
3. Why YA? Because in a short amount of time you are just sucked into a world that is not our own... or is our own but nothing you would ever think of as being part of our world. There is so much energy in that time period between childhood and adulthood that the books which come out of it can't help but being stunning and full of some of that vitality.

Karen Newsome - Staff - While this is my first year on staff, I've been coming to Dragon Con for the past six years even though I've lived in Atlanta my entire life. I'm a Lost, Smallville and Harry Potter fanatic. I love coming to Dragon*Con because I think it's a great place for anyone to let out their inner fangirl/nerd and NOT feel out of place.

Three Questions Answered
1. First Science Fiction or Fantasy book? The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. My twin sister and I were given this book as Christmas gifts when we were 7 and literally read it until the spine fell out.
2. Favorite books of all time? Without Question, the Harry Potter series. Popular answer? Sure! But..that's just because it's AWESOME!
3. Why YA? Because it's the best. Seriously, if you were to sit down and list your top 5 books of all time, could you do it without at least 1 YA title in the list? Doubt it. It's the most versatile genre out there which is, in my opinion what makes it so appealing.

Melissa Pichetto - Staff - Melissa is a lover of all things nerdy including books, science, fanfiction, art, gaming, and most importantly Dragon*Con. After a stint as a staffer for the Art Show, this is her first year as a staffer for the YA Lit track and she couldn't be more excited! Melissa attends school at Georgia State University where she has held a wide variety of majors (Music, Sociology, Psychology, Pre-Med) and minors (Photography, English Literature) and has finally settled on Nursing (no minors allowed-boo!). When not slaving away over her schoolwork like a clone of Hermione Granger, Melissa loves to read, be a gamer, sing, work her crops, and sleep! She lives in Lawrenceville, GA with her loving husband, three crazy dogs, and her wonderful car, Severus.

Three Questions Answered
1. First Science Fiction or Fantasy book? A Wrinkle in Time. My science teacher in the 6th grade saw the spark and told me I would enjoy the book. I was hooked from the first page when, as a 6th grader, I could easily relate to the nerdy Meg Murray! :)
2. Favorite books of all time? There are so many that listing them all would be exhaustive so I will include two all time faves and a new fav: The Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (+ the Hobbit of course!), and Graceling.
3. Why YA? I love YA because the worlds are so rich and well described that you can always imagine yourself there. There are characters that you can relate to and, because they are so well written, you are sucked into their lives and their stories, sharing in their joys and pains. I also find that YA books are getting more likely to confront issues that lots of kids face, and the authors are not afraid to make books that aren't all roses and sunshine. There are life lessons to be learned in the pages. But most of all I love that these things combined, along with so much more, are drawing in kids who normally wouldn't read and helping them experience the joy of books.

Karen Smith - Staff - Karen is in the process of obtaining a Ph.D. in Victorian Literature, specializing in Oscar Wilde; however, she is passionate about literature from all areas, genres, and times. Her latest obsessions are Terry Pratchett (always), Tamora Pierce, Ellen Kushner, Justine Larbalestier, John Green, Maureen Johnson, Steve Berman, Holly Black, Suzanne Collins, and Kathleen Duey, just to name a very few, and lately she's been reading all of Maggie Stiefvater's works--Shiver and Linger, the first two of her werewolf trilogy, and Lament and Ballad, her fairy-focused novels. This will be the eleventh Dragon*Con she has attended, her ninth straight as a volunteer, and her seventh with YA Lit--and she's loved every minute of it.

Three Questions Answered
1. First Science fiction or fantasy book? It's hard to say--I did start reading the Bible at an early age. After going through all the Greek and Norse myth books in my elementary library, I read L'Engle, ghost stories, the Narnia books, and just about anything I could get my hands on.
2. Favorite book(s) of all time? There is(are) no such animal(s). I am a rabid proponent of Pratchett's Discworld series, but it's like asking someone to choose their favorite cell. There are millions and millions of them, and they're all a part of you.
3. Why YA? So-called "kid's books" often have more heart and more soul and more truth than any "adult" novel, and if that weren't true...you wouldn't be reading this bio.

Lydia Watson - Staff - This will be Lil's seventh year to attend the Con and fifth time as staff for the YA Lit track. She resides in Atlanta and is extremely glad that she discovered Dragon*Con. She is a recent graduate from Georgia State University with a degree in Public Relations. She currently works as a barista at a local independent coffee shop and loves it. Her fandoms are: Lord of the Rings, Buffy and Harry Potter. She enjoys reading everything from classic lit (Les Miserables!) to fantasy (Potter!). Some of her favorite authors she thinks everyone should read include Victor Hugo, Holly Black, Scott Westerfeld, Jane Austen, and John Green. DFTBA!

Three Questions Answered
1. First Science fiction or fantasy book? As far as I can remember Narnia was my first fantasy book. Sci-Fi? No clue.
2. Favorite book(s) of all time? Lord of the Rings, Les Miserables, The Chronicles of Narnia and Pride & Prejudice
3. Why YA? Because it continues to be new, fascinating and creative. "Adult" lit seems to be stuck in a rut of the same genre stories over and over. Authors like Holly Black and Scott Westerfeld are showing the world of writing that you can do so much more. To me the characters are intriguing, the stories are brilliant and create a true escapism into fantastic worlds.

Eleanor - Eleanor is the YA Lit mascot. Both of her parents are directors at Dragon*Con, so she doesn't get a choice whether to grow up geeky or not. Eleanor's current passions are dressing up, dancing, Disney Princesses, books, and Star Wars. She was at Dragon*Con before she was hatched, so this is her fifth year in attendance. She is four years old.

"People find it far easier to forgive others
for being wrong than for being right."
JK Rowling, ...The Half Blood Prince