Dear All,
The Young Adult Literature, Media and Culture network is taking the exciting step to formalise as the YA Studies Association. As an Association, we will have more scope to do the work of growing the field of YA studies.
Much has changed since I launched YALMCa in 2017. Now, despite — or perhaps, at least in part, owing to — the current pandemic, the time feels right to refocus, especially on working together to build a collaborative, supportive, responsive organisation. The latter feels especially urgent given the growing awareness of the systematic inequality faced by marginalised groups, especially Black people, within YA publishing and scholarship, as well as the renewed intensity of transphobic narratives in online spaces. YA studies, as an interdisciplinary field, offers an opportunity to dismantle these structural disparities, which we must use to its full effect.
At the core of YASA’s launch is a renewed statement of purpose, which opens our new (draft) constitution:
The purpose of the Association shall be to increase knowledge of and research on YA literature, media, and related fields and to encourage the cooperation of specialists, institutions, organisations and individuals engaging with YA whether through research, teaching, or practice. As such, the Association has two primary aims. First, to foster an international community. Second, to promote rigorous engagement with YA that recognises the complexity, diversity and expansiveness of the field
YASA Constitution
Within this, we welcome students, scholars, and practitioners at all stages and career levels and of any race, ethnicity, religion, class, ability, gender, sex, sexuality, and size.
We will work to achieve this statement of purpose through a variety of activities including (some of which are long-term aims):
- hosting a biennial conference — the first of which will occur online this November (CFP and details coming),
- continuing the YA Critical Theory Reading Group,
- launching a YA Seminar Series,
- supporting postgraduate and early careers researchers,
- running a blog,
- developing a book series,
- maintaining and growing our social media presence,
- other projects and programmes fostering and supporting continued high standards in YA studies.
This work will also include ratifying a revised constitution at our (online) AGM in 2022. The draft constitution is available here. There is a wealth of information on this website, our new digital home. To name a few things: information about events, publication avenues, the YA critical theory database, and the YA directory. You’ll be sent the password to the directory after joining YASA, which you can do here.
We’re also recruiting! If you’re interested in growing the field of YA Studies and would like to be more directly involved in YASA, please do consider applying for one of our open Executive Board or Contributor roles.
Finally, I’d like to formally welcome Emily Corbett to YASA’s Executive Board. Emily has agreed to serve as our first Vice President. Emily is a final year PhD candidate at the University of Roehampton where she is working on a project considering issues with 21st century YA fiction. I am incredibly grateful for all the work Emily’s put in over the last few weeks — we would not be launching today without her — and I look forward to continuing this good work with Emily and the rest of the Board in due course.
I am very excited by all the brilliant work occurring in YA studies and firmly believe that YASA has the opportunity — with your help — to play an active role in shaping the field. If you have any questions or would like to know more about these exciting changes, please do reach out.
Very best wishes,
Leah
Dr Leah Phillips
YASA Founder and President
