Ellen
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Dial Books for Young Readers
senior editor at dial byr, cat lady, @smithcollege alum, she/her (tweets are mine & mine alone) π

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Adib Khorram @adibkhorram
I want to see a de-centering of whiteness as the queer default. I want intersectionality. I want to see depictions of disabled queer people. Indigenous queer people. I want to see those books getting movie adaptations and critical acclaim and bestseller status. #kidlitpridechatHow can I βlikeβ this a million more times??? #mswl

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Brandon @blgtylr
You ever think about how witches and nuns are like the same thing.Witches & Nuns:
- Wear black
- Commune with spiritual forces
- Speak Latin
- Chant things to do magic
- Have ancient, leather-bound texts with all their secrets
- Live in tight-knit communities
- Cats
I want to read this graphic novel #mswl

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Kayla Ancrum @KaylaAncrum
Hey wanna hear something really gay?A girl I was in love with back in high school had S.A.D. And when it was winter, and had been grey for a while, I would put sunscreen on in the morning before school so that she could smell it on my skin and remember the light of the sun.
My kingdom for this YA novel #mswl

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Maleeha Siddiqui @MalSidInk
I love morally gray, complex, & layered characters as much as the next person, but I miss stories that have genuinely GOOD, compassionate, and kind-hearted MCs (that are put to the test by having to make some tough choices that might not make them seem so nice!).Yes, this! Kind-heartedness and complexity are not mutually exclusive #mswl

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At the time of this tweet I have exactly zero picture books about bears or cats. It is a big problem. Let's fix that. #mswl

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MG or YA speculative fiction that's as sharp, funny, and layered as #RussianDoll. Something that uses the speculative element to say something, not just as a cool hook #mswl

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Impeccably researched and incredibly queer historical fiction (MG or YA) in the vein of Gentleman Jack, Wild Nights With Emily, and Greta Gerwig's Little Women (let me live!) #mswl

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Classic-feeling, oh-so-charming MG family stories (Γ la The Penderwicks) but about found or otherwise non-traditional families #mswl

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YA where the relationship at the center of the novel is intense, complicated and platonic. Think Amy & Molly in #Booksmart #mswl

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Unapologetically enthusiastic main characters. Give me protagonists who cannot play it cool when it comes to what they love #mswl
A primer: medium.com/matter/againstβ¦

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In 2020, I want to acquire more books! (It is also my job.) So, agent friends, here's a #mswl thread that I'll add to all year long.
TL;DR: Send me PB, MG & YA projects that have a distinct POV and something to say. Bonus points for queerness & a net emotional outcome of joy.

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Liz Lawson @LzLwsn
I wish there was more YA that focused on the complicated relationship teens have with their parents.In my experience, that relationship (good, bad, ugly) is one of the defining factors of being a teen. Pushing against them, loving them, fighting, craving their love. All of it.
I, too, wish this & would like to see more more manuscripts like this in my inbox, agent pals! #mswl

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Malinda Lo @malindalo
Those Little Women Are Lesbians β On Louisa May Alcottβs classic book and my love for it, especially at Christmas time. loandbehold.substack.com/p/those-littleβ¦ pic.twitter.com/eI9Xuff8dRI don't know whether to make this a #mswl tweet or the start of a petition for @malindalo to retell LITTLE WOMEN. Honestly it's probably both.

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Betsy Bird @FuseEight
I need you to read these and then I would like to request that someone (@Devas_T comes immediately to mind) write a Mr. T picture biography right now. Done right it could be extraordinary (and donβt tell me it wouldnβt sell like crazy): pic.twitter.com/7JwjTwP8PGYes! YES! #mswl