LGBTQ-inclusive novelist Bill Konigsberg to speak at Austin Peay
(Updated March 13, 2020)
To slow the spread of COVID-19, Austin Peay State University has canceled this event. To see the University's response to COVID-19, click here.
(Published Feb. 26, 2020)
Award-winning young adult author Bill Konigsberg will visit Austin Peay State University in April to read from his work and to work with students.
“A Young Adult Reading with Bill Konigsberg” is scheduled for 8 p.m. April 9 at the Morgan University Center in Rooms 303 and 305. Konigsberg will read from his work and take questions.
Konigsberg also will visit three classes during the week.
Konigsberg is best known for his LGBTQ-inclusive novels for young readers such as “The Porcupine of Truth,” which won the PEN Center Literary Award and the Stonewall Book Award.
The National Council of Teachers of English Assembly on Literature for Adolescents in 2018 established the Bill Konigsberg Award for Acts and Activism for Equity and Inclusion Through Adult Literature.
“I’ve been writing novels for young LGBTQIA folk for more than a decade now,” Konigsberg said in an open letter to LGBTQ youth. “One thing I’ve learned is that some things are universal, and some things aren’t.
“Some parts of the teenage experience come very naturally to me, because, yes, I was one once,” he added. “I was once a gay youth. That’s the term we used back in the 1980s. … I absolutely do know what it feels like to feel alone, to feel like the only one, or one of the only ones, who understands what it feels like to be different.”
LGBTQIA stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex and asexual or allied.
About the books
“The Porcupine of Truth” follows a young boy who travels to Montana to spend the summer with his dying father. He meets a girl and quickly becomes close friends. They travel thousands of miles across the country looking for his long-estranged grandfather.
Konigsberg’s novel “The Bridge” – about two teens who have decided to jump from the same bridge at the same time – goes on sale Sept. 1.
His other award-winning books are “Out of the Pocket,” which won the Lambda Literally Award, and “Openly Straight,” which won the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor.
Konigsberg’s visit is sponsored by the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts and Austin Peay’s creative writing program.
To learn more
- For more about Bill Konigsberg, visit www.billkonigsberg.com.
- For more about Austin Peay’s Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, go to www.apsu.edu/ceca.
- For more about the Department of Languages and Literature, visit www.apsu.edu/langlit.
News Feed
View All News
David Hogan of Ribbon Communications and David "Buck" Dellinger of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council (EDC) will share their real-world perspectives on leadership, innovation, and career development during this semester's speaker series.
Read More
Title III grant funding recently allowed 16 faculty members from across campus to participate in the Career Readiness Academy, an extended workshop series focused on labor market tools, curriculum development, and National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) competencies.
Read More
The collaborative research project will explore how custom-designed drones can support communities during natural disasters and enhance healthcare delivery, particularly in areas that are difficult to access through traditional means.
Read More