Press Release: ALAN Award 2023
The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN) is pleased to announce A.S. King as the recipient of the 2023 ALAN Award. The award is given to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature. Join us at the ALAN Breakfast to celebrate A.S. King’s achievements.
A.S. King has been called “One of the best Y.A. writers working today” by the New York Times Book Review. King is the author of numerous highly-acclaimed novels including 2021’s Switch, called a “surrealist masterpiece” by Kirkus Reviews, the 2020 Michael L. Printz Award winner and LA Times Book Prize finalist Dig, the 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Ask the Passengers, and the 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor Book Please Ignore Vera Dietz, among other novels and short stories in various collections. She also writes highly acclaimed Middle Grade fiction as Amy Sarig King—titles include Me and Marvin Gardens, The Year We Fell From Space, and 2022’s Attack of the Black Rectangles—as well as poetry and short stories. In 2022, she received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature, helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.
She is a faculty member of the Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and spends many months of the year traveling the world speaking to high school and university students, educators, and humans who care about young people. King is a fierce advocate for youth agency and mental health supports, and she is an inspiration for both teens and adults around the world.
King will provide remarks at the upcoming ALAN Breakfast to be held on November 18 during the NCTE Annual Convention. The 2023 ALAN Award Committee members are Chair Shalonda Foster, Robert Bittner, naitnaphit limlamai, and Lisa Morris-Wilkey.