Meet New TLT Contributor Amanda MacGregor
One of the best parts about the Teen Librarian Toolbox blog is that it has not only helped me refine the issues and given me a place to learn and grow as a professional, but that it has brought some amazing people into my life to help me think, grow, and be not only a better teen librarian, but a better human being. During this past year I have gotten to know Amanda MacGregor, who shares the TLT passion for teen services, teen literature, gender issues, diversity and healthy teen sexuality – just to name a few. So we asked her if she would like to join us here at TLT and were very honored when she said yes. So let’s take a moment to meet Amanda . . .
1) Share your background and experience with us.
I started reading before I was in kindergarten and have hardly set a book down since then.
My love of reading and writing led me to double majoring in English and Women’s Studies in the late 1990s at the University of Minnesota Duluth. While there, I received a grant from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, and I spent my senior year researching stereotyped depictions of girls and women in children’s books. This, combined with my renewed interest in YA books (thanks to often camping out to study in the teen section of the library) led me to graduate school at the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons College, in Boston, Massachusetts. That program was the greatest two years of my life, not just for the education I received, but also for the amazing friendship that grew from our time in an extremely rigorous program.
I have worked as the children’s department lead at Barnes & Noble, a bookseller at the fabulous Children’s Book Shop in Brookline, MA, a children’s and teen librarian at a small library in MN, and as a library assistant at a high school. I’ve been a professional book reviewer for more than ten years, do various freelance work, volunteer with teen programs through the public library, and volunteer at my son’s elementary school. I left my library job a year ago to be more available to my young son (while he still likes having me around—I know that’s a time-limited deal) and to work on various writing projects. I spend a good portion of the day being stared at by my dogs, who seem to be waiting for me to do something more interesting than pound on my computer and mutter to myself.
2) What are your top 5 favorite reads?Well, I’m assuming like for everyone else who writes for or reads this site, narrowing it down to a top 5 is hard! How about this:
My favorite modern classic: Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas
My favorite underrated recent book: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
My favorite book from when I was actually a teenager: tie between Girlby Blake Nelson and Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block (why yes, I *was* a big fan of Sassy magazine—how’d you guess?)
My favorite book I read this year: Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour
My favorite series to reread: Megan McCafferty’s Jessica Darling series
3) What do you think are the rewards/challenges of working with teens?
The challenges in various jobs where I’ve worked with teens generally come from people/elements other than the actual teenagers. Overcoming any challenges with teens was usually solved by the simple ideas of respecting them, listening to them, and supporting them. In the high school, I had a constant throng of kids around my desk all day (I called them my “minions”), and I came to see that for many of them, just getting to school every day was a small miracle. So the challenge—figuring out ways to relate to the teenagers—was also the reward. Helping teens connect with the right book, watching them grow and mature as readers and people, and getting to know them has been immensely rewarding.
4) What do you think are the biggest issues affecting young teens today?
From my years spent at the high school, I’d have to say bullying, depression, suicidal ideation, poverty, substance abuse, and self-esteem issues all loom large. I quickly learned that sometimes all it takes for teenagers to really open up is finding the right person to listen. Sometimes it was as simple as a student asking for a book about bullying, which would lead to a conversation about what was happening in his or her own life. Because I was approachable and had no door to close on them, I ended up hearing a lot of private details of teenagers’ lives. I spent a lot of time taking kids down to the guidance office or reporting the terrible things they told me. One of the biggest issues affecting teens might just be the fact that we often don’t know or miss the signs of what issues teenagers might be privately struggling with.
5) How would your teenage minions define you if they were writing your bio for you here at TLT?
Well, they’d probably say my best quality is that I almost always have candy. They like to say I’m still teenaged—I’m just two teenagers (18 + 18). They’d probably tell you that I love to make handouts and then ask follow-up questions days after book club on email… and Facebook… and by text. They’d tell you I wear a lot of black and never know any of the bands they talk about because I don’t listen to any band that didn’t exist prior to 2000. They’d maybe speculate that I’m actually a zombie, given how often I tell them “I like your brains.” I hope they’d also say that I do anything I can to encourage and support them, even if that means sometimes lecturing them and sometimes just listening to them.
Amanda will be blogging with us here regularly on the First and Third Tuesday of each month, with an emphasis on GLBTQ lit and whatever else she wants to say. She’s smart, she’s passionate, and she’s kind of awesome. So welcome Amanda.
And now, a moment of silence for Sassy magazine. Still beloved and missed by many. Please take a moment to say welcome to Amanda in the comments.
Filed under: Uncategorized
About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 32 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
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Welcome, Amanda! I'm sure you and your awesome glasses will be a valuable addition to TLT!
Ha! Thanks, Brittney! My glasses are one of my best qualities:)
Hi Amanda- So, I found your info while trying to find awesome, new, fun teen materials for our first B-Fest Teen event at Barnes and Noble….and I was reading through your info and saw you actually use to work at a BN 🙂 Anyways, our store is hosting this teen event on June 10th-12th. I was wondering if you happen to live in MN yet and would want to speak about your love of teen books for our teen audience. I would love to sit in on one of your book talks and I know we would have some very interested teen that would love it too! Please let me know either way!
Jennie Weber
Community Business Development Manager
Barnes and Noble St. Cloud