And if, as a fan, you visit his site (“Brent’s Brain”<\/a><\/strong>), you will be rewarded with all kinds of information about Brent and his writing. Accessibility<\/em> seems to be his middle name and a large part of his endearing charm. Yes, visit “Brent’s Brain” and get full access to all his lobes, frontal and otherwise. There’s his bio<\/a><\/strong>; a link to events<\/a><\/strong>; a listing of his books<\/a><\/strong>; his “deep dark past”<\/a><\/strong> and his story about discovering, as a teen, that he was gay; an entire page<\/a><\/strong> devoted to “being gay” (“It\u2019s a clich\u00e9 to say it, but I\u2019ve always known I was gay”); a page which links to his blogs and MySpace presence<\/a><\/strong>; a press room and media coverage page<\/a><\/strong>; a page of FAQs about his novel (“questions that haunt me”<\/a><\/strong>); and even more. (To boot, there are even squishy brain sounds when you click on links in the form of brain lobes). <\/p>\n If you’re a big Hartinger fan already and know all about his books and his commanding, dynamic ability to connect with readers, why then, scroll on down to the interview (below the seven, centered asterisks) and have fun getting to know him a bit better. If you need a Brent Hartinger 101 — his books, his blogs, his activism — we’re pleased to provide one. Here goes: <\/p>\n Hartinger is passionate about school visits and travels the country on speaking engagements. He teaches MFA creative writing at Vermont College<\/a><\/strong>. He also recently taught creative writing at the Tacoma School of the Arts<\/a><\/strong> in Tacoma, Washington, where he lives with his long-time partner, Jensen (Hartinger was dubbed Mr. Nirvana by the Tacoma students, according to the aforementioned News Tribune<\/a><\/strong><\/em> article, one of them saying, \u201c{h}e is an amazing storyteller . . . a master of plot and getting the point across, and he\u2019s a wonderful teacher . . . I\u2019d sell my soul to take another class from him.\u201d Do you think maybe they liked him?).<\/p>\n Whew. Hartinger’s a busy, multi-faceted, passionate guy, but what do you say we get to the interview? We thank him kindly for stopping by. Without further ado, here’s Brent . . . <\/p>\n Brent<\/strong>: I hate it when people recite back to me my publication schedule, because I always look at all those projects and think, \u201cWhat, am I nuts?\u201d Which I guess I am. But strike while the iron is hot and all that.<\/p>\n Dreamquest<\/em>, which is, like, just out, is a fantasy for kids. It\u2019s the story of Julie, a girl plagued by terrible nightmares who wakes up one night in “Slumberia,” the magical place inside her own brain where they film her nightly dreams. In order to stop the nightmares for good, Julie must battle first the dreamwriter, then the dream-producer, and then even the evil dream-executives in far-away Nightmare City. But she has to work fast, because the bratty look-alike actress who “plays” her in the dreams slipped over into the “real” world, and is on the verge of taking over her life forever. <\/p>\n It’s hopefully funny, it’s hopefully a little scary, it hopefully has heart, and there just might be some satire in there about my time in Hollywood working as a screenwriter.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a series, Tales of Slumberia<\/em>, so I\u2019m working on a sequel, Brainstorm<\/em>, probably for 2009. I\u2019m also working on another sequel in the Geography Club<\/em> series which, yes, will be from Kevin\u2019s POV. I\u2019ve only just started it (for fall 2008), but I know it will be a mystery, and that it will (hopefully!) finally resolve the whole Kevin-Russel storyline. The Min book? That\u2019s still only a glint in my eye, but I hope I get a chance to write it. That\u2019s up to my publishers.<\/p>\n Productions of the play version of Geography Club<\/em> are popping up here and there, and there\u2019s a New York production in the works, but that\u2019s still a long way off. <\/p>\n And last but not least, I just finished a book about a couple of teenagers who discover they can do astral projection. It\u2019s called Shadowwalkers<\/em>. That\u2019ll be out next year.<\/p>\n Whew! Just typing all this makes me tired.<\/p>\n Brent<\/strong>: Well, it was funny, because a group of writer friends and I were always bemoaning all these book challenges. And then a couple of us, I think it was Jordan Sonnenblick<\/a><\/strong> and Mark Williams, said, \u201cWell, hey, why don\u2019t we, like, start an anti-censorship group?\u201d I came up with the name, Authors Supporting Intellectual Freedom (or AS IF!), and we\u2019ve been doing our little activism thing ever since. Our latest two members are M.T. Anderson<\/a><\/strong> and Meg Cabot<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n What we do is hard to explain, because it differs. Basically, we work behind-the-scenes, doing whatever those on the front line want us to do. Sometimes that means writing letters or emails and spreading the word, sometimes that means offering tactical support and advice. After so many challenges, we\u2019re getting pretty good at knowing what kinds of talk wins these debates. Because it\u2019s really about winning hearts and minds, getting people to see the big issues involved\u2014not just getting a particular book back on the shelves.<\/p>\n But mostly I think we\u2019re just trying to educate the general public on how a tiny minority of folks wants to radically rewrite the definition of a \u201clibrary.\u201d What books should a library have? Well, the right question to ask, of course, is not, Will anyone in my community be offended by this book?<\/em> Instead, it\u2019s, Will anyone in my community be served by the presence of this book?<\/em><\/p>\n Many of our members, myself included, give speeches, write columns, and just generally make noise on this topic.<\/p>\n Interestingly, about a week after we founded AS IF! in 2005, my book, Geography Club<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, was officially banned for the first time. So I was literally our first object of support. But by being in the hotseat, then and many times since, I think I have a pretty good perspective. I\u2019ve learned soooooo much about challenges and censorship and \u201cage appropriateness\u201d and all the rest. Which of course completely haunts me now when I\u2019m writing a new book!<\/p>\n The most ludicrous challenges I\u2019ve seen? So many of them seem like lunacy to me.<\/p>\n 7-Imp<\/strong>: Can you talk a bit about your own experiences with political activism, particularly with GLBTQ youth? Also, since you are writing for a group that, as a whole, struggles so much (gay teens), do you feel there is there more pressure on you to \u201cget it right\u201d with your books? In other words, do you worry more about how your audience will receive your work, since it potentially matters so much to them?<\/em><\/p>\n Brent<\/strong>: Oh, yeah, I feel an enormous responsibility. Which is probably stupid because, let\u2019s face it, they are just books. But yeah, I hear from so many people how important these books are. <\/p>\n Honestly, though, the most important thing, for me is still, is it a good story? Is it entertaining? Because that\u2019s what I\u2019m doing: writing what I hope are entertaining stories. It\u2019s not political activism. When a writer gets preachy or, frankly, starts to take himself too seriously, thinking that his books are changing the world or whatever, well, that\u2019s when I think the books start to get really baaaaaad.<\/p>\n That said, my friend David Levithan<\/a><\/strong> says, \u201cThere is nothing like a book whose time has come.\u201d And it is really, really true of gay-themed books these days. For ten years, I tried to get Geography Club<\/em> published, and no one\u2014and I mean no one\u2014was interested. But then it was like someone flipped a switch, and the floodgates were opened. <\/p>\n And the reason why, of course, is that society was finally ready. We\u2019ve reached one of those exciting turning points in society, and as always, it\u2019s the young people who are leading the way. So many adults are still so terrified of the gay issue, so frightened of controversy. But go to almost any high school in the country, at least outside some areas of the South, and where is the energy? It\u2019s the gay issue. What cause are all the thoughtful, intelligent kids devoting themselves to? The gay issue. And I\u2019m not just talking about the gay kids; it\u2019s straight kids, too.<\/p>\n Teenagers are so far ahead of adults on this issue that it\u2019s funny. But like I said, that\u2019s always the way it is.<\/p>\n 7-Imp<\/strong>: You mention at your website that one of your presentation topics (to schools) is along the lines of why every novelist should be a playwright. Could you expand on that a bit (without giving away your entire presentation, which, of course, you get paid for doing!)? We know you\u2019re a big believer in structuring\/outlining a book before writing; is that part of what you mean? <\/em><\/p>\n Brent<\/strong>: It took me many, many years before I was able to make a living writing my fiction, and in those years, I turned to other mediums: screenwriting and playwriting. At the time, I was just desperately trying anything to break through. But the weird thing was, it totally made me a better writer in all mediums. It\u2019s like that line in “Tootsie,” \u201cI was a better man as a woman than I ever was as a man.\u201d I was a better novelist as a screenwriter than I ever was as a novelist.<\/p>\n People talk like the mediums are just soooo radically different. And sure, there are differences. But a story is a story is a story. I think many, many writers of novels would do well to learn that plot isn\u2019t anything to be afraid of, that a book is more than just pretty, poetic language. That something needs to happen, and that, yes, readers do want a sense of resolution, a feeling that there was a point to the book. Why did we go through all that? As a playwright, I literally was in the room as people were reacting to my work, and I saw exactly where the audience responded, and where they didn\u2019t. And the things they respond to are desire, strong motivation, conflict, action, and resolution.<\/p>\n The audience isn\u2019t always right, but they\u2019re almost always right. We ignore them at our peril.<\/p>\n So that\u2019s what I talk about, spelling out exactly what \u201cdramatic structure\u201d is, which, incidentally, is completely different from \u201cformula.\u201d<\/p>\n Brent<\/strong>: Split Screen<\/em> is the latest in the Geography Club<\/em> series, the story of when Russel and Min get jobs working as extras on a horror film, and it\u2019s two complete books in one: one from Russel\u2019s POV (called Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies<\/em>) and one from Min\u2019s POV (called Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies<\/em>). Read one story, then flip the book over and read the other story.<\/p>\n They\u2019re two completely different stories, but they cover the same period of time. And yeah, only by reading both stories together, and by sort of reading between the lines, do you get the \u201cwhole\u201d story, what really happened. <\/p>\n How difficult was that to write? You do not want to know! It was crazy-hard, and I never want to do anything like it ever again.<\/p>\n That said, I\u2019m really glad I undertook the challenge, and I think it turned out okay.<\/p>\n 7-Imp<\/strong>: Have you ever met anyone who has guessed the ending to <\/em>Grand & Humble<\/a><\/strong>?<\/em><\/p>\n Brent<\/strong>: Honestly? No. No one!<\/p>\n I\u2019m so proud of that ending, and that book. But it kinda came and went. It has some big fans (including some really cool, important people). But it just didn\u2019t break out the way I\u2019d hoped it would, mostly because it was so different from my other books, and it was hard to categorize.<\/p>\n But with my stage version of that book, I am absolutely determined to help the story find a bigger audience. And I promise you here and now that that book will one day be a movie. I can see it in my mind, and I am absolutely convinced that one day very soon a producer will be able to see it too.<\/p>\n Brent<\/strong>: Now it\u2019s more a question of what do I know, which isn\u2019t much. The movie is definitely in the works, Kenny Ortega (of High School Musical<\/em>) is attached to direct, I think they have a final script. But no, there\u2019s no start date yet.<\/p>\n Interestingly, I\u2019m currently working on another gay teen movie with some producers. It\u2019s much lower budget, based on an old play of mine. And we plan to start shooing that one quite soon. <\/p>\n And yeah, I\u2019d love to adapt more of books for the stage. But lately I seem to be writing a lot of fantasy and sci fi, which is, uh, a little hard to do on stage. I mean, how exactly do you show astral projection? Ha!<\/p>\n Brent<\/strong>: There are two kinds of writers in the world: people who think they\u2019re doing the world a big favor by writing, and people who think the world is doing them a big favor by reading what they\u2019re writing. I\u2019m definitely in the latter group. I mean, people give me the most valuable thing in the world: their time. How can that not be humbling? I\u2019m just so grateful I get paid to do what I love.<\/p>\n Regarding being accessible, if you as a writer want to be a total recluse, fine. No website, no interviews. But this idea that an author has a website, but then acts all annoyed and put out or snippy when people actually email him or her . . . I don\u2019t get it.<\/p>\n 7-Imp<\/strong>: Are you enjoying teaching in the Vermont College MFA Program? What\u2019s the most surprising thing that teaching has taught you? <\/em><\/p>\n Brent<\/strong>: It\u2019s a fantastic program. I\u2019m taking a year leave, but I really want to be back soon.<\/p>\n Next to writing plays and screenplays, teaching writing has been the second most important thing I\u2019ve ever done to help my own writing. First, the students depend on you and take what you say seriously, so you really have to look deeply at a manuscript. And then when you turn to your own work, you can\u2019t help but keep that perspective, and see all the amateurish mistakes you\u2019re making in your own writing. It\u2019s infuriating!<\/p>\n Plus, the job forces me to read everything in kids\u2019 lit. And any famous, awesome kids\u2019 lit writer I didn\u2019t already know, I do now. That is a whole education in itself.<\/p>\n 7-Imp<\/strong>: What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?<\/em><\/p>\n Yikes! I\u2019m literally an open book!<\/p>\n 7-Imp<\/strong>: Is there a question you wish interviewers would ask you, but they usually don\u2019t? Feel free to ask and answer here. <\/em><\/p>\n Brent<\/strong>: I wish interviewers would ask where I keep my Pulitzer, my Newbery, my two Oscars, and my Printz Award. Alas, I have yet to win any of them.<\/p>\n 7-Imp<\/strong>: Feel free to tell us about any events\/conferences\/organizations\/etc. at which you\u2019ll be speaking any time in the near future; we\u2019re happy to evangelize for you! <\/em><\/p>\n Brent<\/strong>: I\u2019m actually taking the rest of the year off (mostly). I\u2019ve given something like 300 presentations in the last four years, and I\u2019m pooped!<\/p>\n But people are definitely free to stop by ![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/brentschoolvisit1.jpg\")
Visit YA author Brent Hartinger’s web site<\/a><\/strong>, and you’ll read in large print: “I am Brent Hartinger, and I live to write.” And in having the opportunity to chat with him here at 7-Imp for this week’s Summer Blog Blast Tour<\/a><\/strong>, it’s evident to us that this passion for writing pervades all he does. (He’s also really fun and, as YA & Kids Book Central<\/strong><\/a><\/em> put it in a 2005 interview<\/a><\/strong>, “a heck of an interesting guy”). As Rosemary Ponnekanti wrote in this recent article<\/a><\/strong> in Tacoma, Washington’s News Tribune<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, “Plays. Screenplays. Gay teen novels, straight teen novels. Teaching, speaking, gay support groups -\u2013 Tacoma writer Brent Hartinger\u2019s career has run quite a gamut.” <\/p>\nAnd Hartinger’s brain is a good, good place. He’s been called “a master at crafting a high school setting” (Colleen Mondor in a 2005 Bookslut<\/em> feature about censorship<\/a><\/strong>); he’s well-loved by teen and adult readers (Hartinger noting in this recent interview<\/a><\/strong> by his long-time partner, Michael Jensen<\/a><\/strong>, at AfterElton.com<\/a><\/strong> that people write fan fiction about — as well as screenplay adaptations of — his books); and, as written in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer<\/a><\/strong><\/em> in a 2003 interview<\/a><\/strong> by Cecilia Goodnow, he’s an author with “a funny streak and a square-peg outlook. And he always roots for the underdog, having been one himself.”<\/p>\n
Hartinger’s first novel, Geography Club<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, was published in 2003 by Harper Tempest<\/a><\/strong>, bringing us the story of Russel Middlebrook, a student at Robert L. Goodkind High School, who is convinced he’s the only gay student there. Much to his surprise, he eventually discovers there are other gay and bisexual students, including Kevin, the popular but closeted star of the school’s baseball team. As a way to get together without drawing attention to themselves, they “choose a club that’s so boring nobody in their right mind would ever in a million years join it”: The Geography Club . . . “The book is pretty autobiographical,” Hartinger has said<\/a><\/strong>. “I wouldn’t have called myself gay at 16, but in all other respects it’s pretty similar. I was like Russel in that I was a watcher. I think a lot of gay kids are, because you’re constantly thinking, ‘Is this for me? Will this kid drag me down and increase scrutiny on my life?'” The book was met with a lot of acclaim — from both reviewers and teens. School Library Journal<\/em> wrote, it is “{a} compelling look at the high school scene and the serious consequences of being ‘different.’ The plot never falters . . . This author has something to say here, and his message is potent and effective in its delivery. Many teens, both gay and straight, should find this novel intriguing.” And The Horn Book<\/em> wrote, “this is the most artful and authentic depiction of a gay teen since M.E. Kerr’s groundbreaking Charlie Gilhooly in {1978’s} I’ll Love You When You’re More Like Me<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.” Stage adaptations of Geography Club<\/em> have been produced, and there is currently a feature film adapation of the novel in the works (which Hartinger discusses a bit below). <\/p>\n
Geography Club<\/em> was followed by 2004’s Last Chance Texaco<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Harper Tempest<\/strong><\/a>), in which troubled teen Lucy Pitt struggles to fit in as a new tenant at a last-chance foster home (the novel was named a 2005 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers); The Order of the Poison Oak<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (2005, Harper Tempest<\/strong><\/a>), a sequel to Geography Club<\/em>, in which Russel decides to take a counselor job at a camp for burn victims to get away from the antagonism of his classmates, but finds ten-year-old boys have just as many problems as he does (described by Kirkus Reviews<\/em> as “a perfect teen patois” and “a touching and realistic portrait of gay teens”); and the “taut, skillfully woven psychological thriller” — in the words of The Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books<\/em> — Grand & Humble<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (2006, Harper Tempest<\/strong><\/a>). See Eisha’s twenty-word review of it here<\/a><\/strong> at 7-Imp. <\/p>\n
This year, Hartinger brought us Split Screen: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies\/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Harper Tempest<\/strong><\/a>), a companion novel to Geography Club<\/em> and “a horror-movie extravaganza . . . two books in one recount the stories of best friends Min and Russel who sign up to be extras on the set of a zombie film — then learn that there’s nothing scarier than high school romance,” as described at Hartinger’s site<\/a><\/strong>. ALAN<\/em> wrote in their review, “Hartinger has another winner in this well-written and often poignant story.” Pop Candy<\/a><\/strong><\/em> wrote about Hartinger at the release of this novel, “I really think this guy could be the next Judy Blume.”<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/dreamquest.jpg\")
Hartinger’s most recent novel takes his readers in an all new direction. It’s entitled Dreamquest<\/a><\/em><\/strong> (May 2007, Starscape<\/a><\/strong>) and tells the story of eleven-year-old Julie, whose parents constantly fight and who has nightmares every evening. One night, she wakes to find herself inside the studio where her dreams are produced, and she must find the person responsible before she is trapped inside her dreams forever. Publishers Weekly<\/em> wrote of the novel, “Hartinger deftly moves into the realm of fantasy in his latest outing . . . {his} winning pairing of a sincere message with hyperbolic humor should resonate with readers.” An excerpt, Chapter One, can be read here<\/a><\/strong> at the Starscape site. Dreamquest<\/em> is the first in a new Hartinger series, Tales of Slumberia<\/em>, and he discusses this a bit more below as well. <\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/asif5.jpg\")
And, as mentioned above, Hartinger has a very active, involved online presence — from his MySpace corner of cyberspace<\/a><\/strong> to his own blog, Voices in My Head<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. But he also co-founded an anti-censorship organization, Authors Supporting Intellectual Freedom (AS IF!), which has its own LiveJournal<\/a><\/strong>, blog<\/a><\/strong>, and MySpace home<\/a><\/strong>. AS IF! “champions those who stand against censorship, especially of books for and about teens,” as their mission statement<\/a><\/strong> notes. The story of how AS IF! began, involving a private school who “gave up three million dollars rather than compromise the principles of academic independence and intellectual freedom” (in Hartinger’s words), is here<\/a><\/strong>. At the AS IF! blog, there’s a long list of all the authors who have joined the cause, and the blog and LiveJournal serve as news sources (and provide author interviews) on the latest bans and most recent attempts at censorship. <\/p>\n7-Imp<\/strong>: Can you tell us all about <\/em>Dreamquest<\/a><\/strong>, your first fantasy novel? Can you tell us about <\/em>Tales of Slumberia in general and <\/em>Brainstorm (slotted for a May \u201908 publication, correct?)? And can you comment on the next two Russel Middlebrook books, which will be told from Kevin\u2019s and Min\u2019s points-of-view? (Also, any plays in the works?) . . .<\/em> <\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/asif.jpg\")
<\/a>7-Imp<\/strong>: Can you tell us more about your blogs, particularly the blog for AS IF!<\/strong><\/a>? What specifically motivated you to co-found that? What do you think is the best thing it has accomplished so far? And what’s the most ludicrous\/egregious instance of censorship you’ve encountered as an author?<\/em><\/p>\n7-Imp<\/strong>: Speaking of . . . You talk in this interview<\/a><\/strong> at <\/em>Cynsations<\/a><\/strong> about how Split Screen<\/a><\/strong><\/em> has three complete dramatic structures -\u2013 \u201cone each for the two \u2018books,\u2019 but also a separate three-act structure, a separate emotional \u2018arc,\u2019 for both books when read together.\u201d How difficult was that to pull off?<\/em><\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/gc2.jpg\")
7-Imp<\/strong>: Do you have any plans to adapt any more of your novels to the stage (as with <\/em>Geography Club and <\/em>Grand & Humble)? Is the <\/em>Geography Club feature film adaptation still in the works (are you allowed to talk about that yet?)?<\/em><\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/brain.jpg\")
<\/a>7-Imp<\/strong>: You seem to go out of your way to be a very accessible writer, and your web site has a lot of wonderful information. Do you believe strongly in authors providing that accessibility to their readers? Do you feel writers owe that to their audiences? <\/em><\/p>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/gang2.JPG\")
<\/a>Brent<\/strong>: You know, I\u2019ve published six books now, and what\u2019s scary is that almost everything about me, every interest I\u2019ve ever had, can be found in at least one of my books: my love for Xena: Warrior Princess<\/a><\/strong> and the Peanuts<\/em> comic strip<\/a><\/strong>, my interest in role-playing games, Ouija Boards, and cheesy sci-fi movies, even my past as a competitive swimmer.<\/p>\n