Penguin Teen Launches “We Are YA” Podcast with Anna Borges

Penguin Young Readers announced today the launch of Penguin Teen’s “We Are YA,” the first Young Adult podcast of its kind from a major publisher that gives creators a platform to speak their minds, dig into sensitive topics, and reflect on the social media zeitgeist. Hosted by Anna Borges, a mental health journalist formerly at Buzzfeed, senior editor at Self Magazine, and author of The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care, “We Are YA” creates a safe space where authors can have honest, thoughtful conversations about sensitive topics. The show launches on September 19^th with “Finding Joy” with Gabby Rivera (Juliet Takes a Breath). A new episode of “We Are YA” will premiere weekly through October and will be available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor. Upcoming guests include Laurie Halse Anderson, Renée Ahdieh, and Nina LaCour.

“We Are YA provides a platform for real, nuanced conversations and the freedom to explore sensitive topics. YA books are longer than 280 characters. Conversations about YA should be too,” says Alex Garber, Director of Digital Marketing at Penguin Random House. “Securing Anna Borges as our host was a real win for us. She was able to approach these conversations from so many different angles that led to revelatory, moving exchanges and some surprisingly funny moments as well.”

“I’m a journalist who also happens to be obsessed with YA, so getting to dive into the tough stuff with the brilliant authors of the community was not a chance I was about to pass up,” says Borges, “plus, there are so many important conversations happening on social media about YA right now, and authors need a space to weigh in without worrying about sticking to a character count.”

The Fall 2019 episode schedule will feature:

• Finding Joy with Gabby Rivera [launching 9/19]
• Is Social Media Bad? with Akilah Hughes [launching 9/26]
• The YA Mental Health Crisis with Nina LaCour [launching 10/3]
• Taking the Guilt Out of Guilty Pleasures with Renée Ahdieh [launching 10/10]
• Who Owns #OwnVoices? with Kat Cho [launching 10/17]
• Is YA Losing Its Edge? with Amanda Joy [launching 10/24]
• Good Sex in YA with Laurie Halse Anderson [launching 10/31]

You can listen to the first episode of “We Are YA” with Gabby Rivera on September 19^th here.