On the Mish, Jackson’s Aunty and his annoying little cousins spend another hot Australian summer. This time, his Aunty brings a mysterious boy with a troubled past, Tomas, to stay. Jackson and Tomas’ friendship evolves over the summer as they spend time together, work on an art project and bond over their shared cultural history and connections. For Jackson, spending time with Tomas forces him to confront the relationships he has with his friends and family, as well as his place in the community. A novel about love, identity and acceptance, Jackson learns to accept and embrace the young man he is becoming. In this YA Book Stack interview, Gary delves into the importance of the intersectionality of his text, of highlighting the experience of young, queer men and shares his insights on the way he sees his text being used for study in the English classroom.
Gary Lonesborough is a Yuin man, who grew up on the Far South Coast of NSW as part of a large and proud Aboriginal family. Growing up a massive Kylie Minogue and North Queensland Cowboys fan, Gary was always writing as a child, and continued his creative journey when he moved to Sydney to study at film school. Gary has experience working in Aboriginal health, the disability sector (including experience working in the Youth Justice System), and the film industry. He was Bega Valley Shire Council Young Citizen of the Year, won the Patrick White Young Indigenous Writers' Award, and has received a Copyright Agency First Nations Fellowship. The Boy from the Mish is Gary's debut YA novel.

Rawah Arja's The F Team follows ‘The Wolf Pack’ as their school is threatened with closure due to poor enrolment numbers and a declining reputation. Tariq Nader and his friends are required by their new school principal to assist with cleaning up the school’s image through the participation in a rugby tournament. But there’s a catch. They must cooperate and work in a team with boys from a school in Cronulla, their sworn enemies. From family, racism, prejudice and to the power of friendship and acceptance, The Wolf Pack navigate the pressures of the responsibility to keep their school open whilst learning about their place in the world as young men. In this episode of YA Book Stack, Rawah reveals her motivations, inspirations and impetus for writing this narrative and shares her key messages and takeaways for young adult readers. For interview notes and Rawah's recommended reading, visit: https://www.vate.org.au/ya-book-stack.
Rawah Arja is a writer and teacher from Western Sydney. Her first novel The F Team has been shortlisted for numerous literary awards including the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Writing for Young Adults. Her writing has featured in Second City: Essays From Western Sydney (2021), Arab, Australian, Other (2019), SBS Voices and at the Sydney Writer’s Festival. She has received a fellowship from WestWords Varuna Emerging Writers’ Residential Program, is a member of the Finishing School collective of women writers, and teaches creative writing at schools and workshops.

Leanne Hall’s recent publication, The Gaps, pries into the vulnerability, strength, safety, danger and uncertainties that young women face in the world. When sixteen-year-old Yin is abducted, the news shocks the community of Balmoral Ladies College. A gripping feminist novel about the racism, sexism and privilege that exists in the world of young adults, The Gaps is a perfect text for the middle years English classroom. In this conversation Leanne will unpack her writing motivations and processes, as well as explore the text features that lend The Gaps to engaging and meaningful study. For interview notes and Leanne's recommended reading, listening and viewing, visit: https://www.vate.org.au/ya-book-stack.
Leanne Hall is an author of young adult and children’s fiction. Her debut novel, This Is Shyness, won the Text Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Writing, and was followed by a sequel, Queen of the Night. Her novel for younger readers, Iris and the Tiger, won the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature at the 2017 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Her latest novel, The Gaps, was published in 2021. Leanne works as a children’s and YA specialist at an independent bookshop.