'English teachers have always encountered moments in the classroom to talk about love. Whether this be courtly love, romantic love, patriotic love, or love of land and the environment, opportunities abound to talk about what we love, about loving, and about being loved, and about how these things are represented using language and other semiotic resources. It is fair to say though, that some kinds of love and ways of talking about love are more dominant than others, and that some genders and sexualities continue to be marginalised in English classrooms and across the school, both in our professional discourse as English teachers and in the conversations we attempt to facilitate amongst students.' (Kelli McGraw, Lisa van Leent and Brenton Doecke : Editorial introduction)
'This article explores findings from an investigation into the publishing experiences of Australian authors of inclusive Young Adult (YA) fiction. A total of seven authors, each publicly identifying as part of a marginalised community in Australia, were interviewed. This paper concentrates on the findings of semi-structured interviews with two authors of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual, and Other (LGBTQIAP+) fiction, and their experience of promoting their books in school and library environments. Findings were analysed using Critical Discourse Analysis to understand their interactions with publishers, audiences, and school staff. The research was carried out in 2016 but highlights longstanding issues regarding the inclusion of queer literature for young people in educational spaces, including school libraries and high school English curriculums. More broadly, it contributes to the understanding of how diversity and inclusion within YA Fiction is viewed in Australia, and the role of gatekeepers in providing or denying access.' (Publication abstract)
Data for this paper was obtained from AustLit : The Australian Literature Resource and the archives on Goodreads.
