Alex Sanchez, acclaimed author of Young Adult LGBT books comes to Stonewall Live! Thurs, June 16, 9PM EST

Alex Sanchez has blazed a trail in YA fiction with honest, fresh and matter-of-fact portrayals of American gay teenagers. His début novel Rainbow Boys (2003) was selected as a "Best Book for Young Adults" by the American Library Association. His subsequent novels have been bestowed with the Myers Outstanding Book Award (Getting It, 2006) and the Florida Book Award Gold Medal (Bait, 2009).

While attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people remain a polarizing force in the adult world—California's Prop 8 and the Pentagon review of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' for example, young people increasingly accept teenagers declaring themselves gay, starting Gay/Straight Alliance clubs and attending prom with same-sex dates as benign, inspirational or even commonplace events. Accordingly, YA has changed, broadened to include an LGBT fiction niche, and seen a squall of critically-acclaimed publications such as Peter Cameron's Some Day This Pain Will Be Useful To You (2007), Brent Hartinger's Geography Club (2003) and Leanne Lieberman's Gravity (2008).

With seven books published in as many years, Sanchez stands out as a singularly steady YA voice, and his books have become a sort of anthology of the contemporary gay teen experience. Coming out, with all its internal and external challenges, is his standby theme, but his stories reach beyond into many topics – dating, divorce, AIDS scares, which have resonated for young readers, gay and non-gay, for nearly a decade. For older readers, there's the added draw of the subversive. Imagine Judy Blume with all the main characters gay and a sprinkling of non-gay characters on the periphery.

Join me Thursday, June 16 9PM EST www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

April Claxton Comes to Stonewall Live! Thursday, June 9, 9PM EST

Stonewall Live! Welcomes April Claxton, Thursday, June 9 9PM EST

April Claxton is the author of 3 books, The Movement Within: 8 Steps To Ignite The Movement Within You, The Power of Self Love: A Mini Book and the highly praised children's book Goodnight Just The Same, as well as many inspirational messages available on “The Movement Within Face Book Page” Through writing, one of her biggest passions, April encourages, inspires and motivates adults and children to discover their value and necessity of Self. She enjoys speaking to adults but her heart truly opens with her younger audiences. As a victim of childhood emotional and physical abuse, Claxton strongly believes in and promotes the power and necessity of positivity within a child’s life.

“Goodnight Just The Same,” is a book whose time had come to be written. There are families across the globe that no longer fit the “normal” stereotype of what a family is. This book teaches us that every family structure is “normal.” We have step-mommies and step-daddies. We have no mommies and no daddies. We also have two mommies and two daddies. Some of us only have one mommy, daddy or grandparent to raise us. No matter what the structure of your family is, it is important to note that a family is a family as long as it comes from love. It is about the feelings we feel when we go to sleep so that we have better feelings when we awake. To the moon every family is tucked in Just The Same. What people are saying: “It will help any child of any age go to bed and wake up feeling like they’re loved.”