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Nowinski, Hanna

September 18, 2017 by admin

WORK TITLE: Meg and Linus
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY:
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https://us.macmillan.com/author/hannanowinski/ * https://thebookthiefwithoutwords.wordpress.com/2017/03/03/meg-and-linus-by-hannah-nowinski-book-review/

RESEARCHER NOTES:

LC control no.: n 2016030928
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2016030928
HEADING: Nowinski, Hanna
000 00453nz a2200121n 450
001 10179234
005 20160608091840.0
008 160608n| azannaabn |n aaa
010 __ |a n 2016030928
040 __ |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC
100 1_ |a Nowinski, Hanna
370 __ |e Germany |2 naf
670 __ |a Meg & Linus, 2017: |b ECIP t.p. (Hanna Nowinski) data view (language enthusiast and trained translator for German and English who lives in the middle of nowhere, Germany ; debut novel)

Posted in 409 | Comments Off on Nowinski, Hanna

PERSONAL

Female.

ADDRESS

  • Home - Germany.

CAREER

Writer and translator.

AVOCATIONS:

Music.

WRITINGS

  • Meg & Linus, Swoon Reads (New York, NY), 2017

SIDELIGHTS

Hanna Nowinski lives in Germany and works as a translator. Her first book is the YA novel Meg & Linus. Meg and Linus are best friends. They share a love of Star Trek and drama club, and they share the experience of being queer. The story follows the two friends through chapters with alternating viewpoints. Meg’s girlfriend, Sophia, has just broken up with her, while Linus is falling for Danny, a new boy he tutors at school.

At Teen Vogue, Judith Utz called Meg & Linus “a vivid, genuine book” that “weaves . . .  two arcs—a relationship at its end and a relationship just beginning—with the overarching friendship between the two main characters.” In Utz’s interview with Nowinski, the author told Utz: “I wanted to explore both of those points and have them both travel that arc a little bit in different directions.” She went on to say: “Especially when you’re a teenager, but also later in life, friendship is often a lot more constant than romantic relationships.” In an interview with Sarah Carter at YA Interrobang, Nowinski shared: “I hope the number of happy queer teen romance stories will increase exponentially over the next few years. I wanted to contribute to that.”

Writing at G Scene, Eric Page called Meg & Linus a “fun friendship story.” A critic at Publishers Weekly found the protagonists to be “engaging foils.” Michael Cart, reviewer at Booklist, pronounced the novel a “satisfying” read. Dianna Geers, critiquing the book in Voice of Youth Advocates, described the novel as “a story of friendship, stable families, and sweet romance.” At Lambda Literary, Michele Kirichanskaya called Meg & Linus “an entertaining coming-of-age story” as well as “well-crafted” and “filled with wit and humanity.”

 

BIOCRIT

PERIODICALS

  • Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 2017, Dianna Geers, review of Meg & Linus, p. 63.

ONLINE

  • Booklist Online, https://www.booklistonline.com (February 3, 2017), Michael Cart, review of Meg & Linus.

  • G Scene, http://gscene.com (June 15, 2017), Eric Page, review of Meg & Linus.

  • Lambda Literary, https://www.lambdaliterary.org (June 20, 2017), Michele Kirichanskaya, review of Meg and Linus.

  • Publishers Weekly Online, https://www.publishersweekly.com (November 4, 2017), review of Meg & Linus.

  • Teen Vogue, https://www.teenvogue.com/, (April 12, 2017), Judith Utz, author interview.

  • YA Interrobang, http://www.yainterrobang.com (May 8, 2017), Sarah Carter, author interview.

  • Meg & Linus Swoon Reads (New York, NY), 2017
1. Meg & Linus LCCN 2016011976 Type of material Book Personal name Nowinski, Hanna, author. Main title Meg & Linus / Hanna Nowinski. Edition First edition. Published/Produced New York : Swoon Reads, 2017. Projected pub date 1111 Description pages cm ISBN 9781250098603 (hardback) CALL NUMBER PZ7.1.N69 Me 2017 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms
  • Swoon Reads - https://www.swoonreads.com/a/hanna.nowinski/SGv5I1/

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    YELLOW TIER
    Hanna Nowinski
    Germany

    http://oh-what-can-it-mean.tumblr.com/
    https://www.instagram.com/hannawrites/ https://twitter.com/lang_witch
    Bio
    Reader, writer, professional translator, language enthusiast and music addict.

    Favorite Books
    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
    Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
    The Thursday Next series - Jasper Fforde
    Harry Potter - JK Rowling
    The Stephanie Plum series - Janet Evanovich
    Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
    The Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls

    Favorite Quotes
    If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can't be done. - Sir Peter Ustinov

    Favorite Genres
    Fantasy Contemporary LGBTQIA+ Paranormal Mystery Romance
    Hanna Nowinski's Manuscripts
    READER APPROVED
    Meg & Linus

    Contemporary,
    Hanna Nowinski's Activity Feed

    Hanna Nowinski commented on blog post Meet New Swoon Reads Editor Kat Brzozowski!
    July 28, 2016
    “Hi, Kat! :) Welcome to the family!”

    Hanna Nowinski commented on blog post Character Playlists: MEG AND LINUS
    March 11, 2016
    “I love playlists and these are so spot-on! I think that's exactly what they would both listen to! <3” Hanna Nowinski commented on blog post What We're Reading: Swoon Staffers January 20, 2016 “And my To Read list just got longer! Wolf by Wolf and Ms Marvel was already on it, but now I'll have to add everything else too.” Hanna Nowinski commented on blog post Announcing Our Third Selection for Season 5: TRAVELER by L.E. DeLano! September 22, 2015 “Yay! Congrats! Your book sounds amazing, I cannot wait to read it! :)” Hanna Nowinski just earned a Reader Approved badge September 14, 2015 Reader Approved You did it; you’re officially an author! Our community loved you, so you’re officially “Reader Approved”. see more ACHIEVEMENTS YELLOW : 3 READS WHAT ARE TIERS? PEOPLE HANNA NOWINSKI FOLLOWS Hanna Nowinski is not currently following anyone Home Read Submit Manuscript Sign In Register FAQs Selected Books Latest Activity Blog News & Events About Contact Us Share your favorite reads with a friend! Get the latest updates, news, and trends. Enter your email address join Copyright © 2017 Macmillan Publishing Privacy & Terms

  • Teen Vogue - https://www.teenvogue.com/story/interview-with-author-hanna-nowinski-of-meg-and-linus

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    BOOKS
    Interview With Author Hanna Nowinski of Meg & Linus

    Every queer kid in high school needs to read this novel.
    Judith UtzAPR 12, 2017 5:10PM EDT

    Courtesy of the author
    Judith Utz, owner and curator of Binge on Books and Open Ink Press, debuts author Hanna Nowinski and talks to her about her must read novel, Meg & Linus, her love of Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda, and why the world needs more low-angst queer reads.

    Let’s face facts: high school can be rough no matter who, or where, you are. Debut author, Hanna Nowinski, gets that and even though she never went to high school in America, her first novel, Meg & Linus, is a spot on homage to the fleeting moments of senior year. Focusing on friendships, first loves, and breakups, Meg & Linus is the story of two best friends who are both queer, both professed nerds, and both going through two distinct types of heartbreak. Meg hoped she would finish out school dating her older girlfriend long distance until finally joining her at the same college. Linus thought he would be alone and unloved forever. Neither pans out quite as they planned.

    ADVERTISING

    The book weaves these two arcs — a relationship at its end and a relationship just beginning — with the overarching friendship between the two main characters. It’s that friendship that is the crux of the story and it’s what will stay with you long after the book is done. Meg & Linus is ultimately a lighthearted, low angst look at holding onto friends and growing up. Plus Hanna lets her geeky side shine by throwing in a whole lot of fandom talk and tons of references to Firefly, Star Trek, Star Wars, and so much more.
    Ultimately, what makes Meg & Linus noteworthy is that it never focuses on coming out or being queer. Those two are givens right from the start with acceptance and love from all who surround the two main characters. It’s exactly the sort of relevant and positive portrayal that is needed. Teen Vogue caught up with Hanna before Meg & Linus’s release on April 18th to talk about why this sort of representation is necessary, her own experiences growing up, and her recommendations for even more awesome queer reads.
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    Teen Vogue: Meg & Linus is such a vivid, genuine book. Did your own experiences as a teen influence your writing?

    Hanna Nowinski: My own experiences as a teenager were a lot different from theirs, so there's not a whole lot of personal experience in there. At least not in the romantic aspects of their stories. The thing I took from my own experiences was the friendship part of the story. I often feel that friendship takes a backseat to romance in fiction, but when I look at my own life friends have always been more important to me. Especially when you're a teenager, but also later in life, friendship is often a lot more constant than romantic relationships. If I've learned anything as a teenager it is that friendship is invaluable, and I wanted that to be a big part of the story.
    TV: The main characters, Meg and Linus, are both openly queer and out when the book starts. But the fact that they identify as LGBTQ+ is never the focal point or a source of angst. Was that deliberate?

    HN: That was a very deliberate decision. I've read a lot of stories that deal with coming out and all the difficulties that can come with that, and those stories are very, very important because it's something teenagers experience every day. But I feel like there are very few traditional rom-com-style books out there for queer teenagers. It's something that's so easy to find for straight teens, but when you're looking for LGBTQ+ representation you have a very limited selection of books that don't deal with some sort of issue as part of the story. And that's not always what people want to read. Sometimes you just want to pick up a light, happy book about two people falling in love. I wanted to give queer teens one more book like that. Just a traditional love story. Because we need so many more of those.
    TV: You chose to buck what has become a pretty standard convention in love stories though by using dual point of view for characters who are not love interests. Why is that?

    HN: Meg and Linus are on opposite ends of a romantic arc in this story, with one of them at the beginning of one, and the other dealing with the end of a relationship. I wanted to explore both of those points and have them both travel that arc a little bit in different directions. That's once again where the friendship aspect of the story comes in: no matter which one of these experiences you're currently going through, it's easier with friends. Basically, you could probably say that friendship was my main reason for everything in this story. People need their support systems and Meg and Linus are that for each other. That's why I let them both tell their own parts off the story from their individual points of view.
    TV: What would you want your readers to take away from reading Meg & Linus?

    HN: That even when things are not good, there are people who are on your side and can relate to what you're going through. Find your people, find your community. Everything is easier with friends. Whether you meet them in real life or on the internet or anywhere, having someone on your side can make things suck a lot less than if you'd have to face them on your own.
    TV: So what are your thoughts on the importance of queer representation in YA and what would you like to see more of in queer fiction, specifically in YA or New Adult?

    HN: My first thought is always that we need more of it. I'm very happy to see the increase of queer representation in books and other media over the past years -- I'm in my mid-thirties now and when I was in high school I wouldn't even have known where to look for queer representation. But everyone deserves to have their story told and to find characters they can relate to in books, in movies, in TV shows. And having them as token queer background characters is not enough. They deserve to be seen and they have to be treated equally. So I'd really like to see more books that don't just include background storylines but are about queer characters. There should be as many books about queer characters of every identity and orientation as there are books about straight characters.
    TV: Speaking of queer YA, could you name some writers or books that influence your own writing and that you would recommend for people who loved Meg & Linus and want more queer reads?

    HN: I don't even know where to start. One book I really love and have read multiple times already is Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. What I love about her writing is how close you get to the characters as a reader. I was done writing Meg & Linus by the time I read it, but it has definitely influenced me during the editing process because of how much she gets into her characters' heads. I learned a lot from reading that book. Everyone should read it, so that's also my first recommendation.
    Then there is One Man Guy by Michel Barakiva. I definitely recommend it if you want to read a happy queer YA romance. The writing is amazing and so are the characters. One thing I particularly love about the story is the fact that it puts a huge focus on friendship as well, which I've already said is very important to me.
    But one writer I really have to mention is Benjamin Alire Sáenz. If I had even half his skill I'd be a very happy writer. I'm sure that if you read a lot of LGBTQ+ books you already know Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, but if not, please, please, please read it. It's quite possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever read. His poetic style has definitely influenced me to pay more attention to the flow of language and the way I word things, even though my own style is very different. He's a true artist and I think every writer can learn a lot from him.
    And I know I'm going for very obvious recommendations here and everyone has probably read this one, too, already, but if you haven't, please read David Levithan's Two Boys Kissing. Like Meg & Linus it has multiple points of view and is about queer characters, and you won't be able to put it down until you've finished it.
    TV: We know what you’re reading, but what are you writing now? After Meg & Linus, what’s up next?

    HN: I can't talk too much about my current project, but something I'm outlining for the future is a dystopian steampunk queer YA novel. That's pretty much all I can say about it so far because I'm still in the middle of the outlining and world-building process, but I've always wanted to write something a little more sci-fi since that genre is my first love (as you can maybe tell from reading Meg & Linus). So I'm very excited about that one!
    Related: The Book You Should Read This Month, Based on Your Zodiac Sign

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    YOU ARE AT:Home»Genre»Contemporary»Queer Teens and Happy Love Stories: Hanna Nowinski talks MEG & LINUS

    Queer Teens and Happy Love Stories: Hanna Nowinski talks MEG & LINUS 0
    BY SARAH CARTER ON MAY 8, 2017 CONTEMPORARY, FEATURES, INCLUSIVITY
    Do you have a sweet tooth? A hankering for a happy novel featuring queer teens in love? With a powerful friendship at the front and center, Meg & Linus by Hanna Nowinski is just the thing for you.

    Meg and Linus are best friends bound by a shared love of school, a coffee obsession, and being queer. It’s not always easy to be the nerdy lesbian or gay kid in a suburban town. But they’re pretty happy. Until Sophia, Meg’s longtime girlfriend, breaks up with Meg. In order to distract herself, Meg sets out set Linus up with the dream new kid in town, Danny. What could go wrong?

    Meg & Linus

    >What can readers expect when they dig into Meg & Linus?
    I’d say a relatively drama-free queer YA romance. I mean, of course there’s some drama, because without some conflict there is no plot, but this is supposed to be a happy book. So I hope what readers can expect is to find something that makes them happy.

    Tell us where the idea for Meg & Linus came from. What was your inspiration?
    Okay so this story started out in a very different place compared to what it became later. Originally, I was writing the story of a girl who had been dumped by her girlfriend. It was written as an epistolary novel, only letters Meg wrote to Sophia. I’ve always been a fan of the format and wanted to try it, so that was really my inspiration. Linus was a supporting character helping her through it all. While I still like the idea of it, I ultimately decided I wanted to write something less sad. So I added in a happier storyline to balance it all out.

    “I added in a happier storyline to balance it all out.”
    CLICK TO TWEET

    our novel is told from the point of view of a boy falling in love and a girl falling out of love. What interested you in juxtaposing two young teens on very different points in their romantic lives?
    Both are things that a lot of teenagers go through at some point. And if they don’t, these are still things that make you connect to characters and let you follow them on their emotional journey. The idea behind it really was to show a friendship between the two characters and how they support each other through both ends of a romantic relationship, with Linus at the beginning of one and Meg at the end of hers with Sophia. Linus is nervous and doesn’t know if he stands a chance with Danny, and Meg is sad and lonely after losing Sophia. But their friendship helps them both get through their individual struggles.

    At times, stories of queer teens focus almost entirely on the act of coming out, leaving little room for them to exist beyond the revelation of their sexuality to others. Meg & Linus, however, is not a coming out novel. What went into your decision for your characters to not only be out, but also comfortable with their identities?
    While addressing all the issues queer teens are facing in our world is incredibly important, I strongly believe that it’s just as important to have love stories for them that are no different from every other YA romance out there. A lot of stories with lead LGBTQ+ characters are focused on coming out or dealing with negative reactions from their families, friends, and other people in their social environment and that’s good, that’s important. But it was important to me to give the community what I think is essentially a feel-good story about teenagers falling in love. Something to pick up after a long day at school or work to just leave your troubles behind and sink into a nice, hopefully comforting love story.

    There were a few microaggressions aimed at Meg and Linus’s identities throughout the book, but for the most part their queerness wasn’t ever positioned as an issue for others. Tell us about why writing a largely homophobia-free romance with queer teens was important to you.
    It kind of goes with the answer above – every story that deals with the very real issues LGBTQ+ teens (and adults) are facing around the world every day is so important. Those stories have to be told to assure people that they’re not alone in their struggles and to make others understand the difficulties queer teens are facing. But no one in the LGBTQ+ community is solely defined by the issues they have to deal with. They deserve love stories just like everyone else. Falling in love and figuring out where to go from there is not something that is either cis-het or queer. I wanted that to be reflected in my characters’ stories in this book. There should be more teenage romance novels featuring LGBTQ+ teens the same way they exist for straight teens. It’s easy to find heteroromantic/heterosexual love stories everywhere, but queer teens have very little in terms of fictional characters they can identify with. I hope the number of happy queer teen romance stories will increase exponentially over the next few years. I wanted to contribute to that.

    “I hope the number of happy queer teen romance stories will increase over the next few years.”
    CLICK TO TWEET

    What’s next for you?
    I am working on a new novel. I have several ideas for new stories, some closer to being finished than others and some I haven’t started on yet. All of them with queer characters and strong friendships at the center of them.

    Is there anything you’d like readers to know that hasn’t been touched on?
    believe that friendship is the strongest bond you can form with someone. Life can throw a lot at you, but there are people out there who are on your side and can relate to what you’re going through. Find your community. They can be people you meet in person or people you know over the internet. If you find each other and connect and have each other’s backs, it will help you through the tough times and make the fun times a lot more fun.

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    ABOUT AUTHOR

    Sarah Carter
    SARAH CARTER
    Sarah is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Environmental Studies. She loves writing and reading books where gay girls don’t die. She looks really, really ridiculously good in black. Follow her on Twitter at @StrangeWrites.
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    © YA Interrobang. All rights reserved.Save:)

11/1/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509580971612 1/2
Print Marked Items
Nowinski, Hanna. Meg & Linus
Dianna Geers
Voice of Youth Advocates.
40.1 (Apr. 2017): p63.
COPYRIGHT 2017 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text: 
3Q * 3P * J * S
Nowinski, Hanna. Meg & Linus. Swoon Reads/Macmillan, 2017. 336p. $17.99. 9781-250-09860-3.
Meg and Linus are best friends. After being dumped by her longtime girlfriend, Meg feels a little lost. Linus is doing
his best to help Meg through her breakup but is still friends with her ex since the three of them used to hang out. Linus
has a crush on an adorable barista, Danny, at his favorite coffee shop. When Danny shows up as a new student at
school, Meg decides to focus her attention on hooking Linus up with Danny, but Linus is not even sure if Danny is
gay. After Danny asks Linus out--and clearly is gay--Linus cannot believe that someone as handsome as Danny would
be interested in someone like him.
Told in short chapters with alternating points of view, Meg & Linus is a story of friendship, stable families, and sweet
romance. The fact that the protagonist and supporting characters are gay is a nonissue, which makes this a refreshing
read. The writing and voice, however, interfere with the development and authenticity of the story. At times, the voice
seems unnatural, using outdated phrases and behaviors. Long amounts of narrative text, which tell rather than show, in
addition to paragraphs duplicating information, bog the story down. Even with the flaws in the writing, this book is
worth considering for collections looking to expand their LGBTQA+ collections.--Dianna Geers.
QUALITY
5Q Hard to imagine it being better written.
4Q Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses.
3Q Readable, without serious defects.
2Q Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q.
1Q Hard to understand how it got published, except in relation to its P rating (and not even then sometimes).
POPULARITY
5P Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday.
4P Broad general or genre YA appeal.
3P Will appeal with pushing.
2P For the YA reader with a special interest in the subject.
1P No YA will read unless forced to for assignments.
11/1/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509580971612 2/2
GRADE LEVEL INTEREST
M Middle School (defined as grades 6-8).
J Junior High (defined as grades 7-9).
S Senior High (defined as grades 10-12).
A/YA Adult-marketed book recommended for YAs.
NA New Adult (defined as college-age).
R Reluctant readers (defined as particularly suited for reluctant readers).
(a) Highlighted Reviews Graphic Novel Format
(G) Graphic Novel Format
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
Geers, Dianna. "Nowinski, Hanna. Meg & Linus." Voice of Youth Advocates, Apr. 2017, p. 63+. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA491949506&it=r&asid=27c9ef03141c24af248d66bea67513e3.
Accessed 1 Nov. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491949506

Geers, Dianna. "Nowinski, Hanna. Meg & Linus." Voice of Youth Advocates, Apr. 2017, p. 63+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do? p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA491949506&it=r. Accessed 1 Nov. 2017.

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