Nina LaCour

'''Nina LaCour''' is an American author, primarily known for writing young adult literature with queer, romantic story lines.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=McQuiston |first=Casey |date=June 13, 2022 |title=Nina LaCour On 'Yerba Buena,' Writing Queer Love Stories, & YA Vs. Adult Fiction |url=https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/nina-lacour-yerba-buena-queer-romance-interview |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=[[Bustle (magazine)|Bustle]] |language=en}}</ref> Her novel ''We Are Okay'' won the [[Michael L. Printz Award|Printz Award]] in 2017.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Morales |first=Macey |date=February 12, 2018 |title='We Are Okay' wins 2018 Printz Award |url=https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2018/02/we-are-okay-wins-2018-printz-award |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=American Library Association |language=en}}</ref>

== Early life and education == LaCour was born in 1983<ref name=":2" /> and raised in the San Francisco Bay area.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=About Nina |url=https://www.ninalacour.com/aboutnina |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Nina LaCour |language=en-US}}</ref> Her family instilled in her an appreciation for the arts and education: "her grandmother taught china painting classes; her father was a teacher and then school principal; and her mother taught high school photography.<ref>"Hold Still" Nina LaCour</ref>"<ref name=":0" />

She attended [[Campolindo High School]] and graduated in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McMahon |first=Regan |date=2018-03-08 |title=Voice of youth: Author Nina LaCour honored for her YA fiction |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/books/article/Voice-of-youth-Author-Nina-LaCour-honored-for-12738338.php |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref> She received her bachelor's degree from [[San Francisco State University]] and a [[Master of Fine Arts|master of fine arts]] in creative writing from [[Mills College]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Comerford |first=Lynda Brill |date=December 21, 2009 |title=Fall 2009 Flying Starts: Nina LaCour |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/53225-fall-2009-flying-starts-nina-lacour.html |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Publishers Weekly |language=en}}</ref>

== Career == LaCour's first novel, ''[[Hold Still]]'', was the result of her master's thesis while at Mills College.<ref name=":0" /> Also while there, LaCour began teaching English composition to undergraduate students.<ref name=":0" /> Following graduation, she taught at [[Berkeley City College]] and [[Maybeck High School]] before taking a few years off to care for her daughter.<ref name=":0" />

At present, LaCour teaches in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults program at [[Hamline University]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Creative Writing Programs - Faculty and Staff - |url=https://www.hamline.edu/cla/creative-writing-programs/faculty/ |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Hamline University}}</ref>

== Personal life == LaCour currently lives in San Francisco with her wife and daughter.<ref name=":0" />

== Selected works ==

=== ''Hold Still'' (2009) === {{main|Hold Still}} ''Hold Still'' is a young adult novel published October 20, 2009 by [[Dutton Children's Books]].

The book received the following accolades:

* [[American Library Association]]'s [[Best Books for Young Adults]] selection (2010)<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 21, 2010 |title=Hold Still {{!}} Awards & Grants |url=https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/content/hold-still-0 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=American Library Association}}</ref> * [[William C. Morris Award]] finalist (2010)<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=January 13, 2010 |title=YALSA's 2010 Literary Award Winners |url=https://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards/2010winners |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 18, 2010 |title=hold still {{!}} Awards & Grants |url=https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/content/hold-still |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=American Library Association}}</ref>

=== ''Everything Leads to You'' (2014) === {{main|Everything Leads to You}}

''Everything Leads to You'' is a young adult novel published May 15, 2014 [[Dutton Children's Books]].

The book is a [[Junior Library Guild]] selection<ref name=":42">{{Cite web |title=Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour |url=https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/book/landing/detailedview?itemcode=9780525425885J&name=Everything_Leads_to_You |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Junior Library Guild}}</ref> and has received the following accolades:

* [[Goodreads Choice Awards|Goodreads Choice Award]] for Young Adult Fiction nominee (2014)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Everything Leads to You |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667779-everything-leads-to-you?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=MiIktU6pSZ&rank=1 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Goodreads| isbn=978-0-525-42588-5 }}</ref> * [[Yalsa|YALSA]]'s [[ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults|Best Fiction for Young Adults]] (2015)<ref name=":52">{{Cite web |title=Everything Leads To You |url=http://booklists.yalsa.net/book/10573/everything-leads-to-you |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=YALSA Book Finder}}</ref> * [[American Library Association Rainbow List|ALA Rainbow List]] (2015)<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 20, 2017 |title=Everything Leads To You {{!}} Awards & Grants |url=https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/node/36172 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=American Library Association}}</ref><ref name=":52" />

=== ''We Are Okay'' (2017) === {{main|We Are Okay}}

''We Are Okay'' is a young adult novel published February 14, 2017, by [[Dutton Books for Young Readers|Dutton Children's Books]].

[[Time (magazine)|TIME]] added the book to its "100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time" list,<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=The 100 Best YA Books of All Time |url=https://time.com/collection/100-best-ya-books/ |access-date=January 2, 2022 |magazine=Time |language=en |archive-date=July 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702211849/https://time.com/100-best-young-adult-books/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and ''[[Bustle (magazine)|Bustle]]'' named it one of the best books of the decade.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Colyard |first=K.W. |date=December 18, 2019 |title=The Best Books Of The 2010s, According To 30 Of The Decade's Debut Authors |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-best-books-of-the-2010s-according-to-30-of-the-decades-debut-authors-19433961 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Bustle |language=en}}</ref> ''[[The Boston Globe]],''<ref>{{Cite web |last= |last2= |last3= |first3= |date=December 8, 2017 |title=Best children's and YA books of 2017 |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2017/12/06/the-best-children-middle-grade-and-books/9R2ZOzYMXV0uMtytpyu2oO/story.html |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=The Boston Globe |language=en-US}}</ref>''[[Publishers Weekly]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best Books 2017 Publishers Weekly |url=https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2017/young-adult |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Publishers Weekly}}</ref> and ''[[Seventeen (American magazine)|Seventeen]]''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orenstein |first=Hannah |date=January 16, 2018 |title=28 of the Best YA Books of 2017 |url=https://www.seventeen.com/life/g3130/best-ya-books-of-2017/ |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Seventeen |language=en-US}}</ref> named it one of the best books of the year.

''We Are Okay'' received various accolades, including the following:

* [[Booklist Editors' Choice]]: Books for Youth (2017)<ref>{{Cite book |date=January 1, 2018 |title=Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2017 |url=https://www.booklistonline.com/Booklist-Editors-Choice/pid=9320435 |access-date=January 1, 2022 |via=Booklist}}</ref> * [[Michael L. Printz Award]] (2018)<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 16, 2018 |title=We are okay {{!}} Awards & Grants |url=https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/we-are-okay |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=American Library Association}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> * [[American Library Association Rainbow List|American Library Association's Rainbow List]] Top Ten (2018)<ref>{{Cite web |title=2018 Rainbow List |url=https://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/archives/1270 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Rainbow Book List |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== ''Watch Over Me'' (2020) === {{main|Watch Over Me (novel)}}

''Watch Over Me'' is a young adult novel published September 15, 2020, by [[Dutton Children's Books]].

The [[New York Public Library]],<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Best Books for Teens 2020 |url=https://www.nypl.org/books-more/recommendations/best-books/teens |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=The New York Public Library |language=en}}</ref> [[Chicago Public Library]],<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Best Teen Fiction of 2020 |url=https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/list/share/200121216/1769519469 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Chicago Public Library |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[BuzzFeed]]'',<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Penn |first=Farrah |title=The Best YA Books Of 2020 |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/farrahpenn/the-best-ya-books-of-2020 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=BuzzFeed |date=December 10, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> and ''[[Kirkus Reviews|Kirkus]]''<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Best of 2020 |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2020/young-adult/books/ |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en}}</ref> named it one of the best young adult books of the year.

The book received various accolades, including the following:

* [[Young Adult Library Services Association|YALSA]]'s [[Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults]] selection (2021)<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=January 4, 2021 |title=2021 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults |url=https://www.ala.org/yalsa/2021-amazing-audiobooks-young-adults |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) |language=en}}</ref> * [[Young Adult Library Services Association|YALSA]]'s [[ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults|Best Fiction for Young Adults]] (2021)<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=January 14, 2021 |title=2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults |url=https://www.ala.org/yalsa/2021-best-fiction-young-adults |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) |language=en}}</ref>

=== Yerba Buena (2022) === ''Yerba Buena'' is LaCour's first book of adult fiction. The novel has "themes of drug and sexual abuse, death, abandonment, and purposelessness"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hynek |first=Julia |date=June 11, 2022 |title='Yerba Buena' Review: Understated, Bittersweet, Brilliant |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/6/11/yerba-buena-nina-lacour-review/ |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=[[The Harvard Crimson]]}}</ref> but is ultimately the story of "two star-crossed young women navigating trauma, family, and romance".<ref name=":2" /> ''[[The New York Times]]'' reviewed the book and called it a "sensory feast".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harlan |first=Jennifer |date=2022-05-31 |title=Love and Trauma in the Wilds of California |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/31/books/review/yerba-buena-nina-lacour.html |access-date=2022-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== ''The Apartment House on Poppy Hill'' (2023) === LaCour's 2023 book ''The Apartment House on Poppy Hill'', illustrated by Sonia Albert, was shortlisted for the 2024 [[Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature|Lambda Literary Award for Children's Literature]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.them.us/story/lambda-literary-awards-2024-shortlist-announcement |title=Announcing the Finalists for the 36th Annual Lambda Literary Awards |work=[[them.]] |date=2024-03-27 |access-date=2024-04-05 }}</ref>

== Publications ==

* ''[[Hold Still]]'' (2009) * ''The Disenchantments'' (2012) * ''[[Everything Leads to You]]'' (2014) * ''You Know Me Well'', with [[David Levithan]] (2016) * ''[[We Are Okay]]'' (2017) * ''[[Watch Over Me (novel)|Watch Over Me]]'' (2020) * ''Yerba Buena'' (2022)

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * [https://www.ninalacour.com/ Official website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:LaCour, Nina}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:Writers from San Francisco]] [[Category:American LGBTQ writers]] [[Category:San Francisco State University alumni]] [[Category:Mills College alumni]] [[Category:Hamline University faculty]] [[Category:LGBTQ people from the San Francisco Bay Area]] [[Category:Lambda Literary Award winners]] [[Category:Michael L. Printz Award winners]]