91´«Ã½

Edwards Award Speech |
Morris Award Speech |
Printz Award Speeches

At the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference in Chicago in July 2009, YALSA presented awards to its 2009 literary honorees. Please read on for transcripts of the 2009 speeches. All speeches are downloadable PDFs, except for the Terry Pratchett Printz Honor Speech, which is a video.

Edwards Award Speech

On July 11, Laurie Halse Anderson spoke at the Margaret A. Edwards Award Luncheon. Anderson won the 2009 Edwards Award for significant and lasting contribution to writing for young adults for her books
Catalyst, Fever 1793, and
Speak. Read her
2009 speech (PDF).

Morris Award Speech

YALSA first awarded the William C. Morris Award in 2009 for the best book for teens written by a previously unpublished author. The 2009 winner is
A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce, who spoke at Morris Award and YA Authors Coffee Klatch on July 12, 2009. Read her
2009 speech (PDF).

Printz Award Speeches

The 2009 Printz Award Program and Reception took place on July 13, 2009. Melina Marchetta, author of 2009 winner,
Jellicoe Road, spoke at the program, as did honor book authors M. T. Anderson (
The Astonishing Tale of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Part II: The Kingdom on the Waves), Margo Lanagan (
Tender Morsels) and E. Lockhart (
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks). Honor book author Terry Pratchett (
Nation) accepted his award via video.

Melina Marchetta's speech (PDF)

M. T. Anderson's speech (PDF)

Margo Lanagan's speech (PDF)

E. Lockhart's speech (PDF)

(Blip.TV video)