Angel Daniel Matos

My book, The Reparative Impulse of Queer Young Adult Literature, is officially available to everyone. This book is open source and FREE. You can download your own PDF or EPUB version of the entire book, or you can download individual chapters instead. taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/…

We then delve into Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s Aristotle and Dante series, focusing on the absence of an AIDS narrative in the first novel and the sequel's thematic focus on AIDS. We consider the importance of intersectional thinking and historical context in reparative readings of YA

It also questions what it means to read in search of hope when queer stories, histories, dreams, and desires continue to be questioned, challenged, erased, and straightened out.

Free, open access to "The Limits of Repair," the final chapter of my book, The Reparative Impulse of Queer YA! tinyurl.com/limits-of-repa… A hybrid reflection, critique, and close reading—this chapter examines the role of repair and history in understanding queer youth lit.

#CFP: “Oh, You Beautiful Doll”: Childhood, Gender, Play, and Culture Date: Friday, March 21, 2025 In-Person/Online (Hybrid) University of Pittsburgh Submission deadline for proposals: February 10th, 2025 Email: gsws@pitt.edu Website: gsws.pitt.edu/oh-you-beautif…

From the chilling echoes of Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay to the grotesque future of Andrew Smith's Grasshopper Jungle, we'll dissect narratives that challenge our expectations of joy, happiness, and comfort... endings that push us to dismantle the burdens of normativity.

This chapter delves into the clumsy dance between comfort and despair in post-apocalyptic narratives, focusing on the normative dimentions of epilogues and the unsettling power of endings meant to disturb rather than console.

Open access to "Catastrophic Comforts," the 5th chapter of my book The Reparative Impulse of Queer YA. In a world ravaged by apocalypse, where hope is a luxury and survival is a constant struggle, how do #queer #YA stories offer comfort and solace? tinyurl.com/catastrophic-c…

@LaAnnaMarie We'll dive into how these stories can help us understand and heal from difficult forms of cultural injury, and think carefully about the power of speculative and fantastic genres to promote disruption, transformation, and repair. #YA #DeathAndLife #SpeculativeFiction #QueerLit

This chapter explores how popular YA books and video games like @LaAnnaMarie's "When the Moon Was Ours," Ness' "More Than This," and Hades implement the concept of "permalife" (where characters can't die) to tell powerful stories about life, death, and what it means to be queer.

Open access to "On Mortality and Permalife," the 4th chapter of my book The Reparative Impulse of Queer YA. One of my personal favorites! Have you ever wondered how #death and #life play a role in the #queer YA stories and media we love? tinyurl.com/mortality-perm…

We'll also think carefully about how ghostly and fantastic tropes enable alternative and layered engagements with history, knowledge production, and cultural hurt.

We'll examine how David Levithan's Two Boys Kissing bridges the gap between a tragic past and a hopeful future by drawing from the emotional and formalistic structures of the NAMES AIDS Memorial Quilt.

Open access to "The Haunting Presence of AIDS," the 3rd chapter of my book The Reparative Impulse of Queer YA! This chapter examines how #YA #AIDS stories navigate the complex interplay of history, futurity, and the specter of death in #queer texts. tinyurl.com/AIDS-YA-quilt

We'll uncover how the novel weaves together contradictory feelings, political stances, and historical narratives to ignite conversations about healing and change.

Beginning with an examination of Guerrero's film Mosquita y Mari and concluding with an examination of the publication (and subsequent revision of) Silvera's More Happy Than Not, I show how narratives of survival are always in tension with the normative demands of the YA market.

I examine the complicated relationship that queer YA cultural productions have with notions of unhappiness and ambiguity, and the difficulties that arise in negotiating the place of hurt in youth-centered narratives.

OA chapter of "More Sad Than Not?," the second in my book The Reparative Impulse of Queer YA! There's more to queer YA than just happy endings. This chapter delves into the sadder side of these stories and explores the complexities of hurt teen life. taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/…

Stay tuned for more open access scholarship on queer YA literature and culture!

But what if there's a different way to see it? I explore queer and reparative approaches that enable unexpected and moving interpretations of queer youth culture, drawing from conversations on literature, queerness, Latinidad, history, emotion, time, and healing.

This week, I'm sharing OA chapters of my new book! Ever wondered how queer YA culture is shaped by the struggles of the past? The Politics of Critique and Repair, explores how negative emotions and outcomes shaped #queer lit and the imagination. taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-mo…