text:
Once upon a time, BookPage sent me a copy of The Kingdom of Little Wounds (originally marketed for ages 14 and up) to read and review for the October 2013 issue. After I read it, I got out my drum and cried, "But it's not YA!" Associate Editor Cat Acree and I emailed back and forth about this issue for a whole day, and we ended up with enough talking points to write a (very, very short) dissertation. Or, as she suggested, to stick it on the blog (here).
And with that, Locker Combinations was born.
If you haven't been reading this series from its beginning, you probably aren't familiar with why we named it Locker Combinations. Here's why:
Locker Combinations is a way to "see inside" YA (young adult) literature. By opening a locker, sometimes you find meaningful objects, like photos and mementos. Sometimes you find useful objects, like pens and pencils; informative objects, like your history textbook; or secret objects, like that note your friend slipped between the grates. Sometimes you find gruesome objects, like those gym clothes you've been meaning to take home and wash. And sometimes you find a mirror, where you can see an image of yourself.
With only a few more days before the launch of BookPage's new teen e-newsletter, Yay! YA (you can sign up for it here), I was asked to share with readers what exactly is so great about YA lit—and why it resonates with me!
The new year is a time to think about transformations. But year-round, YA lit focuses on the space between being one thing and being another, with characters sometimes choosing one option unequivocally and other times finding a way to embrace both. Teens think about these issues . . . but adults do, too.
Normally when I talk with students about transformations in YA lit, we talk about teenage shapeshifters: werewolves, selkies, dragons, etc. But to me this year's best example of transformation in YA lit is less metaphorical: Girls Like Us by Gail Giles. Over the course of this short, accessible book, developmentally disabled high school graduates Biddy and Quincy and their recently widowed landlady Elizabeth gradually transform from characters weighed down by their pasts—and by the labels society has assigned them—into people who can build friendships and careers and find happiness despite obstacles.
Veteran YA author Andrew Smith is no stranger to metaphor: The dark horrorscapes that mirror real world terrors in The Marbury Lens (and its companion novel Passenger) established him as a master of the form. Last year, though, Smith took metaphor to yet another level with Grasshopper Jungle, telling two stories, one about teenage boys and the other about giant hungry mutant praying mantises with only one thing on their minds. But are they really two stories, or is one a running metaphor for the other?
You don't have to be a teenager to appreciate the power of metaphor. Adult fiction deals with metaphor too, of course—especially in genres like fantasy, science fiction and horror—but YA's metaphors tend to be more immediate and closer to the surface. Like Smith's oversized insects, this makes them impossible to ignore.
YA lit is often dismissed as more simplistic than adult fiction, but books like E. Lockhart's We Were Liars refute that notion.
Some stories have a beginning, a middle and an end, in that order. Sometimes only one story is being told at a time, and sometimes readers can trust a story's narrator to tell the truth. None of these are the case in Lockhart's postmodern, boundary-pushing YA novel. Narrator Cady's tale of summer friendship and romance on a privileged family's private island is constantly interrupted by flashbacks, bits and pieces of fairy tales and hints that a mysterious accident may be linked to sinister secrets that Cady's bouts of amnesia won't let her access. Lockhart's highly literary, experimental style challenges teen readers to create their own understandings out of disjointed, sometimes complimentary and sometimes contradictory narrative threads.
Lockhart's novel is only one of innumerable YA books that demonstrate that YA can be just as complex, nuanced and multilayered as literature written for adults.
How much power do teens—especially teenage girls—have over their lives and the lives of others around them? Conversion by Katherine Howe explores this question through two parallel stories, one taking place at the time of the Salem witchcraft trials and the other set in a modern Massachusettes high school. In 1692 Salem, teen Ann Putnam Jr. finds herself at the heart of the town's witchcraft hysteria, while in the present day an unexplained neurological illness is creating panic at all-female St. Joan's Academy. Are the sick girls—and the supposed witches' victims—being controlled by outside forces, or have they been the ones in control all along?
Determining, negotiating and reworking questions of social power are definitely not the exclusive purview of teens. Adult power dynamics can be so complicated, and can have such high stakes, that reading about teens who change the world is a good way to put things in perspective.
In some ways, the issue of identity is central to all of YA lit. Consider Noggin by John Corey Whaley: Sixteen-year-old Travis, dying of leukemia, has agreed to an experimental, last-chance treatment. His head has been attached to another teenager's formerly-dead body. In part because the body he inhabits isn't his original one—and in part because five years have elapsed since his head was frozen and then thawed—Travis quickly finds that a lot of rethinking is in store. Although the premise sounds silly, Travis' identity struggle (and his highly punnish sense of humor) will resonate with any teen who's ever wondered who they really are.
And who doesn't sometimes feel like they're walking around in a body that's completely different than what's in their head?
Reading YA lit, especially recent books that accent some of the most interesting ideas that YA tackles, is a great way to get through the winter doldrums. And if your 2015 New Year's resolution is to read more YA (and why shouldn't it be?), don't forget to subscribe to Yay! YA to learn about the latest reviews, author interviews and web exclusives on BookPage.com. Happy reading!
Locker Combinations is a Book Case feature by BookPage contributor and young adult (YA) literature expert Jill Ratzan. Using a variety of literary, cultural and educational perspectives, Jill guest blogs about the latest in YA lit and the general direction, trends and changes of the field. Read more BookPage reviews, interviews and posts by Jill here.
In only a few weeks, the American Library Association names the winners of its Youth Media Awards! In the spirit of the season, here are my predictions for the two biggest young adult (YA) lit awards, the Michael L. Printz Award and the William C. Morris YA Debut Award.
The Printz Award recognizes each year's best book written for teen readers, based entirely on literary merit. Up to four second-place Honor books can also be named. Established in 2000 to help bring legitimacy and visibility to books for teens, it's the highest award in YA lit.
What I think will win: This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki.
BookPage loved this monochromatic graphic novel about happenings large and small in the beachfront town where teenage Rose and her parents spend every summer. Reviewer Molly Horan writes that the story "perfectly captures . . . the dawning realization that no matter how static a place may stay, the process of growing up forces a change in feelings and perceptions."
On School Library Journal's award speculation blog Someday My Printz Will Come, librarian Sarah Couri has also tagged This One Summer as a good Printz candidate, and I completely agree with her reasons:
To these reasons I'd add two of my own. At the risk of getting too academic, children's and young adult literature is traditionally defined by its lack of authenticity. Although it's written for young readers, it's written by adults. But occasionally an authentic piece of childhood culture will creep into an adult-authored piece, as when Rose and her friend Windy play the aspirational pencil-and-paper game M.A.S.H. (Mansion Apartment Shed House). Lots of preteens (or readers who were once preteens) will recognize this game, but many won't have seen it mentioned in a book before.
And, as discussed on this blog last month, narrator Rose's age is never actually stated. This intentional lack of information forces readers to actively engage with the text (and the illustrations) to figure out for themselves Rose's place among the other characters. In scholarly parlance, this facilitates active, participatory meaningmaking.
So far, Printz medals have always been won by single authors (although author Daniel Handler and illustrator Maira Kalman shared a Printz Honor for Why We Broke Up in 2012). Maybe the time has come for a creative team—like cousins Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki—to take home the gold. And since a graphic novel has won the Printz Award before (American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang in 2007), the committee may be open to naming another sequential art winner.
Can I pick another? I'm doing it anyway . . . but this one's more of an outside contender: Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn.
Speaking of authentic preteen pasttimes, Kuehn's books are like those origami fortune tellers you might have made in middle school (or might have read about in the middle grade hit The Secret of the Fortune Wookie: An Origami Yoda Book by Tom Angleberger). Each flap unfolds to reveal something interesting, until one final unfolding turns the entire structure inside out.
Complicit, a suspenseful psychological thriller about a teen investigating a fire set by his sister, features an unreliable narrator with unusual psychosomatic symptoms and a past speckled with violence and loss. It stands out, even in a year with other strong unreliable narrators (like We Were Liars by E. Lockhart and Love Is the Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson), and holds its own in comparison to older, similar works like Invisible by Pete Hautman. And even though I suspected that, like Kuehn's 2013 Morris Award-winning Charm & Strange, Complicit would have a twist at the end, I still finished the story feeling turned inside out . . . in a good way.
A relative newcomer to the scene (it was first awarded in 2009), the Morris Award honors YA debuts. Unlike the Printz, the Morris Award publishes a list of five finalists each year during the first week of December.
I'm rooting for The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos. Told in the form of a college admission essay, it's the story of a teen boy falling in love with music and finding himself after trauma. The book, inspired by the author's own experience touring with a band, is set in the 1980s—which means lots of pop culture references (and no cell phones!). Even in a year where high-profile titles like Andrew Smith's Grasshopper Jungle also address friendship among boys, Vlahos' treatment of the topic still stands out.
What YA books would you love to see recognized by these, or other, YA lit awards? Let us know in the comments!
To keep up with YA news and reviews, sign up for our new YA e-newsletter, Yay! YA, coming in 2015!
I'm a polyamorous reader. At one point last month I had two books open at the same time: Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (for this blog post) and The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier. Angus, Thongs is a laugh-out-loud contemporary realistic fiction young adult (YA) book; The Night Gardener is a ghost story set in the mid-19th century and written for middle grade readers (ages 9 to 12, or grades 4 to 7). Both feature 14-year-old protagonists. What makes one YA and the other middle grade?
Literary agent Carlie Webber wrote in 2013 that she eschews manuscripts with 14-year-old characters. Fourteen-year-olds, Webber argues, lack the childlike "outlook of wonder" that characterizes middle grade fiction—but despite beginning to acquire a jaded teenage outlook, they're stuck being chauffered by their parents, so "there's not a lot they can do to really affect a ton of change." And marketing books with 14-year-old protagonists is tricky, because this age is where two major priorities start to conflict. Conventional wisdom says that young readers like to read about characters a few years older than themselves. But readers also like to be able to relate to characters—and at age 14 "delightful things like puberty" start to differentiate children's experiences from those of teens.
More recently, writer Dianne K. Salerni, author of The Caged Graves, writes of similar issues. At her publisher's request, she reduced the protagonist's age in her middle grade book The Eighth Day from 14 to 13, because "age 14 was a No Man's Land as far as book stores . . . are concerned. If my main character was 14, the book would be shelved in the Teen section, where it didn't belong." Salerni goes on to brainstorm factors that might be relevant to character age, including popularity ("Percy Jackson ages past 14" but "I was not . . . Rick Riordan"), character or author gender, and genre and setting. She insists that "the premise of the story, the tone, the voice, and the themes matter more than the age of the main character."
One of this year's standout YA titles, the graphic novel This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki, is a great example of a book that not only avoids these pitfalls but actively subverts them. Protagonist Rose's age is never explicitly mentioned. Instead, she's sandwiched between her childlike friend Windy ("one and a half years younger than I am") and her sort-of crush, who she admits is way too old for her ("He's like eighteen. That's like perverted."). Rose and Windy often joke about sex, but its real implications—like teen pregnancy, marital relationships and infertility—are harder for Rose to process. Because the story is set on a small-town beach, transportation is never an issue, and because it's summer, neither is school. Is Rose an older kid, or a younger teen? How do others see her? How does she see herself? (This One Summer's exploration of these questions is part of what might make it a serious contender for this year's Printz Award.)
With all this in mind, let's take another look at YA Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and middle grade The Night Gardener, both with 14-year-old main characters. Unlike the realistic Angus, Thongs, the spooky The Night Gardener takes place in a semi-fantastical historical setting. When protagonist Molly and other characters need to travel they do so by horse-drawn wagon, but most of the action takes place in and around a self-contained family mansion in the first place. Middle grade readers can relate to Molly not only because of her inherant hopefulness but also because she doesn't have to contend with, say, the daily social politics of ninth grade (or in British-speak, fourth form) the way Georgia Nicolson of Angus, Thongs does.
And then, of course, there's that puberty thing. Georgia's constantly thinking about boys, makeup and the eponymous undergarments, while these matters never seem to cross Molly's mind. Identity as a sexual being—blended with genre, setting and jadedness vs. optimism—may be what makes some 14-year-olds' stories YA and others middle grade.
What are some of your favorite books with 14-year-old characters—or characters whose age is never specified? Are these characters still open-minded kids, or world-weary teenagers? And who do you see picking up these books—adults, kids or teens?
Locker Combinations is a Book Case feature by BookPage contributor and young adult (YA) literature expert Jill Ratzan. Using a variety of literary, cultural and educational perspectives, Jill guest blogs about the latest in YA lit and the general direction, trends and changes of the field.
Locker Combinations is a Book Case feature by BookPage contributor and young adult (YA) literature expert Jill Ratzan. Using a variety of literary, cultural and educational perspectives, Jill guest blogs about the latest in YA lit and the general direction, trends and changes of the field. This month, Jill looks at one of our favorite classic YA novels, Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison.
Teen Read Week kicks off this Sunday! As an annual celebration of reading for fun, this is the perfect time to look back on one of the most fun YA books of all time.
Fourteen years ago, 14-year-old Georgia Nicolson made her debut in the pages of Louise Rennison's laugh-out-loud funny Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. Nine more books, an online short story and a movie would follow.
In hour by hour—and sometimes minute by minute—diary-style entries filled with British slang and her own neologisms, Georgia relates her adventures with her half-wild cat Angus ("I used to drag him around on a lead, but as I explained to Mrs. Next Door, he ate it"), her 3-year-old sister Libby, her best friends Jas, Ellen, Rosie and Jools, and most of all her attempt to snag—and snog—Robbie, the Sex God. In between, she and her classmates study geoggers and blodge (geography and biology), debate what boys really mean when they say "see you later" and handle various beauty mishaps, like shaved eyebrows and attempts at hair dying.
If these seem like silly concerns, they're supposed to be. As Rennison told BookPage in 2003, her path to writing about Georgia started when a newspaper column of hers caught a publisher's attention in an unusual way. (The publisher "asked me if I would consider writing a teenage girl's diary book. I said, er . . . why me? and they said, because we have never read anything quite so self-obsessed and childish, so we thought you could do a really good job.")
The glossary at the end of the book might be even more fun the main story. Georgia spells out the exact meanings of deely-boppers (an amusing piece of headwear), nuddy-pants ("literally nude-colored pants, and you know what nude-colored pants are? They are no pants"), "double cool with knobs" (which means "very" but is "altogether snappier") and other terms, to hilarious effect.
Recently the Guardian featured a guest piece by author Louise Rennison reflecting on how well the British humor of Angus, Thongs and its sequels has translated to "Hamburger-a-go-go land"—that is, the United States. Among other points, Rennison relates a confusion as to whether or not Americans wear knickers and an oddly impossible interpretation of the British title of the fifth book, . . . And That's When It Fell Off in My Hand.
Rennison's article was perfect timing, because I had recently been reminiscing on the bizarre incidents, urban folklore and noteworthy reputations that've accumulated around this cult classic over time.
First, there's Rennison's unusual path to writing about Georgia's "fabbity fab fab" life. As Rennison told BookPage in 2003, a newspaper column of hers had caught a publisher's attention in an unexpected way. (The publisher "asked me if I would consider writing a teenage girl's diary book. I said, er . . . why me? and they said, because we have never read anything quite so self-obsessed and childish, so we thought you could do a really good job.")
Then there's the climate of YA lit into which Rennison was writing. Angus, Thongs, a 2001 Printz Honor book, entered the American YA lit scene in April 2000, at a time when the Printz Award had just recognized its first crop of winners, John Green was about to graduate from college, and Harry Potter fans were eagerly awaiting the upcoming fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Technology was different, too: Georgia and her friends pass notes in class rather than texting, call each other from "phone boxes" and listen to music on audiotapes. But their desire to evade school rules, their interest in kissing lessons and their frustrations with their parents are universal teen themes.
And don't forget about the longstanding appeal of the diary format itself. Georgia's entries are immediate and highly emotionally charged, with the quick ups and downs characteristic of teens' feelings ("6:00pm: Is my life over? Is this all there is? . . . 8:05pm: Jas has just phoned to say we've been invited to a party at Katie Steadman's and . . . Katie has asked Tom and Robbie. YESSSSS!!!!")
Although Angus, Thongs didn't invent diary format or even bring it to YA lit for the first time (it's a defining feature of 1971's anonymous Go Ask Alice, for example), Rennison's book might very well have popularized and encouraged this way of telling stories. Diary format has gone on to be used in dozens of other YA novels, ranging from The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (also published in 2000) to Girls Like Us, longlisted for the 2014 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
And finally, there's the book challenges, the complaints and the apologies. In 2005, the second book, On The Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God, was challenged in a Bozeman, Montana, middle school on the grounds that "an unstable person seeing a girl reading the book might think from the title that the girl was promiscuous and stalk her." (Louise Rennison had appeared on the American Library Association's most frequently challenged authors list two years before, in 2003.)
In another incident posted on a children's lit listserv at the time, a bookseller found herself awkwardly explaining to a horrified parent what "snogging" meant (it means kissing, not to be confused with the significantly more R-rated "shagging").
Lastly, one of my own YA lit students shared an incident of her own with our class. Echoing Seventeen magazine's review—"You might want to refrain from reading this one in public"—my student found that Angus, Thongs and public transportation didn't quite mix. "I was reading it on the bus and laughing hysterically, and everyone was looking at me funny," she mock-complained.
Fans of Rennison's latest work might want to check out last year's The Taming of the Tights, her third book featuring Georgia's theater-loving cousin Tallulah Casey. But to some readers, nothing quite compares to their very first encounter with one of YA lit's funniest teens.
What retro YA book have you been meaning to read . . . or re-read? Let us know in the comments!
What we talk about when we talk about E. Lockhart's We Were Liars: pretty much nothing. There's a beach and a wealthy family. Our heroine loves a boy. I don't dare share much else. So I'll do my best to avoid any spoilers, but if you haven't read We Were Liars, read on at your own risk.
If you have read it, you know that once you get past all the dramatic hype, this young adult novel is a tantalizing exploration of memory and grief, with an explosive loss of innocence that will not soon be forgotten.
Wondering what to read next? Read on for your next steps.
If you can't bring yourself to leave the salty air, turn to one of Hilderbrand's novels set on the island of Nantucket. In her 2012 novel Summerland, four teenagers find themselves reeling in the aftermath of a deadly car accident. Their summer is defined by tragedy, but there's always hope to be found in a close community. As with all of Hilderbrand's beach reads, this is an ideal balance of sun, sand and heartrending drama.
If you love the super-complex family web and intricate plotting as well as the beachy setting, check out Straub's second (and arguably best) novel. Travel with the Post family from Manhattan to the island of Mallorca, where escape is on the menu but isn't what's being served. Meet Franny and Jim; their teen daughter, Sylvia; their 20-something son, Bobby, and his girlfriend; Franny's best friend, Charles; and his husband, Lawrence. Secrets are revealed, true natures come to light, and the pages fly by.
If you couldn't get enough of Cady and Gat's impossible romance and are still mulling over questions of your own ability to forgive, try McEwan's crushing and unforgettable tale set in war-torn Europe. The actions of young Briony Tallis cause irreparable damage for years to come in this haunting tale that explores themes of grief, memory and the ramifications of childhood actions in ways very similar to We Were Liars. Plus it has an ending that will leave you reeling.
If your favorite part of We Were Liars was Lockhart's narrative acrobatics and tender, poetic prose, check out Printz Honor-winning author A.S. King, who deftly toes the line of magical realism. Ask the Passengers seems to unfold with the natural ebb and flow of a young girl's imaginative and kind mind as she navigates the difficult coming-out process in a small, insular town.
If you loved the way Cady told her family's story through fairy-tales—in particular "Meat Loves Salt," the tragic story of a wealthy father who rejects his youngest daughter, which inspired Shakespeare's King Lear—you may enjoy the fable qualities of Boy, Snow, Bird, particularly its understanding of the classic "evil" character, the wicked stepmother.
This is another one that shouldn't be discussed too much, at the risk of giving anything away. From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day comes this masterpiece of red herrings and reading between the lines. The story focuses on three people—Kath, Tommy and Ruth—who were students at a special experimental boarding school called Hailsham. Their realizations about their short lives will leave you breathless.
What do you think, readers? What would you suggest reading after We Were Liars?
RELATED CONTENT: Read our previous "Read it Next" posts.
January 6, 2015, brings a one-two punch of Michael L. Printz Award-winning authors, with new young adult novels from Brits Marcus Sedgwick and Nick Lake. What a way to kick off the year!
Sedgwick, who won the 2014 award for Midwinterblood, has always been fascinated with spirals, "which occur throughout nature from the microscopic to the interstellar." The Ghosts of Heaven (Roaring Brook) is composed of four "quarters," leaping from prehistory to centuries later, that can be read in any order and are all connected by sprials in some way. It's exactly the sort of narrative that Sedgwick alone can handle.
Lake, who won in 2013 for In Darkness, offers a new literary thriller that was inspired by a haunting moment in his own life: A coyote ran across his path in Scottsdale, Arizona, and this image resonated through his mind and life until coming to rest within the pages of There Will Be Lies (Bloomsbury). In a letter at the book's opening, Lake writes, "It's a book about canyons, about chasms, about cracks in reality; and it's a book about what lies beyond them."
Are you as excited for these two novels as I am?
Locker Combinations is a Book Case feature by BookPage contributor and young adult (YA) literature expert Jill Ratzan. Using a variety of literary, cultural and educational perspectives, Jill guest blogs about the latest in YA lit and the general direction, trends and changes of the field. This month, Jill looks at Chris Bohjalian's new novel and its crossover appeal.
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian, a novel about a teen girl navigating a post-apocalyptic world, was published for adults. But it could easily function as a YA novel for a number of reasons:
Narrator Emily Shepard tells her tale from a first-person point of view, with an immediacy and focus that's arguably one of the defining characteristics of YA literature. Her speech is peppered with the kind of neologisms and pop culture references that a real teen might use. Bohjalian credits his then-19-year-old daughter Grace for helping make Emily's voice authentic, writing in his acknowledgements that "she [Grace] taught me a lot—and I mean a lot—of new expressions."
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is divided into sections before and after an important event (Emily's quasi-adoption of the homeless 9-year-old Cameron). This before-and-after format is probably best known from Looking for Alaska by John Green, but it also figures prominently in older YA books like Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas and newer ones like the 2013 William C. Morris YA Debut Award winner Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn. Bohjalian's book also jumps back and forth in time freely, a technique familiar to readers of, for example, E. Lockhart's We Were Liars.
How many times have you heard book recommendations along the lines of "If you like Harry Potter, you'll like ______"? Comparisons help readers find books they might like, but they also serve as a metaphorical space to define genres, audience and other categories. By citing Karen Hesse's similar 1994 YA novel Phoenix Rising as inspiration (again, in his acknowledgements), Bohjalian grounds Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands in the section of this space occupied by YA lit.
While trying to survive their new world, Emily and her fellow teens use drugs, work as prostitutes and carry X-Acto knives to cut their skin. At first glance these topics—and in particular Bohhalian's non-condemnatory treatment of them—seem rather adult in nature. But in fact these ideas are standard fare for other boundary-pushing works of contemporary YA lit. For example, the upcoming Love Is the Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson includes a character whose drug use is rooted in complex circumstances. Similarly, Blythe Woodson's recent Black Helicopters shows its protagonist trading sex with an older man for shelter for herself and her brother.
As Jennifer Miskec and Chris McGee explain in "My Scars Tell a Story: Self-Mutilation in Young Adult Literature" from Children's Literature Association Quarterly, contemporary YA lit embraces nuanced psychological and cultural views about cutting. In Violet & Claire by Francesca Lia Block, for example, the protagonist stops cutting when she channels her frustrations into filmmaking instead; in Pretties and Specials by Scott Westerfeld, "cutting is a way [for teens] to gain strength and clarity about the world around them." So when Emily describes cutting as a substitute for creative journaling and as a means to feel "almost human," Bohjalian's not flouting conventions of YA lit; instead, he's locating his story in an established pattern of others.
The number of YA novels that take place in crumbling worlds is dizzying. Some of my favorites from this year include Andrew Smith's Grasshopper Jungle and Rick Yancey's The Infinite Sea, the sequel to last summer's The 5th Wave.
In some ways the apocalypse is a natural metaphor for being a teen: For teenagers, everything is the end of the world. And as high school ends and teens leave home for college, work or other pursuits, the world as they know it is, in a way, literally ending.
So the question remains: Why is Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands an adult novel? Or rather, why isn't it YA?
A book's target audience can be as much a marketing decision as a content one—and no wonder, considering the debate that raged this past summer. When the movie adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars hit theaters in June, cultural critics like Slate's Ruth Graham immediately started lampooning grownups who read YA books that "abandon the mature insights . . . that they (supposedly) have acquired as adults." And just today, film critic Anthony Lane blasts YA lit in The New Yorker, writing of "the über-mantra of young-adult narrative: everything is a choice—your boyfriend, your college application, your breakfast, your playlist, the color of your scrunchie, and your ontological status. No reference must be made to principles beyond your reach, because those do not apply."
Bohjalian already has an established adult readership; would these fans buy a YA novel? By publishing Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands for adults, Bohjalian's publisher could avoid the issue entirely.
But, as surveys like Understanding the Children's Book Consumer in the Digital Age show, adults actually do often buy, read and enjoy YA books. And as Salon's Laura Miller points out, YA fiction—like adult fiction—can do "everything a written text can do that other forms of storytelling cannot."
And just like adults can and do pick up YA books, teens can do and read books published for adults: Awards like YALSA's Alex Awards recognize adult books of high interest to young adult readers.
In the end, a good book can be a good book, whether it's categorized as adult or YA. So even though Bohjalian's readership is dominated by—and his new novel is targeted toward—adults, I'd bet on a new generation of Bohjalian fans. He's certainly earned it.
What other books do you love that cross YA/adult category lines like this? Add your thoughts in the comments!
Locker Combinations is a Book Case feature by BookPage contributor and young adult (YA) literature expert Jill Ratzan. Using a variety of literary, cultural and educational perspectives, Jill guest blogs about the latest in YA lit and the general direction, trends and changes of the field. This month, Jill pairs classic high school reads with great teen fiction.
For avid teen readers, the end of summer vacation can herald the end of reading what they want and a return to reading what they must. The teen who devoured The Fault in Our Stars may be less enthusiastic about the source of its title, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. But pitting YA books against the classics of Western literature doesn't have to be an either-or proposition: Some pairs can illuminate each other in new and interesting ways.
Direct retellings of well-known tales abound (see this chart from Epic Reads), but works that complement rather than duplicate the classics can be harder to find. Here are four suggestions of great YA books to read alongside some staples of high school English.
If you read The Crucible in American Lit class, you might remember your teacher saying that Arthur Miller's 1953 play was really about McCarthyism, using the Salem witch trials as a metaphor. Another interpretation is that The Crucible is about what happens when issues of gender, power, illness and social class combine in a high-pressure environment.
If so, Katherine Howe's new YA novel Conversion is the play's perfect readalike. Half of Conversion focuses on high school senior Colleen and her classmates at a highly competitive, all-female Massachusetts school where dozens of girls suddenly come down with unexplained, seemingly unconnected symptoms. (The story is based on a real incident that took place in LeRoy, New York, in 2012, a topic also explored in the recent adult novel The Fever by Megan Abbott.) The other half is narrated by Ann Putnam Jr., a teen at the center of the 1692 witch panic in Salem. The two halves, initially connected only by Colleen's extra credit project about The Crucible, soon converge. Like Arthur Miller, Howe leaves readers wondering exactly how much of a metaphor the Salem witch trials might be for contemporary goings-ons.
Dual, possibly intersecting narratives also characterize Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, another contemporary YA novel that takes place partially in the present day and partially in the past—specifically, during the French revolution. This setting makes it the perfect choice to read alongside A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
Like Charles Darney, Sydney Carton and Dickens' other characters, the dual narrators of Revolution watch their personal dramas play out against the backdrop of a larger political and social upheaval.
The 150-year gap between these two works might be the most thought-provoking aspect of this pairing. Historical perspectives on the French revolution have changed over time, with Dickens' heroic Bastille-stormers giving way to more nuanced modern interpretations. And readers of both books might want to remember the multiple senses of the word "revolution": It can mean both a war for independence and the act of changing direction.
No one writes the macabre quite like Edgar Allan Poe. Teens who've read his short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" and want more creepy old houses haunted by revenge-seeking, bloodsoaked-dress-wearing gals—but with less onerous vocabulary and more running jokes about Ghostbusters—can't do better than Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. Like Poe's classic short story, Blake's novel positively drips with Gothic horror—but it also features biology study sessions, talk of crushes (both ghostly and human) and pop culture references to everything from Harry Potter to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." And fans of both authors can follow up with further works: Poe wrote dozens of short stories and poems, and Blake's sequel, Girl of Nightmares, picks up where the first book ends.
After leaving a place of chaos and conflict, our hero wanders for many miles, meeting people and learning about the world as they travel. But when they finally reach home, they find that their journey is actually just beginning.
This is the plot of Homer's Odyssey and Cynthia Voigt's Homecoming, both classics of their particular canons. While Odysseus navigates giants, sea monsters and other dangers of the ancient, mythological Mediterranean, teenage Dicey has a much more mundane but no less challenging task: bringing her younger siblings to safety after their mother abandons them in a Connecticut parking lot. First published in 1981, Voigt's novel is filled with pay phones, two-dollar bus fares and other relics of bygone decades, but that only adds to its charm. Besides, Homer's epic is almost 3,000 years old, making Homecoming (and its sequels) seem positively contemporary in comparison.
By pairing YA lit with classics, teen readers can apply what they learn from older works to newer and potentially more relevant contexts. Or they can use YA lit to rethink their interpretations of classic works. Either way, the start of school doesn't have to mean the end of reading YA.
There's something quentissentially hopeful about young adult novels that feature teenagers on crosscountry roadtrips. Adi Alsaid's debut novel takes an even more hopeful approach, as the main character of Let's Get Lost might be on an epic journey, but it's a uniquely selfless one, as she has plenty to share with those she meets along the way.
Writes our reviewer, "Adi Alsaid weaves together the distant and disparate stories of his multiple characters, using Leila as the bright red thread to sew the patchwork quilt of their lives. The final product is beautiful, moving—and nothing like it would have been if kept separate." Read our full review of Let's Get Lost.
Adi is touring the web with ''Seize the Tuesday" posts to celebrate the publication of his new novel which goes on sale today! Each piece focuses on a different, fun example of how Adi was able to "Seize the Tuesday" in his own life and how that can inspire others to make a change in their lives, too. Seize the Tuesday not only gives readers a glimpse into Adi's life, but also introduces readers to one of the key themes in Let's Get Lost of "seizing the Tuesday"—of seizing a moment that can change your life forever.
About Let's Get Lost:
Five strangers. Countless adventures.One epic way to get lost.
Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.
There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings . . . until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.
Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.
Seize the Tuesday: Learning to cook
By Adi Alsaid
One summer during college, I was back home in Mexico, bored out of my mind. Few friends were in town and the rainy season had me stuck indoors far more than I would have liked. Watching TV all day wasn't my ideal way to spend the summer, but options were limited, and I ended up sitting in the living room with my sister a lot. That was the summer she became a big fan of the reality cooking show, "Top Chef."
It was during a marathon of "Top Chef" that I realized a crucial mistake in the way I'd been living my life. I'd always believed that living well and eating well went hand in hand, but up until then, I'd trusted others to provide me with great food. I could barely pour myself a bowl of cereal. Then I watched "Top Chef" and realized that the people on that show can make themselves those ridiculous dishes anytime they want.
As soon as I got back to Vegas, I begged my older brother, who'd gone to school for hospitality and therefore taken a cooking class, to teach me. He wasn't quite up for it, too impatient to deal with someone who didn't even know how to hold a knife the right way. So I watched a few more shows on the Food Network, then decided to cook for the first time ever. I was going to make tacos. Except I was a little trigger shy, so I decided to call a friend over and have him cook the chicken for the tacos while I made a salsa. Cutting vegetables and throwing them together seemed like a good stepping stone.
I moved on to pasta with sauce from a jar. I burned chicken. I didn't think to wash vegetables. I watched more Food Network, made more salsas. I started going home for lunch to make myself bagel sandwiches, which slowly got more and more complex. I brought homemade dips to potlucks, perused the cookbook section at bookstores. I started making pasta sauce from scratch, offering to make a dish for family dinners. Spice is the spice of life, and I was starting to live it up.
In the years since, I've spent more and more time in the kitchen. My sauces are a little more complex, my repertoire more extensive. I'm sure my techniques are often ineffective, my knowledge still lacking, my knife skills still weaker than my brother's. As friends and my Instagram followers know, I cook a lot now (and, yes, am guilty of photographing my kitchen exploits). But I've learned the joys of cooking delicious things for myself and for others, the joy in going to a grocery store with headphones on, not knowing exactly what I want to make but looking around until inspiration hits. There's even the joy in cleaning up afterwards (not always, but sometimes), the evidence that hard work went into whatever I just ate, that a meal was earned.
Eating has always been life-affirming for me, and now cooking is, too.
About Adi Alsaid:
Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While in class, he mostly read fiction and continuously failed to fill out crossword puzzles, so it's no surprise that after graduating he packed up his car and escaped to the California coastline to become a writer. He's now back in his hometown, where he writes, coaches high school and elementary basketball, and has perfected the art of making every dish he eats or cooks as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he has lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas and Monterey, California. A tingly feeling in his feet tells him that more places will eventually be added to the list.
Visit Adi online at http://www.somewhereoverthesun.com/
Twitter: @AdiAlsaid and Instagram.com/Uhhdee.
Thanks, Adi!
Readers, Let's Get Lost is now available! Enjoy an excerpt.
"Books transmit values. They explore our common humanity. What is the message when some children are not represented in those books? Where are the future white personnel managers going to get their ideas of people of color? Where are the future white loan officers and future white politicians going to get their knowledge of people of color? Where are black children going to get a sense of who they are and what they can be?" —Walter Dean Myers (1937-2014)
If the year 2014 will be remembered for anything in the world of children's literature, it will be the groundswell of discontent over the lack of diversity and the subsequent #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign. On March 15, the New York Times published an op-ed piece by author Walter Dean Myers, who asked, "Where are the people of color in children's books?" It's not the first time he's asked that question, as nearly 30 years earlier, Myers raised the same issue in another Times article, "I Actually Thought We Would Revolutionize the Industry" (1986).
While the market continues to reflect a disparaging lack of diversity in children's literature, there are fortunately lots of people who make it their job to write, read and share books that feature main characters of all colors, ethnicities, religious persuasions, sexual orientations and socioeconomic backgrounds. Myers will be missed dearly, not just as an author but as a champion for diversity in books. So we honor Myers—and all authors like him—with a list of a few of our favorite multicultural books so far this year:
Abuelo by Arthur Dorros and Raúl Colón
Spanish words are sprinkled throughout Dorros' sweet story of a young boy's adventures with his abuelo as they explore the Argentian countryside on horseback. When the boy's family moves to the city, these memories stay with him, and his connection to his grandfather and their heritage remains despite the distance. Colón's warm and windy illustrations are just perfect for this story. (And if you're as big a fan of Colón's work as I am, watch for his next book, Draw!, coming September 16.) Read our review.
Bird by Crystal Chan
On the day Jewel was born, her brother tried to fly off a cliff and died. Twelve years later, Grandpa has still not uttered a word, and Jewel feels stifled by her moody parents. She meets a boy who calls himself John (which was her brother's name), but Grandpa's convinced that the boy is a duppy, a type of malevolent spirit. Chan drew on her own mixed-race upbringing for this heartbreaking story, as Jewel takes pride in her Jamaican heritage but gets frustrated when people expect her to speak Spanish—even more frustrated when strangers ask what she is instead of who. Read our review.
The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods
Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author Woods (The Red Rose Box) was inspired to write Violet's story by the circumstances of a biracial daughter of a friend who was unable to trace the African-American side of her family. From this true story comes the uplifting tale of a biracial 11-year-old girl who meets the African-American side of her family for the first time. After a rocky start, Violet and her dad's family build a relationship around personal prayer, her family's difficult history and her own racial identity, all while dancing to old records and whipping up some delicious meals. Read our review.
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
This novel-in-verse about family and basketball is full of quick wordplay, deft rhymes and allusions to classical and jazz music. Twelve-year-old Josh and his twin brother Jordan live for the game, but their home life is just as strong. Their mother is tough but fair with the boys, and their father is an ex-player whose pro dreams faded after an injury. After an irreplaceable loss, familial bonds become even more important. This book definitely has a rhythm all its own, as the verses here are more than just a device to encourage reluctant readers. It is kinetic, gripping poetry. Read our review.
The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew
Created by Chinese American artist Chu F. Hing and first appearing in 1944 in Blazing Comics, the Green Turtle was the very first Asian-American superhero. National Book Award finalist Yang and artist Liew rescued the Green Turtle from obscurity with this funny origin tale. Nineteen-year-old Hank was just an average boy—until his mother decided he should be a hero. Now he's training in martial arts and getting in over his head with the local crime scene. Fortunately a dash of Chinese mythology gives him the chance to fulfill her dream. Read our review.
Girls Like Us by Gail Giles
Special-ed teenagers Quincy and Biddie have just graduated from high school and must enter the real world. They've been matched up as roommates (though mixed-race Quincy isn't sure how she feels about interacting with a white landlady), and as they learn how to fend for themselves, the girls find unexpected friendship with each other as well as with their landlady. The story unfolds in dual voices that are truly unforgettable, revealing their progress and fears, as well as physical, mental and sexual trauma. It's a frank and honest story about physical and mental disabilities that never feels cliche or sensationalized. Read our review.
When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds
Ali lives with his mom and sister in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn. He hangs out with his best friends Noodles and Needles—who was born with Tourette's syndrome and knits to help focus his attention—on the streets and on the brownstone stoop, and of course they get themselves in a bit of trouble. Reynolds' depiction of urban life is authentic, and his characters are well developed and relatable. This debut immediately announced Reynolds as an author to watch. (I'm serious about that . . . his follow-up, The Boy in the Black Suit, is coming out next January. Watch for it.) Read our review.
Readers, share in the comments below! What should be added to this list?


text:
|Found 242 Recipes
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Strawberry Cream Cheese Tartby scottw Savor the sweetness of summer with this delicious Strawberry Cream Che..
Italian Sausage Braidby scottw Spice up your summer with this delicious Italian inspired braid!
Southwest Veggie Slidersby scottw Kick it up a notch with a platter of our delicious Southwest Veggie Sl..
California White Pizzaby scottw Anything tastes better with cheese and garlic on it and this slight va..
Chocolate Banana Cupcakesby herkynhimer I tried these topped with a mix of left over chocolate and vanilla but..
Cheesy Potato Chip Breadsticksby scottw Usually found photographing Rhodes recipes, photographer Mitch Rogers ..
Pretzel Snacksby scottw Salty or sweet, kids of all ages will love eating these easy-to-make P..
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Pulled Pork and Pineapple Pizzaby scottw Need a new pizza idea? Try this sweet and saucy Pulled Pork and Pineap..
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Over the Moon Pumpkin Patchby AudraKaiser A savory blend of pumpkin, spice, vanilla frozen yogurt and Over the M..
No-Knead Flat Breadby Galley Wench This rich oilive oil dough can be used to make a variety of flatbreads..
Rosemary Roasted Shrimpby NikkiTheFoodie This is an easy favorite of mine. I absolutely love seafood and there ..
Pizza Margheritaby adrianna This simple and delicious pizza margherita is courtesy of chef Mario B..

subset: commoncrawl


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Architects Journal
December 2010
View all stories from this issue.
Architectural Association School of Architecture, London; MSc & MArch Sustainable Environmental DesignCourse focus: Design studio modules-Technical-Building Performance Modelling || Design studio: YES || Fees: £18,960/£25,300 (MSc/MArch)
Big Society challenge to Farrell's Earls Court masterplanNew government housing regulations could scupper Terry Farrell's 28-hectare masterplan for the redevelopment of the Earls Court exhibition centre in west London
Collective's kiosks set for Glasgow streets[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Collective Architecture has won planning permission for four 'lightweight, modular' kiosks in the pedestrianised area of Argyle Street, Glasgow
Flying a notional flag for the world's most hated whistleblowerIan Martin gets in too deep with Wikileaks
Free trial: AJ Buildings LibraryTo mark the launch of the AJ Buildings Library, the AJ is offering every architect a free trial of the new paid-for digital service.
Richard MacCormac: a logical narrativeRichard MacCormac weathered the storms of post-modernism and helped to re-establish trust in architects and their intentions, writes Alan Powers
Tony Blair's false startPlanning permission granted for work on the former PM's Buckinghamshire home
Zaha in full flowHadid's plumbing draws mixed reaction online
2010: The year in newsAJ news editor Richard Waite on cuts, tuition fees, 'suicidal' bids and how the government turned its back on the profession
2011 Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts architectural drawing competitionThe deadline for entries to the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts' annual architectural drawing competition is tomorrow (7 January)
2011: New practice predictionsOver the last two years the professional landscape has changed radically with a wave of brave new practices emerging. The AJ asked some of these pioneers what 2011 will mean for the profession
Adapt to Localism or dieTo survive in the Big Society, architects must be experts in PR, says Christine Murray
ADP extends Basil Spence's Sussex University[FIRST LOOK] ADP has completed its project to build a new faculty building on Sussex University's campus
AEW bags planning for £200m Liverpool retail schemeLiverpool City Council has approved a huge extension designed by AEW to the city's Edge Lane retail park
AEW reveals Southend museum plans[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] AEW Architects has revealed the first images of its proposed £35 million museum in Southend-on-Sea
AFL completes cancer care centre at The Christie[FIRST LOOK + PROJECT DATA] AFL Architects has completed this £35 million Oak Road Patient Treatment Centre at the Christie hospital
AJ Buildings Library free trial for every architectThe AJ Buildings Library is now fully functional - and architects can get their free trial login today
AJ exclusive: Richard Murphy bags Whitehaven contest[FIRST LOOK] Richard Murphy Architects has won the RIBA Competition to design a £10 million mixed-used luxury apartment and office scheme in Whitehaven Harbour, Cumbria
Architect sought for new cruise terminal in SouthamptonAssociated British Ports (ABP) is looking for an architect to design a new £30million cruise terminal at Southampton
Architecture 00 to overhaul The WinchEast London firm Architecture 00 has seen off an impressive shortlist to win the competition to refurbish The Winch - the famed youth community centre in Swiss cottage, north London
Architecture Foundation Bankside BikeShed competitionThe Architecture Foundation (AF) has launched an international design competition for a portable bike shed at Bankside, south London
Architecture Foundation launches Bankside BikeShed competitionThe Architecture Foundation (AF) has launched an international design competition for a portable bike shed at Bankside, south London
Arup appoints new UK chairArup has appointed Robert Care as its new chair while announcing a series of other senior level appointments
Assael bags go-ahead for Wandsworth Hotel[FIRST LOOK] Assael Architecture has won planning permission for this hotel and 'business academy' in Wandsworth, south London
Assael bags planning for timber yard redevelopment[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Assael Architecture has won planning permission for this £9 million residential scheme on the site of a former timber yard in west London
Aukett Fitzroy Robinson reveals Ashdown House revampAukett Fitzroy Robinson's £150 million project to revamp Ashdown House in Victoria, central London, has started on site
Austin-Smith:Lord set to revamp Helensburgh waterfrontAustin-Smith:Lord has landed local authority-backing for its £6 million project to upgrade the town centre and waterfront in Helensburgh on the Firth of Clyde in Scotland
Baldry Gardens Health Centre, New Cross, London by Henley Halebrown RorrisonThe design of Henley Halebrown Rorrison's Baldry Gardens Health Centre won't make you better, but it will cheer you up, says Rory Olcayto. Photography by Nick Kane
Barn conversion by Annabel Brown Architects[FIRST LOOK] Essex-based Annabel Brown Architects has completed this conversion of a derelict barn into a new home
BDP remembers 'bright, young, enthusiastic' Joanna YeatesBDP Bristol chair Keith Pavey will deliver a tribute this morning (4 January) in honour of murdered landscape architect Joanna Yeates
Beijing uncut by Sarah MorrisSarah Morris' filming of the Beijing Olympics is an 'erasure of ego', Helen Nianias discovers
Bennetts Associates completes Tower of London hotel[First look] Bennetts Associates has completed this £72 million hotel project close to the Tower of London
Bottoms up for Rogers at Riverside South?Astragal is receiving mixed messages about the future of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners' (RSHP) Riverside South scheme at Canary Wharf
Buckley Gray Yeoman unveils Deptford warehouse conversion[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + PROJECT DATA] Buckley Gray Yeoman has submitted plans for a retail and residential 'refurb-extension' of an existing brick warehouse in Deptford, south London
Burwell Deakins raises curtain on Cornish drama centre[FIRST LOOK + PROJECT DATA] Burwell Deakins: Architects has completed this £15.4 million performance centre for University College Falmouth at its Tremough campus in Penryn, Cornwall
CABE in talks to merge with Design CouncilSenior CABE officials are in talks with the Design Council about a proposed merger which would see the organisation continue its design review and enabling role with a smaller, core team
CABE lost funding in 'botched' quango cullThe controversial abolition of 192 quangos – including CABE – was 'botched' and could fail to save money or make services more accountable, a parliamentary report has claimed
Cambridge University, MPhil (B) Environmental Design in Architecture (ARB/RIBA Pt2)Course focus: Design studio modules-Technical-Theory-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development-Building Performance Modelling-Urban Design || Design studio: YES || Fees: £5,799/ £20,385 (EU/Overseas)
Cardiff University, Welsh School of Architecture; MSc Environmental Design of BuildingsCourse focus: Design studio modules-Technical-Building Performance Modelling || Design studio: YES || Fees: £3,466/£12,950 (EU/Overseas)
Cardiff University, Welsh School of Architecture; MSc in Building Energy and Environmental Performance ModellingCourse focus: Technical-Building Performance Modelling || Design studio: NO || Fees: £3,466/£12,950 (EU/Overseas)
Cardiff University, Welsh School of Architecture; MSc Theory and Practice of Sustainable DesignCourse focus: Theory-Technical || Design studio: NO || Fees: £3,466/£12,950 (EU/Overseas)
Cautious welcome for 'Right to Build'Right to Build proposals in the government's Localism Bill have found support in the building industry, but concerns linger over its true effectiveness on the ground
Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), Machynlleth, Wales; Distance Learning MSc Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy StudiesCourse focus: Practical Materials Modules-Technical-Building Performance Modelling || Design studio: NO || Fees:£5,900/£7,900 (EU/Overseas)
Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), Machynlleth, Wales; MSc Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy StudiesCourse focus: Practical Materials Modules-Technical-Building Performance Modelling || Design studio: NO || Fees: £6,000/£12,000 (EU/Overseas)
Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), Machynlleth, Wales; MSc Renewable Energy and the Built EnvironmentCourse focus: Technical-Building Performance Modelling ||Design studio: NO || Fees:£6,500/£13,000 (EU/Overseas)
Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), Machynlleth, Wales; Professional Diploma in Architecture Part II: Advanced Environmental and Energy StudiesCourse focus: Design Studio Modules-Practical Materials Modules-Technical-Building Performance Modelling || Design studio: YES || Fees:£9,250
Charles Holden's London Underground HQ bumped up to Grade I listingCharles Holden's St James's Park Underground Station and the London Underground Headquarters has had its listed status upgraded from Grade II to Grade I
Competitions: Editor's Pick'Meanwhile' projects in the run up to the Olympics, a hotel design competition in Mexico, and an ideas competition for the Thames Gateway; the editor's pick of this week's top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 02.12.10Landscape architect for The Royal Parks, affordable housing for Torbay Council, and a design competition for an urban park in Taichung, China; the editor's pick of this week's top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 06.01.11The Architecture Foundation's Bankside BikeShed competition, a museum for the RAF's Battle of Britain collection and the Glasgow Institute 2011 architectural drawing contest; the editor's pick of this week's top competitions
Conran reveals Weston-super-Mare plans[FIRST LOOK] Conran & Partners has unveiled its latest proposals for the burned out Royal Pier Hotel in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
Costs: Flooring, Stairs & LiftsNeed a lift to help you cost your projects? Here, Neil Barnett, resource cost services manager of BCIS, the Building Cost Information Service of the RICS, provides the latest sample cost breakdowns for various types of flooring, stairs and lifts
David Mikhail's Hackney revamp named best London extensionAn overhaul of a Victorian House in Hackney, featuring a one metre-deep glass extension, has won the NLA's second annual Don't Move, Improve! competition
De Montfort University, Leicester; MSc Energy and Sustainable Building DesignCourse focus: Building Performance Modelling-Technical || Design studio: NO || Fees: £5.100/9,900 (EU/Overseas)
Ditchling museum wins cash and planning consent[FIRST LOOK] Adam Richards Architects has won planning permission and a grant of £835,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for its revamp and expansion of th Ditchling museum in Sussex
Don't wait for the Big Society to help small practicesIf competitions are scarce and the Big Society is a con, how do architects win work? Christine Murray
Duggan Morris wins planning for £35m Deptford housing-led scheme[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Duggan Morris has won planning permission for its largest project to date – this £35 million, 200-home scheme in Deptford, south east London
Ecophon - College reaps benefits of sound solutionsBeing able to hear well is something many of us take for granted, but it shouldn't be taken for granted in the classrooms of our schools, colleges and universities or any other learning environment.
English Heritage and DCMS agree not to list Sheffield's Castle MarketSheffield's brutalist 1960s Castle Market, designed by JL Womersley and the team behind the city's Park Hill flats, has been turned down for listing
English Heritage recommends Broadgate for Grade II* listingAfter weeks of speculation English Heritage (EH) has finally confirmed it is recommending the 1980s Broadgate Square campus in the City of London for Grade II* listing
EPR HQ trashed by riotersMillbank Tower-based EPR Architects had its offices trashed and staff questioned by police following student protests against tuition fee hikes last month
Fear that Localism Bill devalues architects by encouraging them to work for freeArchitects have hit out at the government's proposed overhaul of the planning system, fearing it could devalue the profession by encouraging practices to work for free
Final chance to enter Glasgow Institute architectural drawing contestThe deadline for entries to the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts' annual architectural drawing competition is tomorrow (7 January)
First look at Pascall + Watson's new Dublin airport terminal[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] These are the first shots of Pascall+ Watson's £328 million new Terminal in Dublin
Gehl: Edinburgh's Princes Street is 'big bus station'Leading urban planners Gehl Architects have warned Edinburgh council chiefs that drastic action is needed to transform the fortunes of Princes Street, after labelling the city centre shopping hub 'a big bus station'
Geoff Wilkinson's Regs: FeesPrices have almost doubled under increases to council fee scales, and fee undercutting is just the beginning
GKD - Facing TechnologyHigh transparency, short ways and direct communication between the departments were the architectural requirements for the new building of the technology centre IFE (TCI) in Kematen/Ybbs, Austria.
Gove 'must keep out of BSF review'Education Secretary Michael Gove must play no part in a review of cancelled school building projects ordered by a High Court judge, Labour has said
Government rejects tougher timber frame fire rulesThe department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has rejected demands by the London Assembly to toughen up timber frame building rules
Government unveils Localism BillThe government has unveiled some of the finer details of its Big Society-oriented Decentralisation and Localism Bill, while failing to shed light on its proposed reform of the planning system
Green shoots? Unemployment and number of stalled projects both fallThe number of unemployed architects has fallen again, coinciding with another drop in the amount of mothballed projects
GRID nets Lewisham Marine Wharf approval[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] GRID Architects has won planning permission for a 'new residential and business quarter' in Deptford, Lewisham
Grimshaw completes 'fastest station to date'[FIRST LOOK] Grimshaw has unwrapped its newly completed Nunawading Station in Melbourne, Australia
Ground zero toleranceIn what is arguably its most important piece of programming this year, the Architecture Foundation last month took on the significance of mosques in the 'contemporary western city'
Haiti disaster: homes design contest winners namedNot-for-profit organisation Archive (Architecture for Health In Vulnerable Environments) has unveiled five 'healthy homes' which are set to be built in disaster-hit Haiti
Hat trick of Kalzip Awards for ExCeL LondonExCeL London, Phase 2 has won three awards at Kalzip's recent Teamkal Conference and Awards ceremony including being crowned 'Best of the Best' project.
Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh; MSc Sustainable Community DesignProgramme focus: Theory-Technical-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: NO || Fees: £4,350/£11,270 (EU/Overseas)
Hotel Centro International Ideas Competition, Guadalajara, MexicoCoARQ invites architects, designers and architecture students to participate in the Hotel Centro International Ideas Competition
Ian Martin's New Year ResolutionsNew Year Resolutions from the people who really, really matter to you
Ian Martin's selected Epic Spaces of 2010What were the most significant 'thinking moments' for architects in 2010? The people, the objects, the ideas, that reshaped our perception of what the building environment really means?
In pictures: Architects reveal Room for London competition entries[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] These are the first images of selected entries to the Room for London competition to design a rooftop holiday home on London's Southbank
Industry concerns over government's Green DealArchitects have expressed concerns over the viability of the Green Deal, part of the government's Energy Bill which will receive its second reading in the House of Lords on 22 December.
Jacobs and Leeds City Council unwrap Northern Ballet centre[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Jacobs Architecture with Leeds City Council have completed this £12 million Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre project in Leeds
James Dyson to head up RCAJames Dyson is set to replace Terence Conran as provost of the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London
Jenkins Design to move Coronation StreetJenkins Design Services has been appointed to mastermind ITV's move from its Manchester home to the Orange Building in MediaCityUK at Salford Quays
Kingston University, London; MA Sustainable Place Making and Urban DesignCourse focus: Urban Design-Theory-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: NO || Fees: £5,305/£10,970 (EU/Overseas)
Kingston University, London; MSc/MA Sustainability for Built Environment PracticeCourse focus: Theory-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: NO || Fees: £6,340/£10,650 (EU/Overseas)
Kirkstone for The College of Law, ManchesterThe rich, dark sheen and hard wearing properties of Kirkstone's Brathay Blue Black Slate made it the ideal choice for the reception area of the new Manchester College of Law.
Landscape architect, The Royal ParksThe Royal Parks, guardian of flower arrangements in St. James's and Kensington Garden's gold-plated Albert Memorial, is seeking contenders for a £500,000 landscape architectural services framework
Las Vegas meets Venice by Alex MacLean[THIS WEEK] A new book tackles both Las Vegas and Venice in one go, writes James Pallister
LDS' Southwark tower scheme rejected at inquiryLifschutz Davidson Sandilands' 17-storey student tower project in Southwark, south London, has been vetoed following a public inquiry
Legalese: Project managersProject managers can help projects finish on time, but clients shouldn't pay for the same service twice, says Mark Klimt
Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands submits revised Lambeth fire station plans[FIRST LOOK] Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands has submitted revised plans for this mixed–use fire station redevelopment project in Lambeth, south London
Listed building grants slashed in NIThe maximum amount of grant-aid which can be recovered for restoration work on historic buildings in Northern Ireland is being slashed by £200,000.
Liverpool John Moores Universityl; MSc, Pg Dip, PG Cert, CPD A Sustainable Built EnvironmentCourse focus: Theory-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: NO || Fees: £27/£59 per credit (EU/Overseas)
Local practice named as tentative winner of RIBA Ullswater contestA design by Carlisle-based Architects Plus (UK) has been chosen as the 'preferred scheme' in the RIBA contest to design a new clubhouse building for a yacht club on Lake Ullswater in Cumbria
Localism Bill to be published on Monday 13 DecemberThe government's flagship Localism Bill, which was expected to be published yesterday by the Department of Local Government and Communities, has been delayed until Monday 13 December.
Localism Bill: homeowners to grant own permissionsThe much-anticipated Localism Bill could give homeowners the right to build extensions and add storeys without planning permission
Localism Bill: urgent clarification neededThe profession has been left in the dark over the government's proposals for planning reform following the long-awaited publication of the Localism Bill
London Metropolitan University; MA Architecture of Rapid Change and Scarce ResourcesCourse focus: Design studio modules-Theory-Planing/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: YES || Fees: £5,400/£9,900 (EU/Overseas)
Mayor backs PLP-HOK Camden super-labPLP and HOK's controversial £520 million UKCMRI project in Camden, north London, has been rubberstamped by London Mayor Boris Johnson
McAslan completes Tipton Academy[FIRST LOOK + PROJECT DATA] John McAslan + Partners has opened the doors to its new £25 million academy building in Tipton, the west Midlands
McAslan to double Manchester Science ParkManchester Science Parks is to be revamped by architects John McAslan + Partners, creating 23,000m² of new floorspace for technology, creative and biotech firms.
MUMA balustrade 'explodes'The glass balustrade of McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA)'s staircase at the multiple award-winning V&A Medieval & Renaissance Galleries has 'exploded'
Napoleon SkyscrapersLast week saw another planning application approved for a skyscraper in London, and a question preoccupied the nation: what do these architects have to prove?
New museum for RAF Battle of Britain collectionAn international search has begun to find an architect to design a new £30 million landmark 'beacon' to house the Royal Air Force Museum's Battle of Britain collection
New Practices #52: David Tigg ArchitectsThe latest in a series of practice profiles looking at architects who have recently decided to go it alone, either through choice or redundancy
New public realm schemes signal 'feet first for the City'New public realm projects aim to rejuvenate the City of London and open up the district for pedestrians, reports Jessica Hannay
New Year welcomes new tide of mergersThe new year has opened with a surge in practice mergers with Newcastle-based GWK joining public sector-specialists ADP and Roger Wenn Partnership's architects moving to Clague
Newcastle University; MSc Planning for Sustainability and Climate ChangeCourse focus: Theory-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: NO || Fees: £4,450/10,840 (EU/Overseas)
News review: how the profession saw 2010Was 2010 a good year for you? The industry tells the AJ about the highs and lows of the last 12 months
Official: CABE and Design Council in bid to mergeCABE and the Design Council have confirmed plans to team up as a 'one-stop-shop' for design but must persuade ministers to back the idea
Olympic site 'Meanwhile' projectsA competition is being launched as part of the multi-billion pound transformation of key sites in the main Olympic borough of Newham
Open-City role for Guardian chiefOpen-City has appointed Guardian News managing director Tim Brooks the new chair of its board of trustees
Oxford Brookes University, Oxford; MSc Climate Change and the Built EnvironmentCourse focus: Theory-Urban Design-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: NO || Fees: £4,320/£8,550 (EU/Overseas)
Oxford Brookes University; MA Urban DesignCourse focus: Urban Design-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development-Theory || Design studio: NO || Fees: £4,320-£7,020/£10,350 (EU/Overseas)
Oxford Brookes University; MSc Sustainable Buildings: Performance DesignCourse focus: Design studio modules-Technical-Building Performance Modelling || Design studio: YES || Fees: £4,320-£8,550/£10,350 (EU/Overseas)
Patel Taylor knocked back on Springfield Hospital siteWandsworth's planning committee have rejected proposals by Patel Taylor to redevelop the 'crumbling' Springfield Hospital site in Tooting
Penttinen Schöne unwraps inflatable pavilion[First Look] Fitzrovia-based Penttinen Schöne has revealed these images of its temporary play space project in Basildon, Essex
PLP reveals 'Zuidas' Amsterdam office schemeThese are the first images of PLP Architecture's 40,000m² office project in Amsterdam, Holland, for Deloitte and Dutch legal company AKD
PLP wins planning for 43-storey City towerPLP Architecture has won the backing of the City of London for its 43-storey Heron Plaza skyscraper scheme
Princes Foundation reveals 'Poundbury India' plansThe Princes Foundation for the Built Environment has unveiled plans to build a 3,000 home new town in India
Proctor and Matthews wins planning for Essex almshouses[FIRST LOOK] Proctor and Matthews Architects has won planning consent for a supported housing scheme in Colchester inspired by 'historic Essex almshouses'
Project Orange wins planning for 'parasitic' office scheme[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Project Orange has secured planning permission for this overhaul and rooftop extension of a Victorian industrial brick building in Sheffield
Qatari Diar bids for Olympic VillageChelsea Barracks developers Qatari Diar are among a host of developers bidding to take over the Olympic Village after the 2012 games.
Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland; MSc/Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable DesignCourse focus: Theory-Technical-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: NO || Fees: £3,375/£10,600 (EU/Overseas)
Rapid prototyping, micro-clients and the Big Society: AJ predictions for 2011May your days be merry and bright, we finally have green shoots to report, says Christine Murray
Read this week's AJ onlineDue to the severe weather this week, delivery of your print copy of the Architects' Journal may be delayed. To make sure you do not miss out, we have made the issue available online, exclusively for subscribers.
Revealed: new Middlesex Hospital plansLifschutz Davidson Sandilands (LDS) and Sheppard Robson have unveiled new proposals for the redevelopment of the former Middlesex Hospital site in Fitzrovia, central London
RIBA and CABE must 'talk to us' insist regional design review panelsThe country's eight regional design review panels have urged the RIBA and CABE to talk to them about how to deliver their services 'from the bottom up'
RIBA Awards open for entriesThe search for next year's RIBA Stirling Prize winner has begun with practices urged to submit projects of 'architectural excellence' into the 2011 RIBA Awards scheme
'RIBA should help us', says manhandled architecture student protestorAn architecture student who claims police 'manhandled' him and forcibly photographed his face has called on the RIBA to help students who now face crippling amounts of debt
RIBA Trust set for shake-upRIBA council members will today vote on controversial plans to dissolve the institution's cultural arm, the RIBA Trust, as a separate, autonomous entity
Richard Murphy unveils rival Haymarket plans[FIRST LOOK] Richard Murphy Architects has released these images of a rival proposal to overhaul Edinburgh's Haymarket station
RICS launches 'big society' commissionThe RICS has launched its own inquiry into how local communities can play a role in the government's planned 'big society'
RMJM accused of asset stripping US armUnder-fire global behemoth RMJM is being sued for $664,000 by US staff who have claimed the company failed to pay bonuses and that it asset stripped their business
RMJM plays down Fred 'The Shred' departure rumoursRMJM has refuted claims that 'disgraced' former-banker Fred Goodwin has stepped down from his advisory role at the practice
RMJM's £60 million Napier Uni scheme opens doors[FIRST LOOK] RMJM's new £60 million Sighthill campus at Edinburgh Napier University has opened its doors to more than 5,000 students and staff today (10 January)
Robert Adam bags planning for Jersey Dairy site[FIRST LOOK] Classicist Robert Adam has won planning permission for this 87 home scheme on the site of the old Dairy in Princes Tower Road, St Saviour, Jersey
Rogers' Tideway Wharf scheme lands planningRogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) has won planning permission for its £50 million Tideway Wharf project in Nine Elms, south London
Royal Shakespeare Theatre renovation, Stratford-upon-Avon, by Bennetts AssociatesBennetts Associates' design for the Royal Shakespeare Theatre reworks the existing fabric in a pragmatic and sometimes playful way, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Peter Cook
Ryder completes Tyneside care centre and library[FIRST LOOK + PROJECT DATA] Ryder Architecture has completed this £17.5 million combined healthcare and community library in Cleadon Park, Tyneside
Schumacher vies for BartlettZaha Hadid's right hand man and long-term collaborator Patrik Schumacher is understood to be on a three-strong shortlist to take on the prestigious role of Professor of Architecture at the Bartlett
Self-build wins government backingA new government framework will be established to provide the public with expert advice on building one-off houses
Sharp drop in planning permission for new homesThe number of new homes local authorities have given planning permission for has fallen sharply during the past year, research shows
Shock as RIBA Trust abolishedFormer RIBA president Owen Luder has raised 'serious concern' over the way institute chief executive Harry Rich 'bounced through' controversial plans to dissolve the RIBA Trust at a council meeting last week
Simpson and Brown's Robert Burns museum opens[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] The new £21 million Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, Ayrshire designed by Simpson and Brown has opened its doors
SOM lands Vietnamese 'green city' masterplan[FIRST LOOK] The London office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has landed the masterplan for the new Green Tech City in Hanoi, Vietnam
Spurs unveils Olympic stadium plansTottenham Hotspur FC has unveiled the first image of its design for replacing the Olympic Stadium once the 2012 Games are finished
Square bashing - Westminster Cathedral and St Peter's Square, ManchesterDude, where's my square? Back in January, two competitions were launched to design significant public realm projects in London and Manchester. Westminster Council wanted a design team to revamp the 'piazza' in front of Westminster Cathedral, while Manchester City Council sought a mastermind to oversee the revamp of St Peter's Square next to its soon-to-be-overhauled town hall extension and library.
St Martin's Courtyard by Smith Caradoc-Hodgkins and the MR Partnership[FIRST LOOK + PROJECT DATA] These are the first images of the recently completed St Martin's Courtyard shopping centre and 'urban village' in London's Covent Garden
Stanton Williams top of class at Architecture in Schools AwardsStanton Williams and a group of 14-15 year olds from north London won the top prize at the Architecture in Schools programme awards
Studio Octopi lands planning for London house extension[First look + plans] Studio Octopi has won planning permission for this £150,000 project to extend a 1930 semi-detached home in Dulwich, south east London
Supergraphics: the book[THIS WEEK] A beautiful new book charts the Supergraphics movement since inception, writes James Pallister
Swanke Hayden Connell bags £150 million Bermuda hospital[FIRST LOOK] The London office of Swanke Hayden Connell Architects has revealed these images of the proposed new King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in Hamilton, Bermuda
TACP lands planning for Welsh Dragon towerTACP Architects has bagged planning permission for its project to build a 65 metre-tall dragon monument in Wales
Taichung City Urban ParkTaiwan's $85 million Taichung Gateway Park competition has been re-launched with a revised stage one deadline of 30 June
Tall buildings restricted in DublinThe height of any new tall buildings in Dublin will be limited to just seven storeys after councillors voted to back the final draft of the City Development Plan 2011-2017
Terry Farrell's reworked eco-town approvedTerry Farrell has won consent for the first phase of its reworked plans application for an eco-town at Northwest Bicester
Theatre design: Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury by Keith Williams Architects and the New Entertainment Venue, Guildford, by Austin-Smith: LordTechnical study of two performance venues by Austin-Smith: Lord and Keith Williams Architects. By Felix Mara
Threats delay Conran's Walthamstow consultationConran and Partners has had to delay planned public consultations for its Walthamstow Stadium housing scheme due to 'fears for staff safety'
Torbay Council: two housing lotsTorbay Council is seeking an architect for two lots of design services to RIBA Stage D
Tower Hamlets delays decision on Robin Hood GardensFans of Alison and Peter Smithson's Robin Hood Gardens, and perhaps also, social justice might be interested to learn more about Tower Hamlets Council's move to delay by a month the decision about which design team's project should replace the estate.
Try again: MAKE redraws Neville eco-houseMAKE Architects has redesigned its scheme to build a PPS7 eco-house for Gary Neville in Bolton
Union North bags 'Baltic' sheds jobUnion North Architects has landed a £1.9 million project to refurbish the 'Jordan Street Tin Sheds' in the Baltic Triangle area of Liverpool
University of Cambridge; MPhil (A) in Environmental Design in ArchitectureCourse focus: Theory-Technical-Planning/Policy/Sustainable development || Design studio: NO || Fees: £6,365/£14,623 (EU/Overseas)
University of Dundee, MSc Spatial Planning with Sustainable Urban DesignCourse focus: Theory-Urban design-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: NO || Fees: £3,400/£9,500 (EU/Overseas)
University of Dundee, Scotland; MSc Advanced Sustainability of the Built EnvironmentCourse focus: Theory-Technical-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: NO || Fees: £3,570/£9,850 (EU/Overseas)
University of East London, MA Architecture: Sustainability & DesignCourse focus: Theory-Design studio modules-Technical || Design studio:YES || Fees: £6,540 (EU)
University of Edinburgh; MSc Advanced Sustainable DesignCourse focus: Theory-Design studio modules || Design studio: YES || Fees: £5,300/£12,200 (EU/Overseas)
University of Huddersfield; MSc Sustainable ArchitectureCourse focus: Theory-Technical-Design studio modules || Design studio: YES || Fees: £4,200/£10,750 (EU/Overseas)
University of Nottingham; MArch in Environmental DesignCourse focus: Design studio modules-Technical-Building Performance Modelling || Design studio: YES || Fees:£4,480/10,880 (EU/Overseas)
University of Nottingham; MArch Sustainable Tall BuildingsCourse focus: Theory-Technical-Design studio modules || Design studio: YES || Fees: £4,480/£10,880 (EU/Overseas)
University of Portsmouth, MA in Urban DesignCourse focus: Theory-Urban Design-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: YES || Fees: £5,000/£10,500 (EU/Overseas)
University of Portsmouth; MA Sustainable ArchitectureCourse focus: Design studio modules-Technical-Planning/Policy/Sustainable Development || Design studio: YES || Fees: £3466/£9,200 (EU/Overseas)
University of Reading, MSc and PGD: Design and Management of Sustainable Built EnvironmentsCourse focus: MSc and PGD: Design and Management of Sustainable Built Environments|| Design studio: YES || Fees: £5,500/ £15,000 (EU/Overseas)
University of Salford, Greater Manchester; MSc Urban Design and RegenerationCourse focus: Urban Design studio modules/Theoretical and practical/Neighbourhood regeneration || Design studio: YES || Fees: £7,500/£10,550 (EU/Overseas)
Waldron Health Centre, New Cross, London by Henley Halebrown RorrisonWaldron Health Centre is evidence of a public-private initiative that New Labour got right, says Rory Olcayto. Photography by Nick Kane
Weston Williamson completes Digicel store in earthquake-struck HaitiWeston Williamson's mobile phone store in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, has opened to the public one year after a catastrophic earthquake rocked the island
WHAT_architecture unwraps Lego-clad schoolWHAT_architecture has completed a children's centre clad in 1,263,801 Lego bricks at Cowley St Laurence School in Hillingdon, west London
Wilkinson Eyre among trio vying for new Scottish landmarkWilkinson Eyre has been named on a three-strong shortlist to design a new 'contemporary icon' at the Scotland-England border in Gretna.
Woods Bagot bags planning for hotel scheme[FIRST LOOK] Woods Bagot has won planning permission for this project to transform two Grade II-listed buildings in Westminster, south London, into a hotel
World's oldest architect, Oscar Niemeyer, composes sambaThe world's oldest living Pritzker Prize-winner, Oscar Niemeyer, is well into his second century now.
YRM's Somerset nuclear plant submitted for planning[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] An application for preparatory works on YRM's £10 billion Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project in Somerset has been submitted for planning
Zaha Hadid's Glasgow museum nears completionThese are the first images of Zaha Hadid's soon-to-complete Riverside Museum in Glasgow
Zogolovitch bids to save RIBA TrustRoger Zogolovitch has launched a campaign to undo the RIBA's decision to abolish the trust which looks after its cultural activities
Zogolovitch: RIBA Trust dissolution an 'embarrassment'The dissolution of the RIBA Trust will unravel seven years worth of hard work by its staff and trustees. Writes trustee Roger Zogolovitch


text:
nice value studies, your doin good :)
looking forward to what you'll produce in the following year ;)
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nice value studies, your doin good :)
looking forward to what you'll produce in the following year ;)
so am i grafguy ^^
here's a girl that started out as more of a doodle but eventually i started thinking i should put some of the things i learned in practise and try to paint her without using reference. So this is what i have atm
Now im going to try to refine her some more using reference and then give her some color
Last update for tonight
Ive been having some bad luck the last 2 days , lets say coffee and tablet pcs
dont mix. After some dissambling and cleaning every inch of the motherboard i got it working again and heres and update on the girl :D.
still pretty rough but im working on it
back to pencils WIP (photoref)
Me and a friend are entering the Unearthly challenge so ive been doing some previsualisations of the buildings. Still not sure what we are going to use.
hi and great...
Tnx kelly ^^ here are some portraits i did this evening
Hey man. Got some really good stuff going. Would like to see you hang of the blur effects that such strong backlights give. Instead, do more studies so that the chatacter shines on it's own.
Other than that, just keep posting, sharing and rocking:D
tnx for the comment ;), i know i still lack a anatomy studies so ill force myself to do more of them
hogarth, attempt to make a contraposto pose from the mind and doodle face :)
mostly schoolwork
lowpoly (2500 tris) 3d model based on existing character
Sculpt i did on the train :
Where are your updates? I 'd like to follow the progress of some people :)
Do you mean updates in general or on the paint?, i decided to use the paint above as a final because i now know the bigger flaws in the piece.
I would have to redo the entire paint and because of a lack of time (i'm still following the entire DAE curriculum btw) i wasn't able to do that, but for my next paints i now know what to think about before i start the painting process.
Here are the character design sheets i handed in today
Eduardo Bueno a not so straight hairstylist :P
i'll try to scan my pencildrawings too when i get the time
lovely freak u got there raven :batgirl:
tnx fox :)
Ive been throwing myself into a lot of projects these days, mostly 3d and i have a lot of schoolwork too so my drawings stay mostly at doodlefase and i dont feel like scanning
1 character wip of a bigger scene i am working on
Robots serving gods for a small compo:
practicing with pencils
another testrender
almost forgot this one
i'm entering the imagine cub contest from microsoft with a 3 other students and this is our logo
Haha cool logo!
Love your work man, keep it up!
tnx surion
here is some more 3d stuff, the coming weeks i'll try to update more conceptart related stuff since the concept fase of our teamproject begins :)
lowpoly Gravedigger
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1...gerspecla2.jpg http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/8...poly360et1.gif http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/3...rbeautyew4.jpg
your character looks great in 3D, but at the same time...ewww :P. I think the bellybutton could use some more work though.
peles servant final
attempt at traditional painting
a new compoentry im working on
Thx for dropping by.
Btw; nice updates in your sketchbook. Try to use more dynamic poses and more perspective when you choose a cameraview.
But nice work!
The figure drawing class is in Ghent, op Sint Lucas. ( of aan de Academie ).
Surf naar de website van het DKO (deeltijds kunstonderwijs) voor meer info.
tnx for the comments, i usually try to play it safe with the poses but that results in works that dont look that interesting. Im going to try to work on that.
Here is wip of a traditional paint i am working on, i decided to try doing these some more
I'm all out of white acryll paint so i have to wait untill tomorrow to continue painting the rest and fix some stuff
WIP painting i started this evening


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York City Council approved a budget that holds the line on taxes and differs little from what the mayor presented a month ago.
But no one on the five-member council seemed too happy about it.
"I'm not necessarily pleased with this budget," council President Carol Hill-Evans said during discussion before a vote Tuesday night.
That's because the budget, balanced at around $96 million, doesn't address several changes proposed by council members during hours of discussion. Those changes included cutting funds for White Rose Community Television. They also included adding fire department personnel, something for which Hill-Evans advocated.
And then there's the looming debt.
Michael O'Rourke, the city's business administrator, said after the meeting the budget as approved will include about $200,000 to pay down the deficit in the recreation fund, and between $100,000 and $500,000 for deficit reduction in the general fund, depending on discretionary spending.
Those deficits currently stand at $600,000 and $6 million, respectively, he said.
The city is also anticipating a jump in the required contribution to its employee pension fund in 2015, O'Rourke said.
"It may be a gigantic spike or a moderate spike, or it may be little," he said, adding, "I tend to think it will be significant."
On Tuesday, the council approved adding $2,658 back into the city Human Relations Commission budget, after Mayor Kim Bracey zeroed out funding for several line items.
The council voted 4-1 to add funding, with Councilwoman Renee Nelson dissenting.
Hill-Evans, along with Councilman Michael Helfrich, voted against the final budget, which passed 3-2. Nelson and council members Henry Nixon and David Satterlee voted in favor.
Bracey and staff presented the budget in November. The city council then held its own meetings, debating the details at length.
In the end, the council changed little of the mayor's plan, and members seemed resigned to the work ahead.
"None of us are 100 percent happy with the budget, but I don't believe in using cuts as a punitive measure for any department," Nixon said. "There's more to be addressed ... We've got issues."
Read more
Find more city news at York City Limits.


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After listening to more than a dozen representatives of external agencies asking for help with their annual budgets, Lincoln County commissioners tentatively approved about $326,000 in requests, cutting more than $45,000 from initial submissions for the Fiscal Year 2013-2014 preliminary budget.
Lincoln County Transit, a public transportation system using vans, came up empty-handed despite a request for $25,000. Commissioners were more inclined to fund programs benefiting the youth of the county, committing $6,000 for the Boys and Girls Club and $15,000 of $25,000 requested by Stephen Carter of EcoServants.
The Humane Society of Lincoln County was granted $30,000, the same as last year, but minus an additional $2,000 to help with maintenance of the facility, and the Ruidoso Public Library was cut to $20,000, which represents a $5,000 increase from the current year, but $15,000 less than requested for the coming year. A program under the Upper Hondo Water and Soil Conservation District to knock out noxious weeds was cut by $10,000 to $40,000.
Some figures still were being tallied Tuesday, but a revised preliminary budget will be presented to commissioners at their May 14 meeting before being sent to the state Department of Finance and Administration for approval by June 1.
A few of the highlights from the session Friday included:
¥ Humane Society officials said the county funding provided care for about 200 of the 1,063 animals that came through the shelter, 70 refugees from fires and the 100 in-house at the beginning of the year. As the only open-admission animal shelter in the county, with space all animals are accepted that are brought to the shelter from unincorporated areas of the county, as well as Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs and Capitan. The facility is licensed to provide veterinary services, dispense controlled drugs and support animal control efforts. No limit is placed on how long an adoptable animal may be kept.
¥ Capitan Library officials asked for $22,930, an increase from $3,000 this year. Library Director Pat Garrett explained that the all-volunteer staff operates a full-service nonprofit library, but wants to hire a manager for the library resale shop, which helps support the library and is valuable to the community. Since a 2,400-square-foot addition was added, groups are able to use the library for book club meetings, yoga classes, knitting and quilting, she said. The library receives $1,500 a year from the village of Capitan. Commissioners approved $5,000, which was in line with the allocation to the library in Corona. The mayor and library director for that town asked for $3,000 last May and $5,000 this year, which was approved.
Cory Bard, head librarian at the Ruidoso Public Library, said more than half of the users of the library live outside the Ruidoso village limits. During a slow month, the library still saw 7,500 people come through the door, he said. The library promotes literacy for all ages, while also presenting entertaining and enriching programs, and working with area schools. Commissioners approved a $5,000 increase to $20,000.
¥ Stephanie Bason, project technician with the noxious weed program of the Upper Hondo Soil and Water Conservation District, said the county has assisted in the program since 2003. Last year, 5,842.99 acres were treated locally and 750.5 miles of county roadsides were sprayed, as well as 236 acres of spot spraying.
The effort doesn't stop after a few years, she explained. Treatments must be reapplied year after year until an infestation is wiped out.
"County roads are graded a lot and that spreads the seed," she said. "We try to work with the county to prevent grading until the herbicide has done its job." The local money is used as match requests for additional grants, she said.
Treatments also were directed at killing salt cedar and Russian elm on the Bonito River all way to the U.S. 70 intersection, she said. Commission Chairman Jackie Powell said she would like to make the project on the Bonito a model for Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs and Capitan. "We've got to get rid of the elm trees," she said of the high water users. "They've got to go and it is a perfect model of how it works." She also warned about poison hemlock, which she said in a drought when everything else is yellow, "grows huge, green like a rain forest. It kills calves before they get back to the corral."
¥ The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Predator Control Services held onto its full $88,500 request despite a suggestion from Commissioner Kathryn Minter about cutting $10,000. District Supervisor Brian Archuleta said the cut would result in the loss of one hunter/trapper. The money pays for three specialists to help control predators and is matched by federal and state funds, and additional dollars from a per-head self-imposed tax paid by cattle and sheep growers. In January, the program was awarded $1 million for feral hog removal in New Mexico and six specialists were hired and scattered throughout the state, one from Capitan, who was in DeBaca County for two months, but was reassigned here, Archuleta said.
The program also benefits urban areas where wildlife concentrates during a drought, luring in predators who also kill domestic pets, he said. Of the total requested, $39,300 comes from the county's general fund, the rest is generated primarily by the Taylor Grazing Act and the per head tax.