Shana Youngdahl’s first novel is recognized as a Best Book of 2019 for Young Adults.
By April Mulherin / December 2020
Assistant Professor of English Shana Youngdahl feels both amazed and humbled at the news that her first young adult novel, As Many Nows As I Can Get (Dial Books, 2019), has been recognized by the New York Public Library as a Best Book of 2019 for Teens.
UMF Assistant Professor of English Shana Youngdahl. (Photo by Marc Glass.)
Her debut novel also has been selected by Kirkus as a starred review, awarded to books of exceptional merit, and chosen by both Kirkus and Seventeen magazine as one of the Best YA Books of 2019.
“This novel is a first for me,” said Youngdahl. “Before this, I’d always written and published poetry, but I wanted to tell this story in a different genre.”
Her first-person narrative tells the story of a graduating high school senior who grows up in a small town. Smart, ambitious, and reeling from a spontaneous summer love, she goes on to a fictional Maine college to encounter grief and guilt while reconciling who she thinks she needs to be with the person she has been all along.
A poet and author who teaches writing at UMF, Youngdahl directs the University’s Longfellow Young Writers’ Workshop and also teaches a “Coming of Age” seminar to first-year students. One of her greatest joys is helping people embrace the stories they need to tell.
“Interacting with first-year students, you quickly realize all the first-time experiences and challenges they face as they enter adulthood,” said Youngdahl. “It was important to me with this first book to try to capture that sense of change and loss they face in a way that would speak to them.”
Youngdahl, whose debut young adult novel has been named a New York Public Library Best Book of 2019 for Teens, is now working on her next YA novel.
“Aside from the positive reviews the book has received, I have been shocked at the wonderful responses from my readers. They generally reach out to me on social media and let me know how much the book means to them. For me, it becomes about the story you want to tell and who it’s for.”
In addition to occasional author signings, Youngdahl has scheduled a reading at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, where she will talk about her book and her process as well as take questions from students. Her upcoming appearances include signings at the Webster Library in Kingfield at 2 p.m. on Jan. 26 and at the Portland Public Library at noon on Feb. 20, 2020.