How did the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list come about?
Kat: I was approached by then YALSA President Pam Spencer-Holley. I believe it was at the 2003 ALA Annual Conference, and she asked me to chair a Graphic Novels Task Force. This was the year after the 2002 YALSA Pre-Conference on graphic novels, which was hugely popular and led to more libraries carrying graphic novels. Michele Gorman, Robin Brenner, Jody Sharp, and Mike Pawuk were my GN Task Force members, and we worked for about two years, going back and forth with the YALSA board of directors until the list was finally approved. Most of the time, we were tweaking our original proposal, sometimes putting in something at the request of certain board members, only to have to remove it when those members left and new board members complained. It was rather frustrating at times, but Michele, Robin, Jody, and Mike kept helping me plug away at the proposal until we finally got it approved. After YALSA decided to create the GGNFT, for family reasons I was no longer able to participate activ
