Oakland REPRESENT

This year Forever Young Adult - Oakland organized a donation of ten bags for Project Night Night in San Francisco. PNN aims to put a book, stuffed animal, and blanket in the hands of every child living in a shelter over the holidays. As you can see we had some pretty great books going out to these kids

+5 Gamemaker Bonus -CG

Victoria Schwab's A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC has SO many incredible characters, including the many parallel Londons that our characters find themselves in throughout the story: Grey London: "our" London during the Victorian era,a London where magic is all but forgotten, and home to Delilah Bard: orphan, thief, fashion icon.-Earl Grey ice cream, whipped cream, lavender syrup, dark chocolate covered almonds, plus a palace guard and The Tower of London White London: a London where magic rules and those with the most magic rule over everyone. Currently on the throne: Astrid and Athos Dane. They make Cersei and Jaime Lannister look like KITTENS.-vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, vanilla bean paste, and Swedish fish as an homage to the Scandinavian-influenced White London Red London: another London where magic flourishes, but in a much more controlled fashion. Kells is an Antari, a rare magician that can slip between Londons, and Red London is where he calls home.-strawberry ice cream, whipped cream, dark chocolate espresso beans, red licorice nibs. The espresso beans are for Kell, who does much of his work for the king at odd hours and in a very clandestine fashion. Black London: a London so obsessed with magic that it was literally consumed by it...or was it?-We added pools of hot fudge on either side of the sundae because the stories of how Black London fell are always present as is the subsequent fear of what could happen to the other Londons.

Dear Olivia-of-May-2003, Hey there! So, don't freak out, but it's me. I mean, it's you. Like, I am you, just a few years older than you. Like, almost thirty but who's counting. I know you have questions. Will we become famous Broadway stars? Will all the people who bullied us and teased us and made us cry die in a freak tornado the minute we leave Indiana? Will we *ever* be able to pull off yellow? I cannot answer these things. These are questions which, if you had the answers to them, might create a rift in the space-time continuum and end up causing an endless war with the Klingons. (Ok, fine, you got one answer: we are still a huge geek. But you're not surprised are you?) I know you're busy. In a month you and Mom will pack up everything you own and move from Indiana to New York City, Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of. (Yes, I know it's grammatically incorrect; believe me if I could change it I would. You'll see what I mean.) A lot is going to be different there. It won't be the fantasy you've conjured in your mind. But it will make you a stronger person, and it will get you where you need to go, even if I can't tell you where that is because of the whole Klingon-war-Armageddon thing. It's also going to be frightening there. There will be a lot of sex, drugs, alcohol, and Starbucks going on around you. There will be times when you are frightened. There will be times when you are elated. There are times you will be despondent. I'm sending you one thing from the future: a book. It's called Exit, Pursued By A Bear and yes, that is a Shakespeare reference. Good for you, you theater nerd. You've been really lucky: you've never felt unsafe in Indiana, not really. That will change in NYC, and you'll realize that there is a side to humanity that you didn't know existed. You'll realize that being a woman in the world can be a terrifying thing. You'll learn to not make eye contact with men on the street, to walk in groups, and to always pour your own drinks. I am not sending you this book to make you scared. The world is a scary place and it can do that just fine on its own. I'm sending you this for a few reasons. One is to show you that it's so, so important to listen to and support other women, especially when they are victimized by violence or vitriol. Another is to show you that even in times of your greatest struggles, good friends will stick by you and help you get back on your feet. Surround yourself with people you can count on. Don't let the pressures of your peer group force you to accept anything less than respect and love from your friends. Be kind and generous, like you always have been, but make sure to find friends who reciprocate. Kick the Leontes of your life to the curb and find your own Paulina. Finally, read this book and realize that 1 in 3 women will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. These are your friends, neighbors, and classmates. You may never know who they are, but they are there. Be their ally, even if you don't know who they are. Do not let sexist language go by unchallenged. Shut down slut shaming and police your own speech. Cultivate a culture of consent and accountability. I know I've gotten real serious here. Just remember that at the end of the day, your female friends are the best resource you have. You're about to embark on an amazing journey, full of highs and lows, good coffee and bad fashion choices. Your friends will be the ones who will be by your side, and they'll be the ones who call you at 3AM when something terrible has happened. You'll do goofy, gutsy, garish things with them that will make up the fabric of your life story. I'm just passing back a book to help you start out right. Good luck! Olivia-of-the-future P.S. For the love of GOD do not buy that magenta off-the-shoulder sweater. It belongs in the 80's and should stay there. You will regret that thing and its appearance in FAR too many pictures circa 2003-4 for the rest of your life. Trust me.

It’s like Amanda stole the print of this dress right off the cover of And I Darken!

Gamemaker Bonus: +5 FD

. Both of them are in low key cosplay representing the characters on the cover!

Nancy and Christy loved Outrun the Moon so much that they took a historic tour of San Francisco, which was curated by Stacey Lee, and recreated the story of the Unsinkable Mercy Wong.

Gamemaker bonus: +5 JD

+5 AG (leggings and sunnies on POINT)

-Mask (“My mom once told me that my dad had given me an alliterative name, Wade Watts, because he thought it sounded like the secret identity of a superhero. Like Peter Parker or Clark Kent.”)

“I think that we can all agree that on this trip, the sword was a solid emergency supply.” - Lady Renegades 

Christy has been deemed guilty of crimes against the guild and has therefore been branded FLAWED. 

Riannon caught a Poliwag trying to interfere with her summer reading. RUDE.