Ch- ch- changes!

Notice anything different? Our blog has a brand new outfit, thanks to the wonderful design and illustration work of Anna Alter. Some of the changes:

-A beautiful new logo: we thought it made sense to include a book, as we're all about books
-A new tagline: we wanted to make the purpose of the blog clearer
-A new background: blue roses, of course!
-New headers: we wanted to make it clear who was writing which post, so going forward we'll be using these new headers (if you click on them, they'll take you to our personal blogs or websites). Note: for our older posts, the author of the each post will be listed at the bottom.
-New photos: now you know exactly what we all look like!
-"Reactions" buttons at the end of each post. Don't want to post a full comment? Just click a button! We're hoping this will also help us with feedback regarding what kinds of posts you'd like to see more of.
-Buttons for posting on Facebook, Twitter, and more.

With the new redesign also comes some new features to the blog. Stay tuned for information about a contest--Grace will have the details on Wednesday. We'll also be introducing some guest bloggers, a "from the BRG archives" feature, and regular discussion posts, including video, audio, and print.

We're all incredibly proud that we've kept this blog going strong for over four years, and we love the  community we have here. But we want to make sure we keep growing and adapting, and that the conversation stays fresh and interesting. Any and all feedback is welcome. Thank you to both our new and veteran readers, thanks to everyone for reading and participating!

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Also, if you're in the New York area, I'll be speaking on a panel at the NYPL tomorrow evening starting at 6:30 pm at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, South Court Auditorium. The panel is titled "Reflections on YA". Here is the description:

As Teen Read Week comes around again, join The New York Public Library for a refreshing and in-depth conversation about the state of YA publishing today. Hear from dynamic and engaging people from the literary world as they discuss the triumphs of the genre, as well as the areas for improvement. From paranormal to economic challenges and from the increasingly diverse population of Ya readers to the dominance of paranormal, find out what's happening in the world of reading.

Featured panelists:

Amy Bowllan, Director of Diversity and Educational Technology at The Hewitt School in NYC

Alvina Ling, Senior Editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Cailtlyn Dlouhy, Executive Editor, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Megan Honig, Teen Collections Specialist, The New York Public Library

Stacey Barney, Editor, Penguin Book Group

Info here. Come join in the discussion! It should be a lively one.